EFFECT OF ACTIVE LEARNING AND PROJECT-BASED TEACHING STRATEGIES ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN CHEMISTRY IN UYO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

The study investigated the effects of active learning and project-based teaching strategies on students' academic performance in chemistry in Uyo Local Government Area. Three research questions and corresponding hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The area of the study was Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of 2625 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students in the fifteen public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area for 2022/2023 session. A sample size of 96 students from two public secondary schools was selected for the study from two intact classes. A simple random sampling technique was used in selecting the two (2) secondary schools out of 15 public secondary schools in the study area. The instrument used for this study was tagged Chemistry Performance Test (CPT). To ensure the validity of the instrument, the instrument was presented to a chemistry lecturer and an expert in measurement and evaluation in Department of Science Education Akwa Ibom State University for content validation. The reliability of the instrument was analyzed using Kuder Richardson formula – 20 (KR-20) and the reliability coefficient was found to be 0.85. The data generated were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and independent t-test statistics. The finding revealed that there was statistically significant difference in the academic performance scores of chemistry students taught the concept of acid-base reaction using active and problem-based teaching strategies in favour of active teaching strategy. The finding also revealed that there was no significant difference between the performance of male and female chemistry students taught the concept of acid-base reaction using active and problem-based teaching strategies. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that active teaching strategy enhances students’ academic performance in Chemistry in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. It was therefore recommended among others that Curriculum planners, developers and science educators should take cognizance of active teaching strategy which is an innovative and effective pedagogical strategy in chemistry classrooms to promote students’ academic performance.