ABSTRACT
Excessive use of the lecture method in teaching science to secondary
school students has been faulted by science educators: It leads to low and
under achievements among other adverse effects. This study was therefore,
carried out in response to the call on science teachers to evolve innovative,
and if possible, integrated method techniques as alternatives to the over use
of the lecture method. Consequently, the study investigated the effects of
Play-Simulations and Teaching-With-Analogy (P-STWA) on achievements in
Chemistry among secondary school students. The study was carried out in Owerri
Education Zone of Imo State. From a population of 1,202 Senior Secondary School
Class 2 (SS2) students, 270 were sampled from nine secondary schools that
participated in the study. General Mental Ability Test (GMAT) was used to
isolate a pool of students of average mental ability, from where the sample was
randomly selected. A three experimental, control group pre-test, post-test
design was adopted. Each of the nine schools involved represented a class and
in each of the experimental or control groups, three school types were
represented – Boys Only, Girls Only and Mixed Schools. While the experimental
groups received six weeks of Chemistry lessons in the P-STWA method, the
controls were divided into two – one group received their lessons (six weeks
also) in the lecture method, the other received no lessons at all. All groups
were administered with pre-test and post-test using teacher made Achievement
Test in Chemistry (ATIC) research instrument. Four research questions guided
the study and four hypotheses were also tested. ATIC was sub-divided into
sections A, B, and C with KR21 reliability indices of 0.912, 0.868 and 0.892
respectively. Each section of ATIC tested achievement at a different cognitive
ability level – Recall, Comprehension and Application respectively. Mean
achievements were used to answer the research questions; Analysis of
Co-variance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that
students taught chemistry using P-STWA method achieved significantly higher
than those in the control groups. Among the P-STWA groups however, Boys Only
schools achieved significantly higher than Girls and mixed schools only at the
level of Application. Implications of the findings were highlighted. One major
recommendation was that science teachers generally and chemistry teachers in
particular should evolve integrated method techniques instead of relying solely
on lecture method in delivering secondary school Chemistry lessons. Further
research was suggested, especially in the area of male-female secondary school
students’ achievement in science.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
The researcher has noted
with much concern observations in literature of secondary school students’
persistent low and under achievements in science subjects (Adeboye, 1986,
Ezeudu, 2000). These observations are even more worrisome as they are said to
adversely affect these students’ performance in such external examinations as
JAMB and SSCE. More so, it is worse in such technologically relevant subjects
as Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics (Nweke, 2000).
The attention of the
researcher is equally drawn to the great importance accorded the subject
Chemistry and its relevance to technological development of any nation
(Osuagwu, 2005 a). For instance, Okafor (2000) cited the deplorable state of
science education in the country as hinged on poor performance, dwindling
interest and negative attitude to Chemistry among others. In the bid to offer
an explanation, Olayiwola (2000) opined that over the years, Chemistry lesson
delivering in Nigeria secondary schools has proved ineffective.
In seeking how to tap the
great potentials of play-simulations and analogous teaching in delivering
science lessons and at the same time undermine their possible individual
weaknesses, the researcher combined both strategies and evolved an integrated
method: Play-simulations and Teaching with Analogy – P-STWA. This is with the
hope that their combined effects will reduce, if not totally eliminate their
individual weaknesses and thereby lead to even greater effectiveness as a science lesson delivery strategy. The absence
of any research reports in literature of the effects of such an integrated
method on achievement in chemistry among secondary school students is a strong
drive on the part of the researcher to carry out this study.
The researcher
therefore, planned to implement this combined strategy of Play-simulations and
Teaching With Analogy – P-STWA, by using a theatre presentation of a drama book
titled “Courtroom of Crazy Elements” ( Onwukwe,2005) The book is one in a
series for “Teaching and Learning Science through Plays”, specifically prepared
for chemistry students. The play is available both in print and electronic
forms. Analogies drawn from the different scenes and elements of the play were
also planned for use in actual classroom presentations of chemistry lessons to
students. In this way, both strategies will actually weave into one: Where play
leaves room for triviality, analogy will bring in substance as it creates room
for knew knowledge that would otherwise have been very tasking. It is hoped
that this also will help do away with doubt. Since analogies will be drawn from
one source, the play, digression will be checked on the part of the teacher.
The fun and relaxation inherent in the play together with the experience of
ease in acquisition of new and relevant knowledge, it is hoped, fear will be
transformed to faith among the students as they reach their goals . The T-W-A
model itself has in-built checks to eliminate confusion and unplanned use of
analogies because the analogies will be written out ahead of time.
By applying the strategy of
P-STWA in presenting chemistry to secondary school students, the researcher
hoped to find answers to questions like “will an integrated method for
presenting secondary school chemistry actually lead the students to achieve at
their full potentials?”
“Will such an integrated method as P-STWA
lead students to higher achievements in chemistry than the single method of
lecture?” Only an empirical study in which variables are carefully controlled
and observations keenly made can provide dependable answers to these questions.
Statement
of the Problem
Low achievements in
science generally, and in Chemistry in particular, among secondary school
students is bad enough. This is when viewed from the perspective of their
importance in technological development of any nation, especially a country
considered to be underdeveloped like Nigeria. The greater worry is even the
observation that secondary school students are under achieving and that the use
of lecture method of lesson delivery is to blame. Science educators believe
that achievement of students at their full potentials could be a function of
appropriate lesson delivery techniques of the teachers among others.
The present researcher
therefore poised to investigate the effects of incorporating plays and
analogies drawn from them into Chemistry lesson delivery among Senior Secondary
School students. It is hopped that such an investigation will help the
researcher find answers to such questions as: Will play-simulations and
teaching with analogy (P-STWA), as a Chemistry lesson delivery technique lead
students to achieve better than the traditional lecture method? How will P-STWA
influence achievement in Chemistry among students from different school types
as well as among the sexes?
Purpose
of the Study
The general purpose of
this study was to find out how combining the instructional mode of
play–simulations (P-S) and Teaching-With-Analogy (TWA) into one mode, P-STWA
will affect achievement of secondary schools students in chemistry.
Specifically, the study investigated the following:
i.
Over all achievement of students taught
chemistry with the P-STWA model of instruction and those taught with the
traditional lecture method and those that received no lessons at all.
ii.
Achievements of students taught chemistry with
the P-STWA method and those taught with the traditional lecture method as well
as those that received no lessons at all at three different levels of cognitive
abilities namely, recall, comprehension and application of Knowledge.
iii.
The effects of P-STWA model of instruction
on male and female students’ achievement in chemistry at the recall,
comprehension and application levels of cognitive abilities.
iv.
iv How the P-STWA model of teaching chemistry
will affect achievement of students from different school types – Boys only,
Girls only, and mixed schools in chemistry at the recall, comprehension and
application levels of cognitive abilities.
Significance
of the Study
The following groups of
people are expected to benefit directly from the study: Secondary school
students, science teachers and science teacher educators. Others are education
administrators, theatre artists, and parents.
Students will benefit
from the study if is proved that play-simulations and Teaching-With-Analogy as
a model of science instructions lead to higher achievement in science. They
will learn to spend quality time in studies even while enjoying science drama.
By so doing, the students will also learn to generate their own analogies,
thereby deepening their knowledge of science.
For science teachers,
there will be a sure route to follow to take their students to what has
remained a mirage in the past – sustained interest and high achievement in
science generally and chemistry in particular. The teachers’ creativity will
equally be challenged as they will be motivated to sketch plays useable in this
model of instruction. These plays if vetted and passed could be produced for
use in schools and homes. High level of job satisfaction will follow as one’s
efforts meet target objectives – high performance of students. Science teacher
educators will have new grounds for fundamental studies in generating,
sustaining interest and deepening knowledge in science lessons as may be
depicted by chemistry in this study.
Theatre artists will
have widened scope of operation and challenges too. Their chief business will
no longer be entertainment alone. The re-orientation of adapting plays to the
teaching and learning of chemistry and even science in general, will impact
positively on their skills for the benefit of national development.
The frustration parents
go through to attract their children into science education will ease off
finally. What joy to see one’s children learning chemistry, and possibly other
science subjects with joyful tears in sitting rooms, something for every one to
share even as students learn at the same time?
Finally, Government will
be motivated for more investment into chemistry education as she sees previous
investments as producing results. Government, in the ministries and commissions
of education can create an agency that will encourage research in, production
and control of the use of these plays in science instructions. This will even
afford the opportunity to diversify national cultural heritage.
Research
Questions
Four
research questions were raised for this study:
(i)
Is there any difference in over all mean scores
achieved by student groups taught chemistry by the methods of lecture, P-STWA
and those that received no lessons?
(ii)
At which of the following cognitive ability
levels – recall, Comprehensive and application, did Chemistry student groups
who were taught by the P-STWA method, lecture and those that received no
lessons achieved the highest mean score?
(iii)
Which of male and female student groups who were
taught Chemistry by the P-STWA achieved the highest mean score at the cognitive
ability levels of recall, comprehension and application?
(iv)
Students from which of the following school
types – Boys only, Girls only and Mixed, having been taught Chemistry by the
P-STWA method achieved the highest at the levels of recall, comprehension and
application?
Hypotheses
Four
hypotheses were also tested in this study:
(i)
There is no significant difference in the
overall mean achievements made by student groups who were taught Chemistry
separately by the methods of Lecture, P-STWA and those that received no lessons
at all.
(ii)
There is no significant difference in the means
achieved by student groups taught chemistry by the lecture, P-STWA methods and
the no lessons groups, at the cognitive ability levels of recall, comprehension
and application.
(iii)
Male and female student groups who were taught
Chemistry by the P-STWA method did not achieve significantly different means at
the cognitive ability levels of recall, comprehension and application.
(iv)
Students groups from different school types who
were taught Chemistry by the P-STWA method did not achieve significantly
different means at the cognitive ability levels of recall, comprehension and
application.
Scope
of the Study
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