Students’ Chemical Knowledge in Photosynthesis and Respiration in Port Harcourt Metropolis of Rivers State of Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the amount of chemical knowledge students hold in their memory for understanding photosynthesis and respiration. Two hundred and three (203) students made up of 107 SS2 (mean age 15.8 years) and 96 US2 students (mean age 17.5 years) participated in the study. Three main instruments, namely, Photosynthesis - Respiration test (P-RT), Photosynthesis-Respiration Chemical Reaction Test (P-RCRT) and PLDRT-essay test on light and dark reactions of photosynthesis and fate of glucose in animal and plant systems, were used in the study. Overall findings of the study revealed that the students’ answers contained deficient chemistry content of photosynthetic and respiratory reactions. Students’ answers also lacked integration. Although there was no significant difference between the mean scores of University Students (US2) and that of the secondary students (SS2) in both photosynthesis and respiration, higher percentage (over 8%) of the answers of university students contained relevant chemical information than those of the secondary students.