Effect of Simulated Chemistry Practicals on Students’ Performance at Secondary School Level

Abstract

The study was conducted to compare the performance of students working in chemistry laboratory with those working in chemistry laboratory supplemented with simulations at secondary school level. The study was experimental in nature and post-test only control group design was used. The sample comprised of 55 males and 60 female students and 02 Chemistry teachers of class IX of Public schools. At the end of the treatment, practical examination was conducted on the pattern of Peshawar Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. The scores of both control and experimental groups were compared by using independent sample t-test in three main areas i.e. written, viva voce and notebook. The result of independent sample t test of school No 1(male) indicated that there is a significance difference between the performance of control group (M=8.9, SD=2.13) and experimental group (M=10.5, SD=3.04) at α=0.05 and df=53. The result of independent sample t test of school No 2(female) indicated that there is a significance difference between the performance of control group (M=10, SD=1.91) and experimental group (M=11.7, SD=2.13) at α=0.05 and df=58. The qualitative data was collected by means of interviews from chemistry teachers. Both the interviewees were motivated and showed keen interest in the simulated software. The performance of the students of experimental groups showed improvement results in the rejection of hypotheses that there is no significant difference between the performance of students taught by conventional demonstration in laboratory and laboratory work facilitated with simulation