In academic sector, they are high rate of infectious diseases like measles, diarrhea, coronavirus, monkey-pox, skin disease and genital infections, the occurrence of these infectious diseases came as a result of students' negligence in practicing of personal hygiene. Therefore, this study examined knowledge and practice of personal hygiene among secondary school students in Enugu State. Two specific purpose and research questions guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of 9900 secondary school students in Enugu State. 495 students made up the sample for this study. The researcher used simple random sampling technique. Specifically the reliability coefficients obtained from data generated with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) using Kuder Richardson formula and Cronbach's alpha reliability for the internal consistency reliability, shows knowledge of personal hygiene (.85) and practice of personal hygiene (.79) respectively. A 22-items structured questionnaire tagged 'Knowledge and Practice of Personal Hygiene Questionnaire (KPPHQ)" was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The questionnaire was rated on 4-point scale of very great extent (VGE), great extent (GE), low extent (LE) and very low extent (VLE). The decision rule was that any item that has 50% and above is regarded as knowledgeable (K) while items below 50% is regarded as not knowledgeable (NK). For the personal hygiene, any item mean from 2.50 above is regarded as high while items mean below 2.50 is regarded as low. The findings showed that, majority of students have adequate knowledge of personal hygiene with the grand percentage of (69.8%) and low practice of personal hygiene with the grand mean of (2.0). The study conclude that: students are very knowledgeable of personal hygiene, but putting their knowledge into physical practice are seen as the major problems that most students face, which usually contribute to the risk of infectious diseases such as covid-19, genital infections, dental health challenges and diarrhea. The study recommend that students' knowledge as it regards to personal hygiene practice should always be appraised by the classroom teacher, for the purpose of motivating those ones that have low knowledge of personal hygiene and the school management should provide all the prerequisite personal hygiene materials for the facilitation of its practice.
Students' consistent poor achievements in physics have been attributed non-availability and non-utilization of ICT resources among others. This study therefore, sought to investigate the Availability and Utilization Status of ICT Resources for Physics Education in Colleges of Education in Enugu State. The area comprised all the 8 accredited public and private Colleges of Education in Enugu State. Census survey research design was adopted for this study. No sampling was involved due to the manageable size of the population (30 physics lecturers: 21 males and 9 females). Six research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire, developed by the researcher, validated by three experts and trial tested on 7 physics education lecturers. The researcher administered the instrument to the physics lecturers in the public and private Colleges of Education in Enugu State. The responses were collected and Kuder-Richardson's formula-20 (K-R-20) (availability status) and Cronbach alpha (utilization status) statistics were employed to compute the internal consistency estimate of the items. The reliability coefficient obtained was 0.96, which shows that it is reliable. Research questions were answered using mean, and standard deviation. The results of the study indicated that ICT resources are available but fairly utilized by the physics lecturers for teaching and learning Physics in Colleges of Education in Enugu State. It was recommended that lecturers in the Colleges of Education in the state should make up their minds to embrace and harness the new learning systems which ICT tools brought by the emerging technologies for improving teaching and learning outcomes in schools and colleges.
The students' consistent low performance in internal and external examinations undermined the efficacy of chemistry teachers' methods of instruction. Thus, the purpose of the research is to find out how inquiry-based learning can impact students' academic achievement in stereochemistry in Enugu education zone. The study was guided by two research questions and three research hypotheses. The study employed a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design. 4,532 SS2 Chemistry students made up the study's population. A combination of random and purposive sampling procedure was used to select 96 students. While the control group received instruction via lectures, the experimental group was taught using an inquiry-based teaching strategy. The Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) was the instrument used for data collection, and its reliability index was evaluated using Kuder-Richardson's formula-20 which yielded coefficient of 0.84. The mean, standard deviation, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that students exposed to the inquiry-based teaching strategy outperformed their peers who received instruction via lectures. For improved students' achievement, it was recommended that Chemistry teachers should use inquiry based teaching strategy when teaching chemistry.
The accepted general notion that chemistry is abstract in nature as it is presented via mathematical formulars, structures and arrows, goes to a long extent in being perceived difficult by the students, which in turn hinders their academic achievement and interest in the subject. Hence, the study investigated difficult concepts in chemistry as perceived by students and teachers in senior secondary schools in Agbani Education Zone of Enugu State. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The population for the study comprised 1462 senior secondary school three (SS3) chemistry students and 45 chemistry teachers in public secondary schools within Agbani Education Zone. A sample size of 359 (314 students and 45 teachers) was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled Difficult Chemistry Concepts Questionnaire (DCCQ), which was designed by the researcher. The instrument was divided into two sections namely: A and B. Sections A was based on the respondents' biodata while B consisted 46-item statements structured to elicit information from the respondents. The instrument was validated by three experts. In order to determine reliability of the instrument, the researcher administered 30 copies of the questionnaire on 28 SS3 chemistry students and 2 teachers in two schools in Enugu Education Zone to determine the overall reliability index of the instrument. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient formula was used to estimate the reliability of the instrument, and an overall reliability coefficient of.75 was established. The data were collected by the researcher with the help of two research assistants. The collected data were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation. The decision rule for interpreting the results was based on the values of the calculated means. Item responses on each of the research questions were considered high and difficult when the mean is 2.50 and above, and low and not difficult when less than 2.50. The results of the analysis revealed that the chemistry concepts in senior secondary school that teachers and students perceived as difficult are: chemical combination, mass volume relationship (stoichiometry), acid, base reaction, oxygen and its compounds, among others. The study also revealed that there was a significant difference between male and female chemistry students as well as teachers in their mean difficulty in some concepts. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that: teachers and students should devote greater attention to the teaching and learning of these difficult concepts, and workshops
The study investigated social competence and gender as predictors of junior secondary school students' academic achievement in basic science in Enugu state. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The predictive correlation design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 9,192 upperbasic science students in Enugu state. The sample size for the study was 1000 students drawn using multi-faceted sampling procedure involving purposive and random sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was Students ' Social Competence Scale. The students' achievement scores in Basic science were obtained from the teachers' score folder. Data generated from the study was analysed using simple and multiple linear regressions. The findings of the study revealed among others that 1.6% and 1.1% of the variance in achievement in Basic science was attributed to social competence and gender of Basic science students' respectively. Also, achievement scores in Basic science were significantly predicted by social competence and gender, individually and jointly. It was recommended that basic science teachers should ensure that the atmosphere within the classroom is gender friendly enough, making sure that both male and female students have a conducive social atmosphere to be actively involved in learning Basic science.
Abigail C. Obodo, Mercy I. Ani, Olasoji V. Omosowon
Technologies are ubiquitous in the 21st century, and educators need to integrate relevant technologies into their teaching practices to meet expectations and keep abreast with the education profession's advancement. A descriptive survey research design was used in this study. Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The population of the study comprised all the 24 Integrated Science lecturers (10 males and 14 females) in both private and public tertiary institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria. The population was manageable and as a result no sample was carried out for the study. An instrument titled "Questionnaire on Emerging Technologies in Teaching and Learning" (QETTL). Three experts validated the instrument while the reliability of the instrument was estimated using Cronbach Alpha formula with reliability indices of 0.76. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Chi square statistics was used to test the null hypothesis. Findings revealed that some of the challenges hindering Basic Science teachers from utilizing technologies in teaching and learning are lack of internet access and in-service training among others. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that in-service training of lecturers on the usage of 21st century technologies and provision of internet connectivity should be prioritize by government and the university management to enable lecturers maximize effectively 215 century technologies during teaching and learning.
The purpose of the study was to ascertain the effect of immediate and delayed feedback modes of assessments on students' Achievement in Chemistry. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. Pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised of 2,296 senior secondary class two (SS II) students offering chemistry in 21 co- educational secondary schools of Enugu Education Zone in Enugu State. A sample of 144 SSII students drawn from 3 public secondary schools in the zone was used for the study. A purposive sampling method and simple random sampling techniques were employed in the study. The instrument for data collection was chemistry achievement test (CAT) which consisted 40 test items. The instrument was validated by three experts; one expert in Measurement and Evaluation and the other two in Science Education. The reliability of was determined using Kuder-Richardson's formula-20 (K-R20) and the reliability coefficient obtain was 0.82. The instrument was administered as pretest and posttest. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for all the analyses. The result of the analysis revealed that students who received immediate and delayed feedback modes of assessments achieved better than students who did not receive feedback. It was also revealed that students who received delayed feedback had higher achievement scores than students who received immediate feedback. Moreover the result showed that gender had no significant effect on students who received immediate feedback. The study recommended that chemistry teachers should ensure that students are given delayed feedback to enhance their achievement in chemistry.
The study sought to measure the effect of integrated approach on academic achievement of senior secondary school Chemistry students. Two (2) research questions and 2 research hypotheses guided the study. The study employed quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 160 SS 72 males and 77 females chemistry students drawn from 1062 population (563 male and 499 female) in 60 public co-educational school in Nsukka education zone of Enugu State Nigeria. The experimental groups were exposed to integrated approach while control group were expose to lecture. Data was collected using electrochemistry achievement test which was validated by three experts and reliability index of 0.707 were obtained using Kuder-Richardson's formula 20. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance, using analysis by covariance. The findings revealed that integrated approach was more effective in enhancing students' achievement and retention in chemistry than lecture method. Also, there was no significance different in male and female student's achievement in chemistry. Based on the findings the research recommends, among others, that chemistry teachers should teach chemistry with integrated approach to encourage active engagement, self-motivation and retention among learners to enhanced academic achievement.
The problem of poor achievement in Physics in external examinations by students in Ebonyi State, Nigeria warranted the study. The need to use of a cutting-edge individualized instruction rooted in artificial intelligence to measure its potency in curbing the menace of poor achievement becomes necessary. The study examined the effect of self -regulated learning strategy through chat-generative-pretrained-transformer model4 (ChatGPT4) on senior secondary school students' achievement in projectile motion concepts. The study was guided by 2 research questions and 2 hypotheses. The design of the study was none- equivalent control groups quasi-experimental. The population for the study was 10,679 senior secondary school two Physics students in the thirty -one secondary schools for 2017/2018 academic session in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. The s ample size for the study was 316 se nior secondary school two Physics students in 4 sampled co-educational secondary schools in Ohaukwu. Projectile motion achievement test (PMAT) was the instrument used for data collection. Kuder-Richardson's formula-20 was used to determine the internal consistency reliability of P MAT. The coefficient was 0.88. Mean and standard deviations were used in answering the research questions while 2× 2 analysis of covariance was used to test the hypotheses at.05 level of significance. The result of the study showed that the students who learnt Physics using self- regulated individualized learning s trategy: ChatGPT model4 achieved better than th eir counterparts, who learnt Projectile motion using expository method. The result of the study also showed that there was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students who learnt projectile motion concepts using ChatGPT model4. Hence, it was recommended that Physics students should use ChatGPT model 4 which is gender-friendly to enhance their self-learning in Physics concepts.
The study centred on the effect of project -based learning on secondary school students' academic achievement in e lectrochemical cells in Agbani education z one. Two research questions guided the study while two null hypotheses were tested at.05 level of significance. The design for this study was quasi-experimental design of the pre-test post- test non-equivalent research design. The population for the study consisted of 4,109 Senior Secondary two (SS II) students in Agbani Education Zone of Enugu State. The sample size was 365 students. Purposive sampling was adopted to identify four out of the 45 senior public secondary schools in Agbani Education Zone of En ugu State. The instrument for data collection was Electrochemical Cells Achievement Test (ECAT). The instrument was validated in two phases which included: face validation and content validation. The reliability coefficient of the ECAT was determined using Kuder Richardson KR 20. Reliability coefficient of 0.81 was gotten showing that ECAT was stable. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Analysis of covariance was used in testing the hypotheses at.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that students that were taught electrochemical cells with project-based learning recorded higher academic achievement than those taught with expository method. The findings showed that male students that were taught ele ctrochemical cells with project -based learning recorded higher academic achievement than their female counterparts. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher revealed among others that the use of project - based learning should be encouraged by teachers to students during teaching and learning of Chemistry (Electrochemical cells in Senior Secondary School since it enhanced better performance of students irrespective of the scoring level.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of computer assisted instruction on student academic achievement and retention in nutrition content of secondary school biology in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State. The study adopted a quasi - experimental design using prettest and posttest. The population for the study consisted of 5,626 SS1 Biology students in all the 32 secondary schools in Onitsha education zone of Anambra State with a sample size of 252 biology students (116 male and 136 female ) undertaken using multi -stage sampling technique. Four research questions and four corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a Biology Achievement Test developed from nutrition in living organisms with multiple choice questions consisting of 50 items with options lettered A -D. The instrument was validated by three experts while the reliability of the instrument was determined usin g Kuder Richardson's formula 20 technique. The internal consistency reliability index was 0.74. The data collected were analyzed using mean scores. The hypotheses formulated for the study were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Covariance. Findings of the study revealed that the students taught Biology using Computer assisted instruction, CAI achieved higher than students taught using lecture method. Also, there is a significant difference between the mean academic achievement scores of students taught nutrition in living organisms using CAI and that of those taught using lecture method. It was recommended that the government should assist Biology teachers in the use of CAI for effective services delivery in secondary schools in Anambra State.
This research investigated the effect of Peer Instructional Strategy (PIS) on the academic achievement of Secondary School Biolo gy Students in Enugu Education z one of Enugu State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study employed non-equivalent control group design involving 528 (227 male and 301 female) SSII Biology students drawn from six randomly selected co -educational schools out of the ten secondary schools in Enugu Education z one that met the inclusion criteria. Two intact classes from each of the six schools (twelve classes) were randomly assigned to either Peer Instructional Strategy and Expository Method group by balloting. U sing the assigned method for each group, trained research assistants taught the same content to the respective groups, simultaneously. The instrument for the study was a researcher -made Biology Achievement Test (BAT), validated by three experts, and pilot tested. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to carry out test-retest reliability of the instrument, r = 0.74. The BAT was administered (pretest) before the interventions, after 4 weeks long intervention (post -test).. To avoid distribution bias; scores of forty -four students who completed the study procedures and took all the appropriate tests were randomly drawn from each of the twelve intact classes through software randomization. The scores were processed for data a nalysis. Statistical tools of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Variance was used to test the hypotheses at.05 level of significance. The researcher concluded that P IS improves the academic achieveme nt and of both ma le and female secondary school Biology students better than the expository Method.
The study investigated the effect of audio -visual materials (AVM) on senior secondary school students' achievement in Chemistry in Agbani education zone, Enugu State. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Quasi -experimental non- equivalent control group design was adopted for the study. The sample size for the study was a total of 148 SS II chemistry students, (75 male and 73 female). On e instrument, Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) was developed, validated and reliability coefficient (.82) before using it for data collection. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. The null hypotheses were tested at (P < 0.05) using analysis of covariance. The result of data analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught using AVM and their counterparts taught without AVM; the students taught using AVM achieved more. Also there is a significant difference on the mean achievement scores of male and females taught using AVM. The female achieved higher than their male counterparts. Among the educational implications of the findings is that since use of AVM increased the achievement levels of students in chemistry, chemistry teachers should integrate its use in the teaching of chemistry. Among the recommendations made based on the findings is that in -service training's in the form of seminars and workshops should be organized by government and relevant professional bodies like STAN to educate and sensitize the teachers on the use of AVM for their lesson delivery
Secondary school students' achievement in chemistry has been deteriorating over the immediate past years. The rate at which students 'achievement in chemistry is decreasing coupled with its negative effect on technology should be a matter of concern to Nigerians, including the world of science. This was attributed to lack of fundamental k nowledge in chemistry known as Organic Chemical N omenclature (OCN). O ne of the major reasons why students lack such relevant knowledge was as a result of poor achievement due to use of ineffective method of teaching known as Expository Method of Instruction (EMI). It was based on that backdrop that the study determined to study the effect of Computer – Aided Instruction (CAI) on secondary school students' achievement in OCN. Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. Pretest-Posttest, non- equivalent contr ol group was used. 8 intact classes, 4 of which were randomly assigned to experimental and other 4 to control groups were used for the study. Sample of the study consist of 122 males and 186 females (308) senior secondary one (S S1) chemistry students from 4 government owned secondary schools in Enugu Educ ation Zone of Enugu State. 2 research questions and 2 hypotheses guided the study. Teacher made organic chemical nomenclature achievement test (TEMOCNAT) was used for data collection. TEMOCNAT was constructed by the researcher and validated by 5 research experts. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Experimental group was ta ught using CAI while control group wa s taught the same topic using EMI. The major findings of the study revealed that students taug ht OCN with CAI achieved higher than those taught with EMI. There was no significant interaction effect on CAI and gender, males and females achievement were almost the same. It was recommended that chemistry teachers should employ CAI in teaching OCN to improve students' achievement and promote gender equality.
The dearth of studies on the predictive power o f non-cognitive variables like academic self-regulation and locus of control as predictors of academic achievement of Physics students in the Department of Science Education, Technology, Enugu State, Nigeria necessitated the study. Three null hypotheses tested at.05 level of significance guided the study. An ex-post-facto research design was adopted for the study. Purposive sampling procedure was used in selecting 139 Physics Education students comprising 75 males and 64 fe males from Physics programme, Department of Science Education. Three instruments were used for data collections. Academic self - regulation scale was adapted from Akhatar and Mahmood (2013). A cademic locus of control scale was adapted from Trice (1985) and Physics academic Achievement sc ores were extracted from the students' semester examination of 2020/2021 academic session, conducted by the university, (ESUT). The reliability of the instruments were tested using Cronbach's alpha which yielded indices of 0.87and 0.76 respectively. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. The results indicated that academic self-regulation and locus of control relatively and jointly contributed significantly to the prediction of academic achievement of Physics Ed ucation students. There was no variati on in relative and joint prediction of achievement in Physics based on gender. Based on the findings, it was recommended that lecturers should adopt teaching strategies that should stimulate Physics students' gender-friendly academic self -regulation and locus of con trol in order to increase students' achievement in Physics.
Stephanie N. Ozota, Angela C. Asuzu, Chidimma O. Nwafor
The relative decline in the academic achievement of students in Biology in Senior Secondary Schools has necessitated this study. Thus, the study sought to find out the appraisal of instructional resource utilization for teaching and learning of Biology in Senior Secondary Schools in Enugu North L.G.A. of Enugu State. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The researcher adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was made up of thirty - one (31) Biology teachers in Enugu North L.G.A. No sampling was carried out as the population size was manageable. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. Cronbach alpha Statistic was employed in determining the internal consistency of AIRUTLBSSS.in which the overall reliability coefficent index of 0.873 w as obtained. The data obtained were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for answering the research questions, and t- test statistic for testing the null hypotheses. The study arrived at the following findings: Biology teachers use the available resou rce teaching materials in teaching and learning of biology to a high extent. Biology teachers had positive attitude towards utilization of instructional materials in teaching of biology. There are impediments to utilizing instructional resources for teaching and learning biology in senior secondary schools. The hypotheses showed that there was no significant difference in the mean responses of male and female biology teachers on the extent to which teachers use the available resource teaching materials for teaching and learning of Biology and their attitude towards utilization of instructional materials. The hypothesis also showed no significant difference in the mean responses of male and female teachers on the impediments in utilization of instructional materials in teaching and learning of Biology. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that teachers should be encouraged to the method of use of instructional materials in teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools.
In recent times, there have increase in laboratory accident such as fire outbreak, heat burns, cuts and scrapes, spill of chemical and the likes, in biology laboratory. It becomes expedient that in general des ign of biology laboratory, lighting, ventilation, spacing of tables and stools, wider walkways to avoid congestion during emergency and proper supervision during biology laboratory work are not put into consideration. Entrance and exit doors are not properly fixed for easy movement. The fact that some Biology Laboratory assistants are well trained to do the job bring about their inability to arrange and label chemical and reagent bottles properly has contributed greatly in biol ogy laboratory accident. The purpose of the study is to ascertain the implementation of laboratory safety practices among senior secondary biology students in Awgu Education zone. Specifically, the study sought to find out extent to which general design of Biology Laboratory is relevant to implementation of safety practices and also the l aboratory assistant's ability to arrange and label chemical and reagent bottles ensure implementation of safety practices in biology laboratory. Two research questions and two research hypotheses guided the study. The presentation and analysis of the result was done according to the research questions and research hypotheses. The recommendations are that in general design of the Biology Laboratory, safety of the students and all laboratory users should be the priority, among others.
The study examined the effect of Peer Instructional Strategy (PIS) and expository method (EM) on the retention of Secondary School Biology Students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of peer instructional strategy relative to expository method on the retention of secondary school Biology students. The area of the study was Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State. Two research questions and hypotheses guided the study. The study was a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest, non-equivalent groups research design; involving 528( 227 male and 301 female senior secondary school 2 Biology students drawn from six randomly selected co -educational schools out of the ten secondary schools in Enugu Education z one that met the inclusion criteria. Two intact classes from each of the 6 schools were randomly assigned to either PIS or EM group by balloting. The instrument for the study was a researcher -made Biology Achievement Test (BAT), validated by three experts. C ontent validity was ensured using text blueprint. The Pearson's product moment correlation c oefficient was used to carry out test -retest reliability of the instrument, r = 0.74. The BAT was administered 2 weeks after posttest. The results showed that PIS group significantly performed better than EM group in terms of academic level of retention. The researcher recommends PIS should be used in teaching and learning of Biology.
The research investigates effects of guided and unguided discovery methods on students' retention in biology in Nsukka education zone. The sample comprises 155 SS1 students from secondary schools in Nsukka Educational Zone of Enugu State. The experimental group was exposed to guided discovery method while the control group was exposed to unguided discovery method. Data we re collected using Biology Retention Test (BRT) which was validated by three experts, content validity was ensured using Test Blue Print (TBP) and Reliability indices of 0.89 was obtained using Kuder Richardson formula 20 (K-R-20). The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the research hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at.05 level. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the mean retention score of students taught using guided discovery method and those taught using unguided discovery method. Based on the finding, the researcher recommends among others that Biology teachers should adopt the use of guided discovery method of teaching over the unguided discovery method for e nhancing academic retention. It also establishes that science educators and curriculum planners should incorporate innovative pedagogical strategies like guided discovery method in science teaching.
The poor state of secondary school students' achievement relative to policy expectation in Physics triggered the study. At the level of instrument quality, the scoring pattern in West African Senior School Certificate Examination's (WASSCE) Physics essay m arking scheme, difficulty -parameter level of the items and differential item functioning were sought. Instrumentation research design was adopted. One hundred and sixty senior secondary III Physics students consisting of 63 female and 97 male students form ed the sample. The 2018 WASSCE Physics essay with its marking scheme formed the instrument used to collect data. The internal consistency reliability of the instrument sought using Kuder-Richardson's formula 21 had value of 0.81. Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. Research questions were answered using frequencies, mean infit/outfit statistic, mean item difficulty and mean standard error. The null hypothesis was tested at.05 level of significance using Mantel -Haenszel's Chi-square probability value. The result indicated that fractional-polarization scoring was adopted for two items. 25 in 28 items fit the partial credit model. The items were moderately difficult and did not exhibit gender-based differential item functioning. It is recommended that West African Examinations Council should remove fractional -dichotomization scoring and breakup marks allocated to an item into more than two groups for all items in future Physics essay marking scheme.
The study investigated the effects of concept mapping instructional strategy on students' ability in organic chemistry. The study was carried out in E nugu State of Nigeria. Specifically the pretest posttest non -equivalent control group research design was used. The study employed a quasi experimental design. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The experiment was done on the teaching of Chemistry to senior secondary school students two (SS2). A sample of 200 students (92 boys and 108 girls) selected randomly out of the population of 457 students in SS2 from four public secondary schools in Enugu State. Pre-test of Chemistry was given to both the groups and the results were recorded. One group was taken as a control group which was taught Chemistry by the teach er who used conventional approach of teaching while the other i.e the experimental group was taught by the teacher who used concept mapping teaching strategy. After one month 's time of teaching, a post -test was conducted. Mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Co -Variance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze data. Results showed that concept mapping is an effective strategy for teaching and learning chemistry. The strategy is also capable of improving students' mastery of content at the higher-order levels of cognition. Based on the findings, the study recommended that concept mapping should be added to the teaching strategies of chemistry teachers at the secondary school level.
