Effects of Information Technology-Integrated Teaching Strategies on Secondary School Chemistry Students’ Process Skills Acquisition in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Effective science teaching combines the knowledge of the content with methods of
gaining knowledge through scientific processes and practices. These scientific
processes and practices are science process skills. It is imperative therefore, that
effective strategies for teaching these skills be developed. Information Technology
(IT) has been adjudged by many as improving learning outcomes in other
subjects. This study investigated the relative effectiveness IT-integration into
guided discovery and teacher demonstration methods on senior secondary school
2 (SSS II) chemistry students acquisition of science process skills. Two research
questions were raised in the study and five domains of science process skills were
examined. Also, two hypotheses were tested. A pretest-posttest quasi
experimental research design was adopted. Twelve intact classes of 446 (264
male, 182 female) students from ten schools purposively selected from Education
Districts II and III of Lagos State were used for the study out of a total population
of 6,507. The sampled students were administered with Science Process skills Test
(SPST) which consisted of hands-on activities (section A) and a paper pencil
(section B) test. Using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), the results indicated
that the effectiveness of IT-integration into the two methods improved the
acquisition of science process skills of SSS chemistry students. However, the
students who received IT-integration in guided discovery method showed a
significant gain in the acquisition of science process skills. Based on the findings
integration of IT into teaching strategies were advocated for to improve science
process skills acquisition in chemistry.