EFFECT OF LABORATORY RESOURCES AVAILABILITY AND USABILITY ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY IN SOTIK SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

In the years 2010 and 2011, poor results in Chemistry were recorded among secondary school students in Sotik Sub-County. Lack of efficient use of laboratory resources was cited as one reason for the poor performance. As such, there was need to determine which teaching and learning resources were available in various school laboratories, their usability in teaching Chemistry, and their relationship with students’ achievement in Chemistry. Three research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The research questions were: What resources are available for teaching and learning of Chemistry in Secondary schools in Sotik Sub County? To what extent do teachers and laboratory technicians use the available resources in teaching Chemistry? To what extent does the use of Chemistry learning resources affect Students’ performance in Chemistry? The hypothesis stated that there is no significant difference between the control and experimental groups in terms of performance in Chemistry in Sotik Sub-County. The target population was drawn from members of Sotik Sub-County secondary schools, while an accessible population of 30 secondary schools was selected for descriptive survey and four secondary schools for quasi-experiment, which were selected using purposive sampling method, followed by simple random sampling. The study adopted quasi experimental and descriptive survey designs. Chemistry Assessment Test, Checklist and Questionnaire based on Likert scale and open-ended structure were among the instruments of research that were used in data collection procedure. Data was coded and analysed descriptively using SPSS and presented using frequency tables, means and percentages, while hypothesis was tested using Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U-Test at a 0.05 level of significance. The major finding of the study was that efficient use of available laboratory resources positively affects students’ achievement in Chemistry. The main recommendation of the study is that deliberate efforts should be made by policy makers, the Sotik Sub-County Education Officer (SSCEO), and principals to ensure that schools are well equipped with laboratory resources. Chemistry teachers and students are also urged to make efficient use of the resources provided for teaching and learning to elicit adequate hands-on active participation of students during Chemistry theory and practical lessons. Further studies on how technology impacts on Chemistry achievement in Sotik Sub-County should be conducted.