Factor influencing performance in chemistry practical work among secondary schools in Nairobi province, Kenya
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Date
2011-08-25
Authors
Orado, Grace Nyandiwa
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Abstract
Practical work plays an important role in the teaching and learning of science and chemistry in particular. Apart from helping students to gain insight into scientific knowledge, it also helps them to acquire a number of scientific skills, namely cognitive and manipulative, not to mention the motivational factors it creates in the students. The attainment of these goals however depends on the way practical work is organised and performed in schools.
This study concerned itself with practical work conducted in chemistry in secondary schools. It examined whether the way practical experiences were presented to the students and students' engagement in them enhanced the attainment of goals of practical work. The procedure of conducting practical work in chemistry was of great concern and more specifically, the skills emphasised during practical work in chemistry lessons. The study also examined the teachers' and students' attitudes towards practical work in chemistry. All these were done with a view of identifying the problems and giving recommendations that could guide practice leading to effective teaching and learning of practical work in chemistry in particular and chemistry in general.
The study was conducted in Nairobi province of Kenya and adopted a descriptive survey design. The main population for the study comprised all the 47 public secondary schools in the province from which 9 sample schools were selected using a combination of stratified, purposive and systematic sampling procedures. It involved 29 chemistry teachers and 309 Form Three chemistry students comprising 170 boys and 139 girls.
The study utilised questionnaires, lesson observation schedules and document analysis guide to collect data. Data collection was preceded by a pilot study mainly to determine the reliability of the instruments. On analysis of data from the pilot study, the instruments were found to be reliable. Data collected during the main study was analysed utilizing Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 10.0. The main statistics yielded were descriptive. The researcher also examined data from CTQ with regard to skills emphasised by teachers in teaching and assessment and compared them with skills assessed by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
The main findings of the study indicated that science laboratories in secondary schools in Nairobi province were fairly equipped with basic apparatus, chemicals and materials and students were indeed involved in a variety of practical activities in chemistry. However the activities the students were involved fostered the acquisition of mainly basic scientific skills. Key scientific skills such as experimental design and hypothesis formulation were found lacking during practical work in secondary school chemistry in Nairobi province. On comparing the skills emphasised both in teaching and assessment of practical work, it was found that the skills were the same as those assessed by KNEC.
This study thus recommended that KNEC needed to assess students in as many skills as possible in KCSE chemistry practical examination including simple aspects of experimental design if teachers were to be conditioned to also teach and assess such skills
Description
Department of Educational Communication and Technology, 94p. The QD 40.O72 2009
Keywords
Chemistry-, study and teaching (secondary), Kenya