RE-IMAGINING CHEMISTRY EDUCATION FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT AMIDST ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: IMPACT OF DISCOVERY METHOD ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of discovery learning method (DLM) on students’ learning 
outcomes in chemistry, in light of technological advancement and economic meltdown. Four 
research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Using a quasi
experimental research design. The population consists of all SS2 chemistry students in the 
twenty-nine (29) government owned senior secondary schools in Ogidi education zone in 
Anambra State. A sample size of 164 SS2 students was randomly selected from four co
educational secondary schools in two local governments in the area. Chemistry Achievement 
Test (CAT), developed by the researchers, was used as the instrument for data collection. The 
reliability of the instrument was established using the Kuder-Richardson formula 20. The 
reliability coefficient obtained was 0.82. While the research questions were answered using 
mean and standard deviation, the null hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance 
using two-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that DLM has a significant impact on students’ academic achievement and knowledge retention in Chemistry, with a statistically significant gender impact on students’ achievement in Chemistry in favour of males. Furthermore, the discovery method does not have any statistically significant gender 
impact on students’ knowledge retention in Chemistry. Conclusions and recommendations were, however, made.