Effect Of Value-Integrated Constructivist Approach (Vica) On Secondary School Students’ Life Skill Development In Biological Science Pedagogy

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to study the effectiveness of Value-Integrated Constructivist Approach (VICA) in developing life skills of Class VIII students through the pedagogy of biological science. While the importance of life skills is recognized in global and national educational frameworks, such as the Delors Report (UNESCO, 1996), the National Education Policy (NEP, 2020), and the National Curriculum Framework (NCERT, 2005), the systematic incorporation of life skills into the pedagogy of science classrooms remains underexamined. Based on constructivist learning theory, VICA is a biology teaching approach that intentionally incorporates basic human values through inquiry-based learning, collaborative interaction, real-life contextualization, and structured reflection.

A non-randomized control group pre-test–post-test quasi-experimental design was carried out in 2 public secondary schools of Andhra Pradesh for a 1-year intervention period. Quantitative analysis using independent t-tests and chi square tests and qualitative analysis of student reflections showed a statistically significant positive gain in life skills for students who received VICA-based instruction compared to students who were taught using traditional methods that did not incorporate values. The findings show that the integration of life skills and values into constructivist biology teaching broadens the scope of learning beyond conceptual knowledge and enhances students’ personal, social, and ethical development. The paper offers insights into value-embedded, participatory pedagogies that enable meaningful and holistic learning in secondary science education.