Extent of Integration of Practical Work in the Teaching of Chemistry by Secondary Schools Teachers in Taraba State

Abstract

This study investigated the extent of integration of practical work in the teaching of chemistry by secondary school teachers in Taraba State, Nigeria. It was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to select 45 out of 76 chemistry teachers in the 76 secondary schools. A questionnaire constructed by the researcher which consists of 22 items, drawn on five-point scale was used to collect data for the study. Validation of the research instrument was carried out by three experts from the Department of Science Education and reliability established using Cronbach Alpha which yielded a coefficient value of 0.81. Data for the research were collected through self-administered questionnaire by the researchers and the two assistants. The analysis of the data was done using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha levels with One-way analysis of variance. The findings revealed that the extent of integration of practical work in the teaching of Chemistry by secondary schools teachers in Taraba State is low and this was influenced by teachers’ qualification. The study recommended among others that chemistry teachers should ensure frequent integration of practical work in the teaching of topics in chemistry using appropriate methods.