Continuous dwindling in learners’ interest in chemistry is a threat to global development. The abstract nature of chemistry and other factors are capable of damping the interest of the learner during instruction which can mar the realization aims and objectives of chemistry instruction. The learning environment is shaped by the instructional approaches adopted by the teacher. Thus, the use of innovative instructional approach capable of making the learning experiences relevant to the learner, build and sustain the interest in the learner during chemistry instruction becomes very imperative. This study investigated Science-technology-society (STS) instructional approach as an innovation in improving learners’ interest in chemistry. The study was conducted using senior secondary school 2 chemistry learners in Onitsha Education zone of Anambra state, South-East of Nigeria. The study adopted quasi experimental design of the pretest posttest non equivalent control group design. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Three hundred and ten students from purposively sampled twelve coeducational public secondary schools were used for the study. Six schools were randomly assigned to the treatment group while the remaining six assigned to the control group. The treatment group was taught electrolysis using Science-technology-society instructional approach while the control group was taught the electrolysis using the conventional instructional approach. Validated Chemistry Interest Inventory (CII) was used to collect data for the study. The CII had reliability index of 0.93. The mean score and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while analysis of variance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of confidence. The study revealed among other things that there was significant difference in the interest mean scores of learners taught chemistry using Science-technology-society instructional approach and those taught chemistry using conventional instructional approach. From the findings of the study, the following recommendations among others were made: Chemistry teachers should adopt STS instructional approach in teaching and learning chemistry and use of STS instructional approach should included in chemistry teacher education programme
This study evaluated the impact of a professional development program (PDP) on science lecturers' level of knowledge/understanding and the extent of use of modern technologies for improving their self-efficacy in teaching in the areas of students' engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management, in some selected universities in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The sample was 269 lecturers. The researchers adapted the teacher sense of efficacy scale (TSES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001) for the study. The TSES has two parts (1) and (2) that contained 12 questions each. It was a validated instrument, with overall reliability indices of 0.92 and 0.95 respectively determined using Cronbach’s Alpha. The data obtained were analyzed with mean, standard deviation, and paired sample t-test. The study found that the PDP improved the lecturers' understanding of modern technologies and self-efficacy in teaching (t (268) = 30.959, p = 0.000 ˂ 0.05). Also, the PDP improved the lecturers’ extent of utilisation of modern technologies and self-efficacy in teaching (t (268) = 28.510, p = .000 ˂ .05). The study also found that the lecturers’ understanding of modern technologies after the PDP was high, but their use of modern technologies in teaching was still low. The researchers recommended that science lecturers' participation in PDPs should be regular to improve their understanding and use of modern technologies in teaching for enhanced self-efficacy and sustainable science education in developing nations.
The dwindling of students’ interest in chemistry which leads to students poor achievement in chemistry calls for an inward investigation on the interactive effects of two influential factors on pedagogy, effective mode of instruction and the teacher quality on students’ interest in chemistry. Thus, this study adopted the quasiexperimental design to investigate interactive effects of guided inquiry and teachers’ years of experience on students’ interest in chemistry. The study was conducted using Senior Secondary School 2 chemistry students in Ogidi Education zone of Anambra state, Nigeria. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. 310 chemistry students random sampled in twelve public secondary schools and twelve regular teachers were included in the study. Data were collected using validated chemistry interest inventory (CII). The CII had an average reliability index of 0.93 as determined using Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient. The hypothesis was tested using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed significant interactive effects of teachers’ years of experience and guided inquiry on students’ interest in chemistry.
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