Impact of Class-Wide Peer-Tutoring Strategy on Secondary School Slow Learners’ Performance in Redox Reactions in Funtua, Katsina State- Nigeria

The performance of senior secondary school students in chemistry has been very poor over the years in Nigeria. Teachers’ use of inappropriate instructional strategies and students varied abilities has been identified responsible for this problem. This study examined the impact of Class-Wide Peer-Tutoring Strategy on secondary school slow learners’ performance in redox reactions in Funtua Education Zone, Katsina State, Nigeria. Quasi– experimental design was adopted for the study. The study involved a population of 977 SS2 Students. A of sample of 108 slow learners drawn from two secondary schools were used. Three research hypotheses guided the study. Treatment involved teaching experimental group by trained peer tutors using CWPT while the control group was taught by the teacher using lecture method. Redox Performance Test (REPT) duly validated by experts with a reliability coefficient of 0.85 obtained using test retest method was used for data collection. Hypotheses were tested using t-test at 0.05 levels of significance. Results revealed that slow learners taught by peer tutors using CWPT performed significantly better than those taught by the teachers using lecture method. The study recommended that chemistry teachers should be train through workshops, seminars and conferences on the use of class-wide peer-tutoring strategy in teaching and learning of chemistry

Efficacy of Process-Based Instruction In Enhancing Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance And Science Skills Acquisition In Identification of Cations In Faskari, Katsina State-Nigeria

This study examined the effect of process–based Instruction on secondary school students’ academic performance and science-skills acquisition in Faskari Education Zone, Katsina State, Nigeria. The study employed quasiexperimental design using a sample of 103 students drawn from a population of 984 in the study area. Two instruments namely Identification of Cations Performance Test (ICPT) and Test of Science Process Skills (TOSPS) duly Validated by expert with a reliability coefficient of 0.69 and 0.75 respectively were used for data collection. Research hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics at 0.05 levels of significance. One of the finding from the study indicates that there is significance difference in the acquisition of Science- Skills between students taught identification of cations using Process–Based instruction and those taught the same concept using lecture method. Based on the research findings, it was recommended among others that periodic workshops, seminars and conferences should be organised for teachers on the selection and implementation of appropriate strategy for teaching chemistry concepts

A Survey on Availability and Utilization of School Health Services Among Junior Secondary Schools in Funtua Zone Katsina State, Nigeria

The study investigated the utilization of available school health services among secondary school in Funtua Education Zone, Katsina State- Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design using a sample of Fifteen (15) junior secondary schools randomly drawn from a population of twentytwo schools in the study area. Three research questions were formulated for the study. School Health Services Availability and Utilization Questionnaire (SHSAUQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was duly validated by experts and a reliability coefficient of 0.85 was established using split half method. The data was analyzed using frequency and percentage count. Results revealed that, School Health Services are available in majority (86.70%) of the schools under study, but there was no enough qualified health personnel for effective utilization of school health services in the study area. It was recommended among others that Katsina State Government through ministry of education should deploy qualified health personnel such as nurses, community health workers in all the school clinics in the state

Exploring the Needs for the Development of Organic Reaction Teaching Model: Experts’ Collective Opinion

This article reported the findings of a study carried out to investigate the need for developing an organic reaction mechanism teaching model. Qualitative data was obtained through a semi-structured interview among five chemistry subject matter experts to explore their opinion on the issues centered on the teaching and learning of organic reaction mechanisms. The interviews were interpreted and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes comprising of many codes and quotations were identified. The analysis of the findings shows that organic reaction mechanisms are one of the most significant and central concepts in science. However, students are faced with challenges in learning the concepts. Thus, the need for an alternative model of teaching the concept of organic reaction mechanisms

Development of organic reaction teaching model for pre-university programs in Malaysia

Previous theories and research have shown that collaboration between scholars and practitioners has far-reaching consequences for students’ learning. Therefore, bridging the lacuna between research and practice is necessary in the development and validation of an instructional model. The objective of this study is to develop and validate an organic reaction teaching model (ORTM) for pre-university programs in Malaysia based on the experts’ collective opinion. Given that matriculation colleges serve as entry points into universities, developing instructional models is beneficial. The focus on the organic reaction concept is due to its significance and centrality in many science-related subjects as a set of steps that explain the chemical changes that occur in organic compounds. Moreover, many students perceive organic reaction mechanisms as difficult concepts that serve as barriers to their understanding of advanced organic chemistry. This perceived difficulty makes organic reactions less appealing to students, leading to misconceptions and errors of serious concern. Thus, the in-depth information about students’ common errors and other challenges in organic chemistry instruction formed the basis of this study to develop a model for minimizing students' common errors and improving their academic performance in chemistry. Specifically, the research questions include: 1) To what extent is it necessary to develop ORTM to minimize common errors in organic reactions, based on the experts’ collective opinion? 2) What are the opinions of experts on the instructional activities and constructs to be included in the development of the ORTM? and 3) How does the ORTM help lecturers to improve students’ understanding of organic reaction mechanisms? The design and development research approach was adopted using an embedded mixed-method as the overall design of the study, so that one set of data plays a supporting or secondary role to the other data type coherently in the three phases of the study. The need for developing the model was justified in phase 1 through three sub-studies, i.e., scoping review, experts’ interviews, and analyses of students’ manuscripts. During this phase, an exploratory design was used, and data was collected qualitatively and analyzed using ATLAS.ti (version 8) software. Data source triangulation, peer debriefing, member checks, and audit trail were used to validate the findings. The second phase covered the design and development processes using exploratory mixed-method design. The main components of the model were identified qualitatively from literature and content analysis, pre-listed and presented to experts for scrutiny using the Delphi method. Quantitative data was obtained from 21 and 17 experts in two iterative Delphi rounds, respectively. Their views were analysed using the Inter Quartile Range (IQR), the Coefficient of Variance (CV), and the Kendall coefficient of concordance (W) at a consensus level of ≥75%. The ORT model was validated in phase three using an explanatory mixed design. The internal validity of the model was conducted to determine the suitability and usability of the model components using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). Qualitative data was collected using a fuzzy Delphi questionnaire from 14 experts purposively drawn from various related disciplines, and the external validity was conducted to determine the ORT model's practicability and potential in the actual classroom using the field-testing method (FTM) with five chemistry lecturers and 40 students from five matriculation colleges in Malaysia. Qualitative data was collected using an open-ended questionnaire, which was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings in phase one showed the variables studied, reasons for the difficulty of ORM, and students' common errors from the past literature. Analysis of the expert interviews revealed five themes indicating the significance of ORM, challenges in ORM instruction, teaching strategies adopted by the teachers, students' errors, and ways for improving ORM instruction. Also, failure to conserve charges, backward arrow positioning, the formation of hypervalent atoms, and missing arrows were the common errors identified from the analysis of students’ manuscripts. These findings stressed the need for developing an alternative model specifically for teaching organic reactions. The findings of phase two showed the developed model was comprised of 30 instructional activities, 5 instructional constructs including symbolisms, crosscutting, mechanisms, visualization, and refelection with mean ratings of (ꭓ = 25.00, 22.35, 21.76, 18.47, & 14.41) respectively, and 3 instructional domains for avoidance, interference, and correction with a mean rating of (ꭓ = 35.00, 33.53, & 31.47) at consensus level (W = 0.511, p<0.001) and a correlation in stability of rounds (rho = 0.41, p< 0.01). The mean ratings prioritized the domains and constructs for easy implementation of the model in the actual classrooms. Findings from phase three show that the model is valid as the fuzzy Delphi results indicated a consensual agreement on the suitability of the model components at a threshold value of 98.1% and defuzzification values of 13.20, 12.80, and 12.30 for the usability of instructional activities, instructional constructs, and domains, respectively. This indicates that the model components were consistently reliable for teaching to minimize students’ errors in ORM. In addition, findings from the field-testing method revealed that the model could be used in other settings, as expressed by the views of chemistry lecturers after implementing the model across the 5 matriculation colleges. Model compatibility, model clarity, model efficiency, and model flexibility themes indicate the practicability of the model in the classroom. The result also shows the potentiality of the model in minimizing students’ common errors in ORM and improving their academic performance at an overall average score of 84.4%. The findings from the need analysis phase provided a myriad view of the experts and the lacunae in organic chemistry instruction, which necessitates the development of an organic reaction teaching model. The model was developed in phase two, and the components were conceptually agreed upon by the experts. Also, both internal and external validity of the model were ensured in phase 3 of the study. Thus, the product of the study therefore removed the lacuna between research and practice, since practitioners, as the end users of the model, were fully involved in all the stages of the study. Furthermore, this study provides an instructional model as a guideline that helps teachers plan step-by-step lessons to minimize errors in ORM, and the domains of the model can be adopted in avoiding, interfering with, and correcting students’ errors. Also, the model components could simplify the planning and implementation of lessons in the classrooms and extend the comprehension of Johnstone's model in terms of explicit representation of organic reaction mechanisms from 3 to 5 levels. More importantly, ORTM integrated the principles of threshold concepts and repair learning theories into teaching to overcome students’ common errors in organic reactions. Moreover, the use of experts’ opinions in the design and development research approach adopted using Fuzzy Delphi and field-testing methods was crucial in curriculum and instruction. Finally, it is recommended for further studies to be conducted by stakeholders in the curriculum and instruction as well as the international science education community to plan, develop, validate, and implement alternative modules, e-learning tools, and measuring instruments based on ORTM components

Advance Organisers and Secondary School Students’ Performance in Redox Reactions

Students’ performance in chemistry examinations in Nigerian secondary schools is consistently low. Factors attributed to students' low performance include students' interest in the subject, abstract and complex nature of the concepts, and dominant use of teacher-centered methods. Thus, the need for a novel strategy that has the potential to improve students' interest and present chemistry concepts more explicitly. This study aimed to examine the use of a method that incorporated advance organizers in teaching the redox reaction concept at the secondary school level. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design with pre and post-test control groups. The study targeted a population of 11,560 secondary school students in the Dutsin-Ma Educational zone, from which a sample of 138 form five science students were selected using a stratified sampling technique and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Data was collected using Redox Reaction Performance Test (RRPT) before and after the treatment that lasted eight weeks. The data was analyzed using means, standard deviations, and t-tests. Findings show that the method incorporated with advance organizers significantly affects the learning of redox reactions. Students in the experimental group achieved higher scores than those in the control group and there was no significant difference in performance between male and female in the experimental group. Thus, chemistry teachers and other stakeholders in science education were encouraged to adopt and strengthen the use of advance organizers in teaching science subjects in general and chemistry in particular

Common errors in organic reaction mechanisms: is there any strategy to teach students about their own errors?

Organic reaction mechanism (ORM) is the step by step sequence of elementary reactions by which overall chemical changes occurs among organic compounds in various disciplines such as agricultural science, food science, pharmacy, medicine and other life sciences. The concept has been perceived as difficult by many students and therefore learned it by memorisation which resulted to partial recall and misconceptions that accumulated to errors of serious concern. An understanding of students’ errors could be valuable as acquiring an insight and having the knowledge about it makes changes possible to decrease it negative consequences in the future. Hence, teachers were saddle with the responsibity of recognizing students’ errors as an important part of promoting students learning and deeper understanding. However, the way chemistry teachers manages students’ errors in ORM have been localised and may differ between teachers across institutions and among countries. Hence, this study is aimed at reviewing literature on students’ common errors in ORM to find out the strategy used for teaching students about their own errors. Scoping method was employed to select and extensively review past researches selected based on key variable of organic reaction mechanisms, students errors, Delphi methods and error correction theory (Repair Learning Theory) from researches conducted and published in databases including web of science, science direct and Emerald between the period of 2010 to 2018. It was found that there was no common strategy for teaching students about their own errors instead teachers try to either avoid the errors or reduced it based on their own experiences. Delphi method as an alternative communication tool for achieving consensus amongst experts and practitioners can be used to get agreement among chemistry teachers strategies used in overcoming students errors in ORM. Based on the nature of students’ common errors and the Delphi method, it was recommended that when students’ common errors are known, their causes can be identified and hence development of a common error strategy (CErS-ORM) for teaching ORM was proposed. Theories such as Repair Learning Theory, would be a fruitful pursuit to theorize the strategy developed for simplifying learning organic reaction mechanisms and help students to avoid errors in the future

The Application of Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) in the Development of Fun-Driven Mobile Learning (FDML) Model for Teaching of Arithmetic in Saudi Schools

One of the methods used in Design and Development Research (DDR) is the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). It is a systematic method for the development and validation of the model. This article aims to use this method to validate a Fun-Driven Mobile Learning (FDML) Model for Teaching Arithmetic. In phase 1 of design and development research, based on the opinion of teachers as subject matter experts, the need to develop the FDML model was justified. In phase 2, the model developed, comprised of thirty-two teaching activities grouped into four clusters. This article presents results on suitability and overall usefulness of the model components derived from the collective opinion of the 15 experts involved in Phase 3 of the study. The data analysis was conducted through the fuzzy Delphi method using a 7-point Likert scale. The outcome indicates a consensus of 93.4 percent of experts at a threshold value of ≤0.02. The suggested components of the FDML model include an integral planning reference for the application of the model and provided alternative validation procedures for model developers in mathematics education and educational technology