EFFECT OF LEARNING APPROACHES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF CHEMISTRY STUDENTS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN AWKA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

The study investigated the effect of learning approaches on academic performance of chemistry students in senior secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area. Two research questions guided the study, and two hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 alpha level of significance. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, specifically the pretest–posttest non-randomized control group design. The population of the study comprised 1,956 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering chemistry in Awka South LGA, from which 147 students were drawn using purposive sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was the Chemistry Performance Test (CPT), validated by two experts from the Department of Science Education and one from Educational Foundations, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of the CPT was established using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, which yielded a coefficient of internal consistency of 0.78. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, whereas analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. The findings showed that students taught chemistry using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) had higher mean achievement scores than those taught using the lecture method, and the observed difference in their mean scores was significant. Gender had no significant influence on students’ academic performance in chemistry. It was recommended, among others, that chemistry teachers should teach using PBL and IBL approaches.