Senior Secondary School Chemistry Research Articles

The impact of puzzle game and video-based puzzle strategies on students’ achievement and retention in periodicity

Periodicity in chemistry is often regarded as a challenging or difficult subject owing to its seemingly abstractness and factors such as ineffective pedagogies, leading to poor achievement and low retention of knowledge. Also, the knowledge of periodicity is fundamental to students’ understanding of a substantial range of chemistry concepts. Therefore, there is a need for the adoption of activity-oriented teaching methods, which have the capacity to not only foster achievement, but also encourage retention. Therefore, this study determined the effects of puzzle game and video-based puzzle strategies on secondary school students’ achievement and retention in periodicity concept in chemistry. Pre-/post-test, delayed post-test control group quasi experimental research design was adopted in the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used in the sampling of participants. A total of 183 senior secondary school chemistry students were drawn from six purposively selected public secondary schools in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Two categories of research instruments (stimulus and response) were developed, validated and used to collect data, which were analyzed using analysis of covariance and Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. The findings of the study revealed improved achievement and retention among students exposed to experimental groups (puzzle game and video-based puzzle) than the control group (conventional teaching). Puzzle game appeared to be the most efficacious. It was therefore suggested that teachers should adopt activity-based learning approaches such as puzzle games for teaching periodicity and other chemistry concepts as an attempt to reduce the abstractness perceived by learners and consequently enhance learning outcomes including retention.

EFFECTS OF LABORATORY METHOD ON STUDENTS’ ACQUISITION OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CHEMISTRY IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

The study was designed to investigate the effects of laboratory method on students’ acquisition of science process skills in senior secondary school Chemistry. To guide this study, three hypotheses were raised and tested. The design of the study was a non-randomised pre-test, post-test control group quasi-experimental design. Six secondary schools were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Three schools were used as the experimental group and the other three as the control group. One hundred and ninety-eight (198) students of six (6) intact classes made up of the sample for the study. The instruments for the study consisted of Chemistry Practical Ability Test (CPAT) and Chemistry Process Skills Rating Scale (CPSRS). The major findings of the study are: the laboratory method enhances students’ acquisition of science process skills in both quantitative and qualitative analyses more than the lecture method, the laboratory method contributed about 74% to students’ acquisition of science process skills and students acquire more science process skills in quantitative analysis than in qualitative analysis. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made among which are that the laboratory method should be used for teaching practical aspects of Chemistry always; Chemistry practical work should commence from senior secondary school one with separate periods per week instead of keeping students till senior secondary school three before such exposure. The conclusion of the study is that the laboratory method enhances students’ acquisition of science process skills in both quantitative and qualitative analyses rather than lectures. The following recommendations were made: the use of laboratory method should be employed in teaching practical aspects of Chemistry always, and a separate period per week should be given for laboratory activities with reference to the scheme of work among others.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0043/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

A Survey of the Practices, Procedures, and Techniques in Senior Secondary School Chemistry Teaching Laboratories

A survey was conducted in various senior secondary schools of Rajasthan State that teach chemistry at senior secondary level and conducts chemistry practicals in laboratories in the India. The data include results from over 27 schools, describes the current practices, procedures and techniques used at these schools, and discusses the statistical results such as the adaptability of laboratories performed, the chemical techniques applied, the instrumentation/chemicals available, the laboratory equipment used, the chemistry practicals covered, the way they conducted and performed . The results provide a “snapshot” of the current state of the senior secondary school laboratory teaching chemistry practicals.

Effect of Lecture-Enriched Wait-Time on the Performance of Average and High Ability SSII Chemistry Students in Mole Concept

This study investigated the effects of lecture-enriched wait-time on the performance of average- and high-ability SSII Chemistry Students in mole concept. A quasi-experimental design was used. The population comprised all the SSII chemistry students from senior secondary schools in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. A sample of 50 students was randomly selected from two coeducational schools. The participants were taught the mole concept using lecture-enriched wait-time. A validated Instrument called the Mole Concept Performance Test (MCPT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.73 was used in collecting data. One research question and one null hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Inferential statistics were used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed no significant difference between the average and high ability students. The researcher thus concluded that lecture-enriched wait-time was found to help change chemistry students’ performance. Therefore, it was recommended that senior secondary school chemistry teachers use lecture-enriched wait-time to improve students' performance in chemistry at different ability levels.

Effects of Virtual Laboratory Instructional Strategy on Students ‘achievement In Chemistry Practical among Senior Secondary Schools in Minna Metropolis, Niger State

This study adopted quasi experimental design. Pretest, posttest experimental and control groups design was adopted. Two research questions and two hypotheses formulated and tested at 0.05 level significance. The population for the study comprises of 3395 senior secondary school chemistry students in Minna metropolis, Niger state. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed, which were clustered into A &B with a sample size of 120. Four schools were randomly sampled. Balancing of Chemical Equation Achievement Test (BOCEAT). BOCEAT was validated by three experts, one in Measurement and Evaluation and two science educators in the Department of Science Education of the Federal University of Technology, Minna for both face and content validation. Test, retest was administered to ascertain reliability index for BOCEAT and the data collected from both the experimental and control groups for the reliability were statistically analyzed using t-test to calculate the internal consistency which yielded 0.87. The data collected for the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions and t-test to test the formulated hypothesis at 0.05 levels of significance. Findings from the study showed that virtual laboratory instructional package impacted positively on students’ academic achievement in chemistry practical than traditional method. On the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught balancing of chemical equations using virtual laboratory strategy, female did better than the male. Based on the findings of the study, chemistry teachers should be encouraged to use virtual laboratory strategy while teaching chemistry concepts especially balancing of chemical equation.

Performance Evaluation of Senior Secondary School Students’ Mock Examination Questions in Chemistry in Adamawa State, Nigeria

The study examined the content validity of Chemistry MOCK examination questions for senior secondary school students set by Adamawa State Educational Resource Centre (ERC), Yola. Students have been passing the MOCK examinations but unfortunately performance poorly in the subject in their final year external examination like WAEC in Adamawa State. The main objective of the study was to determine the representativeness of the topics in the senior secondary school Chemistry curriculum in the MOCK examination question papers from 2015 to 2019. Three research questions were raised and two research hypotheses formulated. An ex-post facto research design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised all MOCK examination questions in Chemistry and those involved in handling Chemistry MOCK question papers which includes both essay and objective examination questions. The research instrument used for the study was MOCK examination question papers in Chemistry in order to determine whether the contents are as indicated in Chemistry curriculum for senior secondary schools. The validity of the instrument was determined by some experts. And for the reliability of the instrument, a trial-test was conducted where a reliability index of 0.75 was obtained using Cronbach alpha. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics while the null hypotheses were tested using Chi-square. The findings of study revealed that the content validity of the chemistry MOCK examination questions has not yet improved in order to prepare the students of senior secondary schools in Adamawa state for WAEC, NECO or NABTEB examinations.

Relationship between consciousness about environmental education concepts in secondary school chemistry curriculum and attitude of students towards environment

The study aim to investigate the relationship between consciousness about environmental education concepts in senior secondary school chemistry curriculum and attitude of chemistry students towards the environment in Kwara state. The study deploys descriptive survey design. Using Simple random sampling and Stratified proportionate sampling techniques. A sample of four hundred (400) senior secondary school science students and 16 senior secondary schools was used for the study. Two structured Questionnaires with titles” Students Attitude to Environment Questionnaire (SAEQ) and Students Consciousness towards Environment Questionnaire (SCEQ)” were developed by the researcher. The validity coefficient of SAEQ and SCEQ was 0.801 and 0.765. These were obtained using Cronbach-alpha method. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. Data collected were analysis using mean standard deviation, one way ANOVA and Pearson Product moment correlation (PPMC). The findings from the study revealed that the student environmental consciousness influenced their attitude towards the environment and, that student’s continuous exhibition of attitude towards the environment is rooted on their inadequate consciousness or knowledge of the causes and effects of environmental problems, it was recommended that Ministry of Education updates the curriculum of Senior Secondary School managing Environmental Education (EE) content.

Effect of Multiple Intelligences Instructional Strategy on Achievement and Retention in Mole Concept Among Chemistry Students in Abuja, Nigeria

This study examined the Effect of Multiple Intelligences Instructional Strategy (MIIS) on Achievement and Retention in Mole Concept among Chemistry Students in Abuja, Nigeria. Quasi experimental, pre-test, post-test, and post post-test control group design was adopted for this study. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was senior secondary school chemistry students in Abuja, Nigeria. The sample for the study was two co-educational schools. One served as the experimental group and the other served as the control group. Mole Concept Achievement Test (MCAT) (KR-21 = 0.70) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research question, while null hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study reveals that, there was significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught the mole concept using multiple intelligences instructional strategy (MIIS) and those taught using lecture method. There was a significant difference between the mean retention scores of chemistry students taught the mole concept using MIIS and conventional method. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations have been made; there is a need for curriculum developers to develop appropriate curriculum that will make provision for the teacher to adopt various activities that will appeal to each students’ learning style or intelligence to enable them learn effectively

Investigating Chemical Safety Awareness and Practices in Nigerian Schools

Chemical safety, a practice of protecting humans and the environment in which they work and live from the deleterious effects of chemical substances, was investigated in this study in Nigerian secondary schools. Using a mixed-method survey, we investigated the awareness level and implementation of the best practices of chemical safety by 1246 senior secondary school chemistry students. Students in rural schools were found to have a lower level of awareness of chemical safety compared to the students in urban schools. Statistically significant differences were found in all except one of the awareness measures—washing hands before practicals and after leaving the chemistry lab. Urban students were more in breach of chemical safety practices than students in rural schools. Most of the observed differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Interview (qualitative) data from 20 students show four emerging themes to explain the findings, including a low level of chemistry laboratory resourcing, poor chemical safety training of the teachers, inadequacies in safety tools, charts, and kits, and weak enforcement of safety regulations. Based on the data from the study, recommendations were made for bolstering the awareness level of students in chemical safety and their chemical safety practices. These include the incorporation of chemical safety in the core curriculum, requiring quality assurance entities to enforce resourcing of basic safety equipment to schools, government-directed workshops on the need for chemical safety, and requiring teachers to provide chemical hazards information to students.

Effects of Chemistry-Based Puzzles on Senior Secondary School Chemistry Students’ Interest in Chemical Periodicity

The study investigated the effects of chemistry-based puzzles on senior secondary school chemistry students’ interest and gender in chemical periodicity. The design of the study was quasi-experimental; specifically the pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted. A sample of 129 students from a population of 4369 was used in the study. Students were classified into experimental and control groups: Students in the experimental groups were instructed with chemistry-based puzzles while students in the control groups were instructed with the demonstration method. An interest questionnaire called Chemical Periodicity Concepts Interest Inventories (CPCII), constructed by the researchers and validated by experts from three universities in Nigeria, was used in the study. Reliability coefficient of the instrument was calculated and found to be 0.79. Three research questions and three hypotheses were raised in the study. The research questions were answered using Mean and Standard Deviation while hypotheses were tested at 0.05 confidence level using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Findings showed that students in the experimental group who were taught with Puzzle-Based Strategy (PBS) had higher interest in the topic ‘chemical periodicity’ than those in the control group who were taught with the Demonstration Method (DEM). There was no significant difference in the interest of students by gender. Interaction effect of gender and treatments on interest was not significant. It was recommended that teachers should incorporate puzzle-based instructional strategies in their teaching as a variety to curb boredom in the classroom due to monotony of the conventional methods among others.

Science Process Skills Acquired by Senior Secondary School Chemistry Students in Quantitative Analysis in Enugu Education Zone, Nigeria

Science Process Skills Acquired by Senior Secondary School Chemistry Students in Quantitative Analysis in Enugu Education Zone, Nigeria

Effectiveness of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Teaching Strategy on Students’ Performance in Chemistry in Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

The Study Examined Qualitative Aspect Of “O” Level West African Secondary School Certificate Practical Chemistry Syllabus And Identified Reaction Of Metals With Water As One Of The Concepts That Chemistry Teachers Avoid To Teach Due To Either Unavailability Of Chemical Regents Or Lack Of Teachers’ Competence To Handle The Topic. The Study Therefore Examined The Effectiveness Of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Leaving (POGIL) Strategy On Students’ Performance In Chemistry In Secondary Schools In Ondo State, Nigeria. A Pretest, Posttest Control Group Design Was Adopted With POGIL Being the treatment and lecture method as the control group. A total of 60 Senior Secondary School chemistry students (SSS 3) were randomly selected from Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State Nigeria to constitute the study sample. Two intact classes comprising 33 students for POGIL group and 27 students for the lecture method group were taught separately in their respective schools. A 1 item instrument tagged Practical Chemistry Achievement Test (CAAT) with reliability co-efficient of r=0.78, p&lt;0.05 was used to collect data. The results showed that POGIL was more effective (=12.63) than lecture method (=10.84), t=2.97, p&lt;0.05. The study concluded that POGIL strategy is an effective method of teaching practical chemistry concepts in general and the qualitative aspect of practical chemistry in particular.

Effectiveness of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Teaching Strategy on Students’ Performance in Chemistry in Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

The Study Examined Qualitative Aspect Of “O” Level West African Secondary School Certificate Practical Chemistry Syllabus And Identified Reaction Of Metals With Water As One Of The Concepts That Chemistry Teachers Avoid To Teach Due To Either Unavailability Of Chemical Regents Or Lack Of Teachers’ Competence To Handle The Topic. The Study Therefore Examined The Effectiveness Of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Leaving (POGIL) Strategy On Students’ Performance In Chemistry In Secondary Schools In Ondo State, Nigeria. A Pretest, Posttest Control Group Design Was Adopted With POGIL Being the treatment and lecture method as the control group. A total of 60 Senior Secondary School chemistry students (SSS 3) were randomly selected from Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State Nigeria to constitute the study sample. Two intact classes comprising 33 students for POGIL group and 27 students for the lecture method group were taught separately in their respective schools. A 1 item instrument tagged Practical Chemistry Achievement Test (CAAT) with reliability co-efficient of r=0.78, p&lt;0.05 was used to collect data. The results showed that POGIL was more effective (=12.63) than lecture method (=10.84), t=2.97, p&lt;0.05. The study concluded that POGIL strategy is an effective method of teaching practical chemistry concepts in general and the qualitative aspect of practical chemistry in particular.&#x0D;

TEACHERS’ USE OF INFORMAL FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CHEMISTRY CLASSROOMS IN SWAZILAND

The social-economic role of education as a major driver of human development calls for quality education that is rooted on effective teaching and learning. While Swaziland aspires to have products of her secondary education system efficiently joining tertiary training or the workplace, the SGCSE performance trend in Physical Science currently features below expectation. This study explored how teachers in Swaziland used informal formative assessment in their senior secondary school Chemistry lessons. Three purposively sampled lessons from Form 4 and Form 5 were observed. Data were collected through field notes and analysed using inductive content analysis. Findings showed that teachers used informal formative assessment by explaining misunderstood content in fresh ways, giving learners remedial work, initiating hand-clapping, repeating or adjusting initial and probing questions. All in all, teachers used informal formative assessment in line with standard practices though they often resorted to telling learners answers to seemingly demanding questions.

Classroom environment and academic interest as correlates of achievement in senior secondary school chemistry in Ibadan south West local government area, Oyo state, Nigeria

This study investigated classroom environment and students’ academic interest as correlates of achievement in Senior Secondary Chemistry. Correlational design was adopted. 208 SS II students from ten randomly selected Public Secondary Schools in Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria participated. Instruments include Classroom Environment Students’ Questionnaire (r = 0.76), Students’ Academic Interest Scale (r = 0.81) and Chemistry Achievement test (r = 0.85). Four null hypotheses were tested at.05 alpha level of significance. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis were used for data analysis. Result showed significant relationships between classroom environment and academic achievement, students’ academic interest and achievement in Chemistry. Composite contribution of classroom environment and academic interest was significant. However, classroom environment better predicted achievement than students’ academic interest. Conclusion was that the predictor variables are active correlates of achievement in Chemistry. Therefore it was recommended that all hands should be on deck in providing conducive school and classroom environments for learning, teachers and parents should create activities that will help develop and sustain interest of students. Classroom environment, Academic Interest, Achievement

EFFECTIVENESS OF VIDEO-MEDIATED INSTRUCTION ON TEACHING SECONDARY SCHOOL PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY IN AKURE SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the relative effectiveness of Video Mediated Instruction (VMI) and Classroom Demonstration Technique (CDT) on the performance of students in practical Chemistry and also determined the effectiveness of these modes of instructions on the retention ability of the students. A pre-test, post-test control group design was used for the study. The population for the study comprised of Senior Secondary School Chemistry Students in Class Two (SSSII) in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. A sample of eighty eight of the SSS II Chemistry students in two intact classes from two randomly selected secondary schools in the LGA was used for the study. The two intact classes were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. The treatment group was taught with Video Mediated Instruction (VMI), while the control group was taught with the Classroom Demonstration Technique (CDT). A pre-test was administered before treatment to determine the entry level of the students in the two groups. The teaching lasted for four weeks after which a post-test was administered. Two weeks later, a retention test was then administered. The data obtained were analysed using t-test statistics. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the performance of students in the two groups. Students taught with VMI performed significantly better than those taught with CDT only (t =, p<0.05) Also, there was a significant difference in the effectiveness of VMI in enhancing retention ability of students in practical Chemistry. The study concluded that VMI was effective in teaching practical chemistry (Volumetric Analysis) and that integrating CDT with VMI will allow students to learn better. Article visualizations:

Social Media and Learning Styles as Correlates of Senior Secondary Students’ Chemistry Achievement in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

&lt;p&gt;Students spend most of the time they should have spent on reading on social media, meanwhile social media should be a tool for students to enhance their learning styles and improve their achievement in chemistry. Literatures revealed that both learning styles and social media affect the academic performance of students either positively or negatively, however little or no attempt has been made to investigate the effect of both on the academic achievement of students in chemistry. This study thus investigated the effect of learning styles and social media on the achievement of senior secondary school chemistry students in Abeokuta south local government of Ogun State, Nigeria. It is ex post facto research design. The population of study is all the public secondary schools students in Abeokuta South local government area of Ogun State. Random sampling was used to select five schools while forty SSIII chemistry students each were purposely selected from the schools to give a total of 200. The students responded to three research instruments which were Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) (reliability = 0.79), and Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS) (reliability = 0.85). Five research questions were answered and data was analysed with descriptive statistics including graphical presentations. Use of Facebook (57%) was prevalent among the students. Participative learning style (mean = 15.88, mode = 17) was found to be the style commonly used by chemistry students. Both male and female students (t&lt;sub&gt; (198)&lt;/sub&gt; =1.65, p&amp;gt; 0.05) were found to be equal on the use of social media. Students usually shared more personal features than sharing ideas or knowledge. There was no significant relationship between the use of social media and students’ achievement in chemistry. Science students, especially chemistry students are enjoined to devote some of the time they spent on social media for academic development rather than on social affairs mainly.&lt;/p&gt;

Investigating the Contents of the Senior Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum that can Inculcate Entrepreneurial Skills among Students in Nigeria

Entrepreneurship or business creation and ownership has been revealed to be playing very important roles in the economic development of any country as it helps in alleviating the problem of unemployment of the citizens of the country. In this paper the contents of the senior secondary school curriculum which promotes the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills were identified. Also the different approaches that should be used in teaching chemistry to promote the inculcation of these skills were also identified. A total of fourty chemistry teachers drawn from thirty out of sixty-five government owned secondary schools and ten industrialists in Nsukka education zone constituted the sample. The instrument used was a self structured questionnaire. The results were presented on tables as well as the hypothesis tested with the t-test. The findings revealed that thirty three out of the forty eight major topics in the senior secondary school chemistry curriculum promote the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills while seventeen do not. Also the use of such approaches like field trip/excursion, laboratory work, inquiry approach, discovery approach and practical activities in teaching the contents will highly promote the inculcation of entrepreneurial skills among the students. However, there is no significant difference between scores from teachers and industrialists in the contents that can promote entrepreneurial skills by our students.

Influence of Improvisedteaching Instructional Materials on Chemistry Students’ Performance in Senior Secondary Schools in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

This study assessed the use of improvised instructional materials on the performance of chemistry students. It also examined the differential performance among male and female chemistry students when this method is used in teaching chemistry. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided this study. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. Data were collected from 150 senior secondary school chemistry students using simple random sampling procedure from eight secondary schools in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Improvised Chemistry Teaching Aids Questionnaire (ICTAQ) developed by the researchers and validated by experts was used for data collection. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Students taught using improvised instructional materials outperformed their counterparts taught with conventional lecture method. There was also a better performance among the male chemistry students when compared to their female counterparts. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that teaching of chemistry using improvised instructional materials should be encouraged since it facilitates the learning of this subject.

Incorporating Error Analysis Approach into the Teaching of Practical Chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools in Makurdi Nigeria: Any Effect on Achievement?

This study focused on the effect of incorporating error analysis approach in teaching practical chemistry on students’ achievement in senior secondary (SS) school chemistry. The study was carried out in Makurdi Metropolis using SS2 chemistry students. Both purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select the sample (N = 132) from the 28 government approved schools. Four intact classes were used and the members of these intact classes constituted the sample. Practical Chemistry Achievement Test (PCAT) was used for data collection. Using Spearman Rank Order, the reliability coefficient of PCAT was found to be 0.71. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings reveal that the experimental group showed significant mean gain in achievement towards chemistry learning (P = 0.0001 0.05). Some of the recommendations among others are that chemistry teachers should be trained in the use incorporating error analysis approach as a teaching strategy and that chemistry teachers should be motivated not to restrict themselves to the subject contents only but teach practical along with identified errors also.