Gender Test Anxiety, Students Interest and Academic Performance in Chemistry Among SS 3 Students in M M C Educational Zone, Borno State Nigeria
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To find out the influence gender have on students’ interest in chemistry
- To find out the influence gender have on students’ achievement in chemistry
- To find out the interactive effect of gender and test anxiety on the academic performance of students in chemistry.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Chemistry Anxiety in Learning
Past research in time of few decades ago, numerous of research has been underlined significantly anxiety issues on learning and retaining process respectively (Gaudry and Spieleberger, 1971). A research conducted by Wsterback and Primavera (1992) discovered that, profoundly lower levels of anxiety results in successful learning in chemistry as well as promote to higher chemistry grades of the students. Cuceloglu (1997) and Gall (1996) stated that the effect of anxiety in learning demonstrated that medium level of anxiety enhance to high level of productivity. In order to maximize the learning process, there is necessity for preventive effort of negative effects of anxiety itself. In chemistry learning, there are three important components in chemistry scope of study which are macroscopic, microscopic and representative. Students are likely to be anxious in learning chemistry when they cannot effectively interpreted the abstract knowledge of chemistry in term of theories, concept, principle or problem solving calculation. The misconception of students in learning chemistry occurred when they fails to make a connection or relationship between these three content domains of chemistry learning subject (Sirhan, 2007). Anxiety in learning chemistry is one the undesired circumstances that can paralyze students learning process and impaired student’s performance as well. The progression of students’ learning will be interrupted when the students cannot control their anxiety or fear towards learning chemistry with a good manner and it tends to give negative effect to those students who by intelligence and hard work that should otherwise perform well. Besides that, learning chemistry anxiety acts as a profession filter that preventing students from entering certain fields in term of chemistry discipline because of fear to further their study or learning process in prerequisite and more specific chemistry courses (Hong, 2010). Chemistry learning anxiety mainly related to students undergoing anxiety feel worried over academic tasks. Indeed, students probably feel anxious related to their chemistry task. Many of students suffered from anxiety when facing difficult tasks in their chemistry task (Nelson and Harwood, 2011). Other than that, difficulties in understanding the abstract concepts have been interrelated to working memory space of an individual. Usually, students faced a learning situation that is excessively ample thing to handle in the limited working space; they tend to have difficulty in deciding on the main information that required from the other less important information. Consequently, without the advanced organizer of learning input provided by the experienced teacher, the student frequently has directed to rote learning as a result of undesirable type of learning. In future, this problem may affect students to be anxious when they need to use the necessary information of knowledge due to unorganized function of working memory. School tasks that include the usage of additional working memory are prominently affected by anxiety and depression (Owens et al., 2012). Indeed, the significant features of chemistry learning were required for attainment in comprehending chemical concepts. Consequently if students possess difficulties at one of the chemistry levels either in macroscopic, microscopic or representative, it may give impact the other. As a result, they look upon chemistry as a burden to be endured than as an experienced to be appreciated. When students possess to this negative attitude, learning chemistry becomes stressful and this leads to chemistry anxiety (Chen, 2013). Secken and Zan (2013) identified that each student experienced anxiety in various lessons due to particular reason as well during their educational years. This condition might affect their learning to be positively or vice versa. In their finding, it showed that students with lack ability to use graph in chemistry courses in proceeding mathematical functions may cause students to develop anxieties towards using graphs. A previous research which implemented by Yusuf (2014) illustrated that the student oriented learning context such as collaborative approach was discovered that the students’ anxiety towards chemistry was lesser than as compared to students that have been taught using teacher centered learning approach. Correspondingly, all those research studies revealed that higher anxiety level in learning chemistry undesirably affect accomplishment in chemistry courses in aspect related to students’ learning process (Eddy, 2000; Hong, 2010; Erdal and Mustafa, 2014).
Chemistry Anxiety in Evaluation
Chemistry evaluation can be considered as the measure score of students in their learning process particularly in chemistry subject. Based on the finding of previous research, chemistry evaluation anxiety factor can be investigated among students were included of feeling extremely anxious in the situation of taking the final chemistry examination, being given on the spot chemistry quiz during a chemistry class, taking a regular chemistry test, working on homework that consists of many difficult chemistry problems, and solving difficult problems on a chemistry test (Eddy, 2000). Abendroth and Friedman (1983) claimed that lower level of anxiety contributed in higher chemistry grades. Other than that, most students generally have perceived different situation of anxiety during the evaluation in term of quiz, test or general examination. As an outcome, their performance on written examinations is frequently poorer than the result that they supposedly achieved and school are surprised because a students’ score on a particular examination does not reflect the school’s assessment of the student’s ability (Steve and Donald, 2003). Aris and Heng (2007) informed that their study on chemistry learning anxiety on chemical bonding topic among electrical engineering students showed that there was a significant correlation between chemistry anxieties and students’ achievement. A research conducted by Chamberlain et al. (2011) verified that the students’ views on anxiety could be disseminated into two time frames which are pre examination and examination day. They perceived that pre examination anxiety became triggers due to substantial revision assignments and frequency of teachers in mentioning about examination and addressing to their students to be aware and fear if they do not prepared enough (Putwain and Roberts, 2009) and this condition causing to the effect of unpredictably substandard examination results accordingly. On the day the students sit for examination, those students’ levels of anxiety were affected by scheduling matters and time duration available for them to complete the examination. In addition, sometimes the students get lower achievement in chemistry evaluation, it is does not mean that they are less intelligent; possibly it happened due to the factor of chemistry evaluation anxiety commonly known as test anxiety (Ali and Mohsin, 2013). Anxiety in evaluation had influenced the students and peoples in various field of life. Many present research studies point out the effects of anxiety on students’ achievement in science courses (Kaya, 2004; McDonald, 2001; Putwain, 2009; Putwain, 2008 and Segool, 2014). Hence, a study about the factor of chemistry evaluation anxiety is required to investigate in the step to improve the students’ achievement effectively.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitutes of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried to examine an Gender test anxiety, students interest and academic performance in chemistry among SS 3 students in M M C educational zone, Borno state Nigeria. Selected secondary schools in Borno state form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain Gender test anxiety, students interest and academic performance in chemistry among SS 3 students. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of gender test anxiety, students interest and academic performance in chemistry among SS 3 students
Summary
This study was on Gender test anxiety, students interest and academic performance in chemistry among SS 3 students in M M C educational zone, Borno state Nigeria. Three objectives were raised which included: To find out the influence gender have on students’ interest in chemistry, to find out the influence gender have on students’ achievement in chemistry and to find out the interactive effect of gender and test anxiety on the academic performance of students in chemistry. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from SS 3 students in M M C educational zone, Borno state Nigeria. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
The work looked into Gender test anxiety, students interest and academic performance in chemistry among SS 3 students in M M C educational zone, Borno state Nigeria. It was found out that gender has a significant influence on the interest of students in chemistry, but does not have any influence on students’ achievement
Recommendation
Teachers of chemistry should teach in such a way as to rouse students’ interest in the subject, science should be real to the students.
Parents should not segregate in terms of the education of their children.
Children should be encouraged and provided with their essential needs to make learning a thing of interest to them.
Students should motivate themselves, find joy in learning, they should not wait to be pushed by their parents and teachers before they can learn and achieve.
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