Difficult Concepts in Chemistry and Their Effects on the Achievement of Students
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is to identify difficult concepts in chemistry and their effects on the academic achievement of students’ in secondary schools in Sokoto metropolis. This purpose is further down into the following objective for the study:
- To explore the concepts in chemistry which students perceived as difficult,
- To investigate into the students conceptual difficult and how it affect their academic achievements.
- To examine whether or not the difficult concepts perceived by students influence the students interest towards the study of chemistry and
- To investigate whether or not the students’ gender differences have significant influence on their perception of difficult concepts in chemistry.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter seeks to bring together some of the main findings from research over the past decades ,attempting to establish some key general principles which may be of value in curriculum development, policy making, teacher’s teaching strategies, as well as in generation of more research work. An examination of the aim of each study will reveal the motives of the researchers who undertook the study. Because the foundation for student conception research is the nature of learning, teachers will be to translate the methods used for research into classroom practice
The focus questions for this overview of the literature are;
1 What are the main areas of learning difficulty?
2 What are the main aspects of reducing obstacles to learning?
Research reported in the literature for each of this theme is now represented in turn.
Areas of Difficulty
When looking at the range of papers, which have addressed various facets of learning difficulties related to chemistry, it is not easy to categorize the work into neat parts. However, in the analysis presented here, the work has been divided into five main areas, recognizing that there are overlaps and potential omissions. Each is discussed briefly.
Curriculum content
The advent of revised school syllabuses in the 1960s and 1970s in many countries saw a move towards the presentation of school chemistry in a logical order, the logic usually being that of experienced academic chemist. Similarly, early chapters in almost all textbooks for secondary level chemistry courses start with topics like atomic theory, balancing ionic equations, orbital, bonding and formulae. Johnstone(2000) has made argument against this “logical” presentation cogently: the logical order may well not be psychologically accessible to the learners.
Much school chemistry, taught before 1960, laid great emphasis on descriptive chemistry, memorization being an important skill to achieve examination success. The sub-microspic interpretation and symbolic representation were left until later. Today, the descriptive is taught alongside both the “micro” and “representational”. Johnstone (1982) has argued that the learner cannot cope with all three levels being taught at once, and Gabel (1999) supports this argument. Indeed, today, there is a danger that chemistry depends too much on the representational, with inadequate emphasis on descriptive.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter presents the ways, methods and procedures employed in carrying out its study. The chapter intends to explain the method of data collection for the study. The population sampling techniques and instruments used for data analysis.
Research Design
The survey design was used, according to kerlinger (1879), a survey gather data at a particular point in time with the intention of describing the nature of existing conditions. A survey design is a type of design which serves as a representative of a defined population. It was therefore considered appropriate for this present study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Introduction
In this chapter, 2 attempts were made to develop the structure for gathering data and also for analyzing it. The data collected from the sample were carefully analyzed, presented and interpreted. Finally, the findings were made from the study.
A total of 126 (one hundred and twenty six) copies of questionnaire were distributed. Out of the number, five (5) were incorrectly filled and were therefore discarded. However, a total of one hundred and twenty one (121) students from all secondary schools visited returned their questionnaires properly completed. The 121 duly completed copies gave a return rate of 96.03% of this number. However, since the study is descriptive and our data is qualitative, it will make use of simple statistical tools for the purpose of analysis.
The data collection was organized in tables; simple frequency distribution has been used to score the responses on specific questions. The score have been interpreted in percentages. Other statistical tools may apply where necessary. The findings are hereby presented according to research questions and hypothesis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate the difficult concepts in chemistry and their effects on academic achievements of students in secondary schools in Sokoto metropolise . The objectives to be achieved by the study are as follows;
- To explore the concepts in chemistry which the students perceived difficult
- To investigate into the students’ conceptual difficulty and how it affects their academic achievements.
- To examine whether or not the difficult concepts perceived by students influence the students’ interest towards the study of chemistry.
- To investigate whether or not the students’ gender has significant influence on his perception of difficult concepts in chemistry.
This study adopted some clear-cut steps. First, scientific literature was reviewed in order to build a theoretical background about difficult concepts in chemistry so as to identify problems at stake. The research population was identified and sample was randomly selected from the population for intensive study of the population. The instrument used was the questionnaire. It was carefully worded questions and instructions for respondents.
Students’ comments on their difficulties include ‘ a lack of prior knowledge” of some concepts in chemistry, “difficulty in understanding concepts”, “uncertainty over meaning of terms” there is perceived lack of teaching materials that relate chemistry concepts to real world.
In an important subject like chemistry, models are used to describe and explain the microscopic world and relate it to macroscopic properties of matter in order to explain many of these concepts. As students progress in the study of chemistry, the familiar concepts do change and are being replaced by different models. This change conflicts their everyday experiences. The languages used in chemistry concepts are not familiar to the students.
In view of the data presented, it is observed that the students in this study area perceived 13 of the concepts difficult. The t-test analysis showed that there is significant difference i9n the students’ perception of difficult concepts in chemistry.
The results also showed the t-test analysis of the conceptual difficulty and the academic achievements of students in the study. It was observed that the conceptual difficulty has a significant influence on the academic achievement of the students.
Other results from the data show the relationship between difficult concepts and the students’ interest in the study of chemistry. The t-test analysis revealed that difficult concepts in chemistry have no significance influence on the students’ interest in the study of chemistry at secondary school levels.
Further study investigates the students’ gender differences and the perception of difficult concepts in chemistry. The result from the t-test analysis showed that the students’ gender difference has no significant influence on their perception of difficult concepts in chemistry.
Based on the finding and discussion, it is observed that the student in this study perceived relatively 75% of the concepts difficult, while gender difference has no influence on their perception of difficult concept in chemistry.
Conclusion
It is not being suggested here that chemistry can be made simple by avoiding teaching difficult concepts or topics! Indeed, trivializing the chemistry to be taught is likely to be perceived by the learner as a devaluation of the important of the subject. The key lies in seeing chemistry from the point of view of the students’ learner. Such learner approach each topic with all kinds of ideas already stored in the long-term memory. New material will link on to previous ideas and this can cause confusion and misunderstanding.
It is Vital for the teacher to know what the learner already know and how they came to acquire such knowledge. Many students came to class with wrong ideas, confused ideas or even a complete lack of background knowledge. Learning experience need to be offered to prepare students to grasp new materials by clarifying or correcting previously held concept or by providing fundamental instruction on such concepts.
It is important to take into account the way the learner gains knowledge and to present materials in such a way that is consistent with the pattern of human learning. Attitude and motivation are both important aspect for the learning process. Success in learning, positive attitude to learning and motivation to learn are linked. The two major factors influencing attitude towards a subject are teachers’ quality and curriculum quality. The process of learning should for the development of link between ‘’Islands’’ of knowledge. The teacher must link concepts so that the learner can make a coherent whole of the ideas. This allows the development in the learning of simple but meaningful concepts.
Recommendation
Based on the finding of the present study, the following recommendations are considered.
- The Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum should be renewed by NUT, STAN and NUC respectively without further delay. It should allow the use of students’ alternative conceptions for bridging exercise “step by step to lead the student to correct explanation starting from what they already believed.
- Concept test for formative assessments should be developed for many classes (levels) in chemistry. If such a test used difficult conceptions as distracters (wrong answers) and if it is used as a pre-test and post-test for the same class, the resulting data are potentially useful for research.
- Maps of chain of conceptual growth should be developed in chemistry by collecting a research and data on how conceptions evolved overtime and students should be led through it in a semester. The result would be a kind of atlas of students’ concept growth.
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