Concept Mapping and Guided Inquiry as Effective Techniques for Teaching Difficult Concepts in Chemistry: Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement

The persistent poor performance in chemistry in Nigerian school system, especially at the secondary level, has been quite a serious problem. The major purpose of this study determined how the adoption of concept mapping and guided inquiry as instructional strategies can enhance more meaningful understanding of difficult concepts in chemistry and increase students’ academic achievement. To guide the study a research question and hypothesis were asked, formulated and tested at; 0.05 level of significance. The design was a non-randomized pre-test, post-test, control group quasi-experimental design using intact classes in 251 Senior Secondary three (SS III) Chemistry students in the three senatorial districts of Taraba state which were randomly assigned, experimental and group through balloting using the replacement and withdrawal technique. Face and content validity of instruments were ascertained using the Pearson’s Moment Correlation to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.79. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was tested at; 0.05 level of significance, means and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. Also, Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) using the Sheffe test was computed to indicate the direction of the difference. The result of the analysis showed a significant difference between the performance of students exposed to the two experimental groups (concept mapping and guided-inquiry methods) and the control group (expository method), the result of the Sheffe test was in the favour of concept mapping. It was therefore concluded that concept mapping would be an effective teaching strategy for teaching difficult concepts in chemistry since it improved students’ performances/retention in the subject. Keywords: Difficult concepts, expository method, concept mapping and guided inquiry strategy