Effects of Using Molecular Model Kits, Charts and Board Drawings in Teaching Chemical Bonding to Secondary School Chemistry Students in Anolga, Rivers State

Abstract

Many science students see chemistry as an abstract subject because of their inability to visualise the atoms or molecules and how they bond with themselves or with other atoms or molecules to form compounds. This research therefore investigated the effects of using molecular model kits compared with the use of charts and board drawings in teaching chemical bonding to SSS 1 chemistry students in the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design. One research question and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The sample of the study comprised one hundred and thirty-five (135) students, randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group, each having 45 students. A Chemical Bonding Achievement Test (CBAT) was the instrument used for data collection. Mean and ANOVA were used in the analysis of the data, and the results obtained showed that there was a significant difference between the achievements of students taught chemical bonding using molecular model kits (MMK) and those taught with charts and board drawings (BD), with those taught using MMK having the highest mean score and those taught using BD having the lowest achievement score. This led to the conclusion that using molecular model kits is more effective in teaching chemical bonding to SSS1 chemistry students in the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, as it has positive effects on the academic achievements of the students. Based on the findings, the researcher recommends the use of stereochemistry models like molecular models in teaching chemical bonding and other concepts in chemistry, like the IUPAC nomenclature for organic compounds, in secondary schools.