Promoting critical thinking skills of secondary school chemistry students’ through 7e-learning cycle model

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of 7E-Learning Cycle Model (7ELCM) and Lecture Method (LEM) as well as gender influence in promoting secondary school students’ critical thinking skills in chemistry. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design with an overall sample of 146 (66 boys & 80 girls) Senior Secondary Two (SS2) chemistry students of public schools in Lagos State of Nigeria. Data were collected using Lesson Plan on 7ELCM and LEM (LP7L) and adapted Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT). Validity of LP7L and CCTT were determined by two experts in chemistry education. KR 21 was used to determine the reliability of CCTT which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Mean and ANCOVA were used in data analyses. The results showed that secondary school chemistry students exposed to 7E Learning Cycle Model (7ELCM) had higher mean score than students exposed to Lecture Method (LEM) in promoting critical thinking skills. Also, male students taught with 7ELCM and LEM had the highest mean scores than the females in promoting Critical Thinking Skills in chemistry. The study equally showed a significant interactive effect of 7ELCM and LEM on secondary school chemistry students but there was no significant interactive influence of male and female (gender) in promoting critical thinking skills among the secondary school chemistry students taught using 7ELCM and LEM respectively. The paper concludes that chemistry teachers should provide learning opportunities that would make students take ownership of their learning by compelling them to learn meaningfully, think critically, and criticize constructively as a team in solving problematic tasks through the application of 7ELCM irrespective of gender roles and recommends that Ministry of Education and school administrators should organize Train-the-Trainers workshop for all the secondary school chemistry teachers on how to incorporate 7ELCM pedagogy in promoting 21st century skills and improving chemistry students learning outcomes in Lagos State of Nigeria.