Browsing by Author "Twoli, Nicholas W."

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    Comparison of the Academic Achievement between Cooperative Learning and Noncooperative Learning Strategies in Chemistry among Students in Murang’a County, Kenya
    (African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2025) Kabanga, Grace Wairimu; Twoli, Nicholas W.; Waititu, Michael Muchoki
    The employment of cooperative learning as an instructional method across different countries has exhibited positive outcomes in learners’ academic achievement. The study intended to establish the comparison of the academic achievement between cooperative learning and noncooperative learning strategies in chemistry among students in murang’a county, Kenya. The study was carried out in Kangema Sub-County, Murang’a County, applied a quasi-experimental design. The target population was Form 3 students. Purposive sampling was employed to select four schools to arrive at two control and two experimental groups. The study employed a sample size of 198 students. Data collection instruments included students’ pre and post-achievement tests. Data was analysed using SPSS package and presented using tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The study established that there was a significant difference between learners taught using cooperative learning and those taught using non-cooperative learning with the former showing improved academic achievement. There was significant increase in the postintervention mean score posted by students in the experimental groups. This is not the case in the control groups. For instance, the percentage increase in the mean score in School A between pre and post-data is 38.50%. A similar increase is noted in School B at 49.70%. On the contrary, both the two control groups posted a fall in their students' mean scores with School C posting a 0.47% and School D posting a 2.05% decline in their mean score performance respectively. The significant improvement demonstrated can be attributed to the discussions held among learners in learning Chemistry. The study concludes that cooperative learning strategy is more effective than non-cooperative strategy in teaching Chemistry. The study thus recommends that the ministry of education should enact and implement a policy that facilitates the integration of cooperative learning as one of the primary teaching methods. The government should train teachers on use of cooperative learning in teaching Chemistry
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    Effect of Computer Aided Instruction on Students’ Academic and Gender Achievement in Chemistry among Selected Secondary School Students in Kenya
    (International Knowledge Sharing Platform, 2018) Julius, Judith K.; Twoli, Nicholas W.; Maundu, John N.
    The role of computers in classroom instruction is gaining prominence in developing countries especially in Kenya for Science subjects, in particular Chemistry subject whose performance has been low. This paper presents a section of a study in Kenya which investigated the effect of Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) on students’ achievement in Chemistry as compared with Conventional Instructional Methods (CIM). This study was prompted by the emergence of IT resources mainly in courtesy of the government and some nongovernmental organization (NGO). The study targeted 15 secondary schools with computer laboratory in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. A total comprising of 174 Form Two Chemistry students from Four secondary schools with computer laboratory were purposively sampled. The four schools were randomly assigned to either Experimental or Control groups. The Experimental groups were taught with CAI while Control groups were taught with CIM (Conventional Instructional Methods) on the topics “Atomic structure, Periodic Table and Chemical families” for six weeks. Data was collected using Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT). The CAT was administered before and after treatment (CAI) to both Experimental and Control groups. The content validity of the CAT was checked for by a panel of secondary school Chemistry teachers who were not from the schools under study. The researcher administered the CAT instrument (pre-test and post-test) with the assistance of Chemistry teachers in the sampled schools. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The differences between the group means was analyzed using t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The statistical significance was tested at α = 0.05. The study posted a significant difference in academic achievement in Chemistry between the CAI and CIM groups, with students of CAI group obtaining higher Chemistry scores than students of CIM group. The study further revealed a significant gender difference in Chemistry academic achievement in fovour of girls. Based on these findings, it was therefore recommended that Chemistry teachers should adopt use of CAI in their teaching for improvement of students’ academic achievement in Chemistry and in particular, the girls.