The Types and Inquiry Level of Chemistry Laboratory Courses in Ethiopia Higher Education Institutes: The Case of Practical Organic Chemistry I

Abstract

The major objective of this study was to offer an overview of the current situation in the course content and inquiry level of practical courses in chemistry department of Ethiopian universities with a special reference to the course practical organic chemistry I. Practical Organic Chemistry I course material and the harmonized curriculum of chemistry were involved as the main source of data. The necessary data for the study was obtained from the deep content analysis of the course material. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to analyze data. The result indicated that the majority of the activities have lower inquiry level of one and the dominant practical work identified was demonstration type activity. Based on these findings, therefore, certain recommendations were forwarded.