Impact of Concept Mapping Instructional Approach on Learners’ Academic Attainment in Chemistry, Senior Secondary Schools, Katsina Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The impact of concept mapping instructional strategy on the academic attainment of Chemistry students in Katsina Metropolis was explored in this study. The difference in average achievement data of those exposed to the periodic table unit of instruction utilizing concept mapping and those exposed to lecture technique before and after treatment were analyzed, as well as the disparity in mean score among students based on gender. The study's population consisted of 11,094 Senior Secondary 2 students from 11 public schools in Katsina. Sample for the study comprised 128 Chemistry learners. For proper guidance, three questions and three hypotheses were investigated. The samples for the study were randomly allocated to two classes for treatment and non-treatment. The researcher altered the Chemistry Performance Test (CPT) statistical collection. Descriptive statistics was used in answering the research question while a t-test was used for testing the hypotheses at 0.5. There was no difference in mean attainment among learners during the pre-test but a significant difference was recorded among them after the post-test. The mean score of those exposed to the periodic table idea utilizing concept mapping was higher than those exposed to the same unit of learning using the traditional approach. It also showed no disparity in average mean attainment between the sexes who were exposed to the periodic table concept employing therapy. The study advocated for the incorporation of the instructional approach in the school system for effective teaching of Chemistry at the secondary level.