Effect of Ethnochemistry Based Instructional Package on Students’ Achievement in Chemistry

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of ethno-chemistry based instructional package on Student’s Achievement in Chemistry. The study adopted quasi experimental research design. The instrument used for data collection is Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT), with the reliability index of 0.70 using Kuder-Richardson (K-R20) approach. Four co-educational schools were drawn from all the co-educational schools in Enugu State through simple balloting. Out of the four schools drawn for the study two were assigned to the treatment group while the remaining two schools were assigned to the control group. The treatment group was taught chemistry using ethnochemistry-based approach in while control group was taught chemistry using conventional method. The same topics were taught to both the treatment and control groups. Four regular chemistry teachers from the four schools were used as research assistants.Before the onset of the experiment, subjects in both treatment and control groups were given the pre-test. After the pre-test the regular chemistry teachers started the experiment in their respective schools adhering strictly to the lesson procedure that was developed from the packages during the pre-experimental conference. The experiment was conducted during the normal school periods, following the normal timetable of the school. At the end of the experiment that lasted for 8 weeks the teachers administered the post-tests to the subjects in the two groups. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed that students taught chemistry using ethnochemistry based instructional package had significantly higher mean achievement scores than those taught using conventional package and that there is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught chemistry using the ethnochemistry-based approach. The study further revealed that there is interaction between methods and gender on students mean achievement scores in chemistry.

Keywords: Ethnochemistry, Ethnoscience, Achievement in chemistry, Chemistry students

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-17-01

Publication date:June 30^th 2023