EFFECT OF CONCEPT MAPPING TEACHING STRATEGY ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMICAL BONDING IN ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The students’ persistently low performance on external exams cast suspicion on their chemistry teachers' methods of instruction. Thus, the aim of the research is to find out how concept mapping, a teaching strategy, impact students' academic achievement in chemical bonding in the Enugu Education Zone. The study was guided by two research questions and three null hypotheses. It used a quasi-experimental design. 4,532 SS2 Chemistry students made up the study's population. A combination of random and purposive sampling procedure was utilized to choose 82 students’. While the control group received instruction via lectures, the experimental group was taught utilizing a concept mapping teaching strategy. The Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) was the instrument used for data collection, and its reliability index was evaluated using Kuder-Richardson's formula-20 and certified by three experts which yielded coefficients 0.92. The mean, standard deviation, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that students exposed to the concept mapping teaching strategy outperformed their peers who received instruction via lectures. For improved student achievement, it was suggested that Chemistry teachers to use a concept mapping teaching approach when teaching chemistry.