Effects of Cooperative Instructional Strategy on Senior School Students’ Achievement in Electrochemistry
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cooperative instructional strategy, achievement, electrochemistry, gender, scoring levelAbstract
The poor performance of Nigerian students in School Certificate Chemistry over the years necessitates the search for alternative instructional strategies that could ensure better students’ achievement. This study investigated the effects of cooperative instructional strategy on senior secondary school students’ achievement in electrochemistry using gender and scoring levels as moderating variables. The study employed a 2 x 2 x 3 non-randomized and non-equivalent, pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental factorial design. Two intact classes in two secondary schools in Ilorin, Nigeria were involved in the study, with one class serving as the experimental class, and the other serving as control. A Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) with reliability Coefficient of 0.75 was used for the study. Data analysis was carried out using t-test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings of this study revealed no significant difference in the achievement of students taught using cooperative instructional strategy and those taught using the traditional lecture-based instructional method (t=7.26, p>0.05), although students taught using cooperative instructional strategy performed better than their counterparts in the control group. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the achievement of students based on their scoring level when taught using the cooperative instructional strategy (F=4.850, p<0.05), with the low scorers benefitting most. Hence it is recommended that chemistry teachers should consider using cooperative instructional strategy for teaching Chemistry as a way of enhancing better understanding of the subject.
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