Impact of Teaching with an Interactive Whiteboard on Science Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Rivers State

Abstract

There are many obstacles that may impede effective teaching and lead to students' low academic achievements in chemistry, despite the fact that a teacher's familiarity with the subject matter and presentation skills are crucial to the success of a Chemistry classroom. The unavailability of efficient instructional methods and resources is an example of the obstacles. So, this study set out to see how well chemistry students in Rivers State's secondary schools would achieve if they were taught using an interactive whiteboard (IW). The study was quasi-experimental, in that it included both pre- and post-testing.The study's sample size was 100 students from four complete SS2 classes randomly arranged into two groups. Both groups were taught chemistry, however the experimental group was taught on an interactive whiteboard (IW) while the control group was taught on a non-interactive magnetic marker whiteboard (MW). A valid and reliable Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) was developed using the K-R 20 to establish its internal consistency reliability of 0.95. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at the (P=0.05) level, and the mean and standard deviation were utilised to provide answers to the study questions. Students who were taught chemistry using IW-based instructional aids outperformed those who were taught with MMW. Location made a big difference in how well pupils did on the CAT, with students in urban location scoring higher than rural students. This study led the author to suggest that public schools in both rural and urban regions should be outfitted with IW-based instructional facilities to improve chemistry teaching and learning.