An Evaluation of Advanced Level Chemistry Teaching in Gweru District Schools, Zimbabwe

Mandina Shadreck

doi:10.5539/ass.v8n10p151

Abstract

This study evaluated the implementation of the Advanced level chemistry curriculum in Gweru district secondary schools in Zimbabwe. To guide this study seven research questions were raised and answered. The study employed a descriptive survey design and three instruments were used to collect data from 6 secondary schools selected from 12 schools in the district using the Probability Proportionate to Size (PPS) sampling technique. Six (6) school heads, 10 chemistry teachers and 130 students participated in the study. The instruments used for data collection were a questionnaire, interviews and personal observations. The study established that the important factors that limit the quality of chemistry teaching and learning include overloaded curriculum content and inadequate time for teaching chemistry; inadequate resources, apparatus, equipment and consumables. Insufficient funding of science, lack of support staff and ineffective teaching methodologies further limit the quality of chemistry teaching and learning. The study recommends the in servicing of chemistry teachers to give them a better orientation on what is expected of them and expose them to current methods of teaching and presenting content materials to learners. The Ministry of Education Arts, Sports and Culture should for partnerships with private sector and nongovernmental organizations to provide the necessary infrastructure and enabling environment to make chemistry education thrive.

Highlights

The need to promote a society of scientifically literate citizens is regarded as urgent in many countries and is accepted as one of the main goals of science education (Jenkins, 1997)
It is generally accepted that achieving functional scientific literacy involves providing People with an understanding of science that they can use as they make decisions and engage in debate about scientific and technological issues outside formal education settings (Ryder,2001)
The findings of this study indicate that the teaching of chemistry is faced with a number of challenges which include the overloaded curriculum such that there is too much to cover in the available time, inadequate resources, equipment apparatus and consumables

Summary

Introduction

The need to promote a society of scientifically literate citizens is regarded as urgent in many countries and is accepted as one of the main goals of science education (Jenkins, 1997). It is generally accepted that achieving functional scientific literacy involves providing People with an understanding of science that they can use as they make decisions and engage in debate about scientific and technological issues outside formal education settings (Ryder,2001). In this sense, educating for scientific literacy entails teaching science concepts and theories and learning about the nature of these concepts and how they function in relation to other beliefs about the physical world (Eichinger, Abell, & Dagher, 1997). The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) Advanced level chemistry syllabus for 2008 to 2012 was designed to:

Methods

Results

Conclusion