EFFECT OF TEACHER-GUIDED USE OF AI-CHATBOTS ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY IN ONITSHA EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The persistent underachievement of secondary school students in chemistry, 
particularly in abstract concepts requiring visualization and active inquiry, 
necessitates investigation into innovative, technology-embedded pedagogies. This 
study examined the effect of teacher-guided use of AI-chatbots (TGUAC) on 
secondary school students' academic achievement in chemistry, with gender as a 
moderating variable. A quasi-experimental, non-randomized pre-test post-test 
control group design was adopted. The sample comprised 51 SS2 chemistry 
students drawn from two intact classes in two purposively selected co-educational 
public secondary schools from Onitsha Education Zone, Anambra State, Nigeria. 
The experimental group received instruction through TGUAC using ChatGPT-3.5, 
while the control group received conventional lecture-demonstration methods. The 
Chemistry Achievement Test, a 40-item multiple-choice instrument validated by 
three experts and reliability- coefficient of 0.81 using Kuder-Richardson formula 
20, served as the data collection instrument. Data were analysed using mean, 
standard deviation, and Analysis of Covariance at 0.05 alpha level. Findings 
revealed that students taught using TGUAC achieved significantly higher mean 
achievement scores than those taught using lecture methods. Gender had no 
significant effect on achievement, and there was no significant interaction between 
instructional method and gender. The study concluded that teacher-guided use of 
AI-chatbots is an effective, gender-equitable instructional strategy for enhancing 
chemistry achievement. Recommendations include integrating TGUAC into 
secondary school chemistry curricula and ensuring equitable access to AI-chatbot 
platforms across student populations.