Effect of Co-operative Learning on Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry Students’ Academic Achievement and Interest in Adamawa State, Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To find out the effect of Co-operative learning method on students‟ academic achievement in Chemistry in Secondary Schools in Adamawa State
- To assess the effect of Cooperatives Learning Strategy and Conventional Teaching Method on students‟ achievement of Chemistry in Secondary Schools.
- examine the effect of Co-operative learning method and Conventional Teaching Method on students‟ retention ability of Chemistry in Secondary Schools.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The Chemistry Curriculum
The curriculum aimed at satisfying the Chemistry requirement of the national policy on education originally prepared by the Comparative Education Study and Adaptation Centre (CESAC) in December, 1984 and reversed by the Federal Ministry of Education (2007) has the objectives of Chemistry in the Senior Secondary School as follows:
- To facilitate a transition in the use of scientific concepts and techniques acquired in integrated science with Chemistry
- To provide students with basic knowledge in chemical concepts and principles through efficient selection of content and sequencing;
- To show Chemistry in its inter – relationship with other subjects
- To show Chemistry and its link with industry, everyday life, benefits and hazards
- To provide a course which is complete for pupils not proceeding to higher education while it is at the same time a reasonably adequate foundation for a post secondary Chemistry course
. In addition to the above objectives, the WAEC syllabus in its objectives for Chemistry include to: enable students appreciate the scientific method which involves experimentation, accurate observation, recording, deduction and interpretation of scientific data; enable students to develop laboratory skills, including an awareness of hazards in the laboratory and safety measure required to prevent them (WAEC, 1998-2004). To realize the above stated objectives, the senior secondary school Chemistry curriculum content is organized around the major concepts of energy, periodicity and structure while the fundamental principles of Chemistry covered in the curriculum include: particulate nature of matter, periodicity, chemical combination, quantitative aspects of chemical reaction, rate of reaction, equilibrium, carbon chemistry and industrial application of Chemistry. The Chemistry curriculum is divided into three sections, corresponding to the three years with senior secondary school level. The curriculum content for senior secondary year one (SS1), consists of seven units. These are separation techniques; particulate nature of matter; Chemical combination; Gaseous state and laws; Acids, Bases and salts; carbon and its compound; and industrial Chemistry. The curriculum content for senior secondary year two (SS2) consists of five units. These are particulate nature of matter (periodicity); Quantitative aspects of chemical reactions; Rates, Energy and Equilibrium; Non metals and their compounds; Carbon and its compounds (Organic Chemistry 1). The curriculum stipulations of the concepts of SS2 Chemistry on which this study will be based are given in Appendix I. The content for SS3 consists of four units these are: wave/particulate nature of matter, metals and compounds, carbon and its compounds (Organic Chemistry II), and Space and Earth Chemistry. The curriculum is thus carefully structured to meet up with the objectives of Chemistry education. The curriculum recommends that guided-discovery approach be used in teaching. It also recommends the following assessment instruments: multiple choice items, structured short answer questions, essay questions and rating scales (where necessary). The Chemistry curriculum is laudable enough (Anaekwe,1997),but the perennial poor achievement and interest (Ifeakor,2006; Njoku.2003,2009) suggests poor implementation of the curriculum. There is therefore the need to explore Cooperative learning and peer-teaching which are student-centred on the students’ achievement in some difficult Chemistry concepts.
Problems of Chemistry Education in the Senior Secondary School
Iji, Adejo and Adikwu (2009) opine that a lot of facilities, programmes and laudable policies have been made to encourage and promote Chemistry education in Nigeria taking cognizance of its pivotal place in both human and national development. However, Chemistry education in Nigerian secondary school system is plagued by many problems. Ali (1998); Warra, Utono,Guru and Babayemi (2009) identified the main problems to include:
Chapter Three
Research methodology
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from selected secondary schools in Ganye Local Government Area, Adamawa State in order to determine effect of Co-operative Learning on Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry Students’ academic Achievement and interest in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
Population of Study
The population of study is the census of all items or a subject that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the phenomenon that is being studied (Asiaka, 1991). It also means the aggregate people from which the sample is to be drawn.
Population is sometimes referred to as the universe. The population of this research study will be Seventy-five (75) staffs of selected secondary school from Ganye local government of Adamawa State.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 50 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them and presented as follows:
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain effect of Co-operative Learning on Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry Students’ Academic Achievement and interest in Adamawa State, Nigeria. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of effect of Co-operative Learning on Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry Students’ Academic Achievement and interest
Summary
This study was on effect of Co-operative Learning on Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry Students’ Academic Achievement and interest in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Three objectives were raised which included: To find out the effect of Co-operative learning method on students‟ academic achievement in Chemistry in Secondary Schools in Adamawa State, to assess the effect of Cooperatives Learning Strategy and Conventional Teaching Method on students‟ achievement of Chemistry in Secondary Schools and examine the effect of Co-operative learning method and Conventional Teaching Method on students‟ retention ability of Chemistry in Secondary Schools. The total population for the study is 75 staffs of selected secondary schools in Ganye local government of Adamawa state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Both cooperative learning and peer teaching had been proved efficacious in enhancing students’ achievement in some difficult Chemistry concepts but the cooperative learning yielded a better result. This means that in an effort to achieve set objectives of Chemistry education in Senior Secondary Schools, the difficult Chemistry concepts should be taught using more of the cooperative learning than peer-teaching. The conventional (lecture) teaching method had been proved to be ineffective in enhancing students’ achievement in some difficult Chemistry concepts. Therefore, the set objectives of Chemistry education will be difficult to achieve using the conventional (lecture) teaching method. Again sex is not an important factor in determining the instructional approach to be adopted in teaching difficult Chemistry concepts. Each of the teaching strategies had similar or equal effects on students’ achievement irrespective of their sexes. With regard to interest both cooperative learning and peer teaching had been proved in this work to be efficacious in enhancing and maintaining the students’ interest in learning difficult Chemistry concepts. However, the cooperative learning yielded a better significant result. Therefore to capture and sustain students’ interest in difficult Chemistry concepts, more of cooperative learning should be applied. On the other hand, the conventional (lecture) teaching method was found to be ineffective in enhancing and maintaining students’ interest in difficult Chemistry concepts. Therefore the interest of the students will remain at low ebb if the difficult Chemistry concepts are taught using the conventional (lecture) teaching method. Sex is not an important factor in determining the instructional approach to be adopted in teaching difficult Chemistry concepts. This is confirmed by the available data that both cooperative learning and peer-teaching have similar or equal effects on students’ interest irrespective of their sexes. Now that it has been proved that the instructional approach adopted in teaching difficult Chemistry concepts plays an important role in students’ achievement and interest. The use of cooperative learning and peer-teaching should be recommended in the Chemistry curriculum since both are efficacious and unisex in their effects. Teachers should therefore use either of the cooperative learning or peer-teaching in teaching Chemistry concepts as this will help to address the perennial poor performance of students in Senior 90 Secondary School Chemistry. However, cooperative learning should be more frequently used as it captures and sustains the interest of students in learning difficult Chemistry concepts more than the peer teaching.
Recommendation
Cooperative learning and peer teaching should be emphasized and incorporated into the Chemistry teacher education curriculum in tertiary institutions of learning. The essence is to make the two teaching approaches popular to would be teachers who would apply them in teaching difficult Chemistry concepts when they get to the field. The principles guiding the effective use of the two teaching approaches should be taught to the student-teachers.
Stakeholders in Chemistry education like ministries of education, state school management boards, post primary school services commission, education commissions, school principals and teachers should organize seminars, workshops and conferences where teachers in the field would be opportune to learn how to make the best use of cooperative learning and peer-teaching in teaching difficult Chemistry concepts.
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