This study described the implementation procedure (step-by-step) of the culturo-techno-contextual approach (CTCA) in the classroom with concrete curricular examples for each step. The study then proceeded to explore the potency of CTCA on nuclear chemistry, a traditionally perceived difficult concept among secondary school students in Nigeria, as obtained from the survey phase of the study. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we had a total of 221 senior secondary school two (SS2, the equivalent of grade 11) students from two schools in educational district V of Lagos State, Nigeria, who participated in the experimental phase of the study. After the pretest exercise for both the experimental and comparison groups, we had a four-week treatment where the experimental group was taught with CTCA, and the comparison group was taught with the conventional lecture method. Four weeks after the posttest, a retention test was conducted for both groups using the same Nuclear Chemistry Achievement Test instrument used for the pre-and posttests. Data collected were analyzed using ANCOVA, and the results obtained showed a statistically significant mean difference between the groups [F(1, 218) = 84.12; p < 0.05], indicating that CTCA improved students' performance in nuclear chemistry. We also found no statistically significant difference in the achievement of male and female students in the experimental group. Within the limitations of the study, we concluded that CTCA is a viable culturally relevant tool for teaching chemistry concepts. The future directions of the study were also highlighted.

This study is concerned with the persistent underperformance of secondary school students in Nigeria in physics. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one was a survey of difficult concepts in physics, while phase two explored the potency of culturo-techno-contextual approach (CTCA) in breaking the barriers to meaningful learning of refractive indices, which ranked the most difficult concept in phase one of the study. A total of 1621 SS3 students from Nigeria and Ghana participated in the survey phase. The second phase employed a mixed-methods approach (quasi-experimental and interviews) with a total of 205 SS1 students. The control group was taught with the lecture method and had 96 students (54 males; 42 females), while the experimental group, taught with CTCA, had 109 students (65 females; 44 males). Both groups had a pretest and posttest using the achievement test in refractive indices; treatment lasted four weeks. Data gathered in the survey were analyzed using mean rank analysis, and refractive indices was perceived as the most difficult to learn. Phase two data were analyzed using one-way ANCOVA since intact classes were used. The result obtained showed that the experimental group performed better (mean for experimental = 15.49; control 11.97; F (1, 202) = 64.48; p < 0.01)) than the control group. Implications of the study are highlighted and the need for further studies is recommended.

As the quest for better ways to present science to the new generation of students continues to occupy the thoughts of science educators across the globe, so will new approaches such as the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA) continue to emerge in response to thisquest. This study explores the potency of CTCA in breaking the barriers to meaningful learning of electrochemistry. The explanatory sequential design was employed. A total of 141 secondary school (II) students from two purposively selected schools in Lagos State education district V participated in the study. The electrochemistry achievement test which had a reliability coefficient of 0.78 was the instrument used to collect the quantitative data. Treatment lasted five weeks after the conduct of the pretest, the experimental group was taught using CTCA and the control group was taught using the traditional lecture method. Four weeks after the posttest, the retention test was conducted. One-way ANCOVA wasused to analyse the data. The experimental group outperformed the control group, but CTCA had no differential impact on students in the experimental group based on gender. Within the limitations of the study, we concluded that CTCA is capable of promoting meaningful learning in chemistry. Implications of the study were highlighted.

This study explored the potency of CTCA in reducing math anxiety and promoting meaningful learning of mathematics among secondary school students. The study adopted a mixed‐method (explanatory sequential) design involving a quasi‐experimental design and individual in‐depth interviews. Participants were drawn from two schools, purposively selected within Lagos state educational district V. Three instruments: Set Theory Achievement Test, Math Anxiety Scale and Students' Perception about CTCA Interview Guide were used to collect the quantitative and qualitative data subsequently. The experimental group (102 students) was taught using the culturo‐techno‐contextual approach while the control group (106 students) was taught with the traditional lecture method. Treatment lasted six weeks after which posttest and retention test (four weeks after posttest) were conducted. MANCOVA was used to analyze the quantitative data. The results obtained suggest that CTCA reduces math anxiety and enhanced learning achievement [Pillai's Trace = 0.34 (F = 53.09; p<0.01)] more effectively than the traditional teaching method. No significant gender difference was also found in the achievement of the experimental group. Students' perception about the use of CTCA was generally positive. Within the scope and limitations of the study, it was recommended that CTCA should be adopted by secondary school teachers in teaching mathematics concepts.

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