African Journal of Chemical Education

Change of email address of EIC of AJCE

2024-06-21T09:40:34+00:00

No Abstract

Availability and utilization of instructional materials for teaching chemistry in secondary schools: A review

2024-06-21T09:50:04+00:00

With the right use of instructional materials, mastering chemistry can make even the most esoteric concepts clearly understandable. The use of teaching resources is essential to the teaching and learning of chemistry. It might motivate teachers and students to exchange resources. It can also reduce the degree to which students misunderstand specific chemical concepts. The goal of this review is to examine the availability and utilization of instructional materials as well as their significance in the teaching and learning of chemistry in secondary schools. The review paper also focuses on the issues that inhibit teachers and students from using the available instructional materials when studying and teaching chemistry. This paper reviewed 16 publications published between 2016 and 2024 that focused on availability as well as utilization of instructional materials in teaching chemistry. The articles are gathered from the ERI database, Web of Science, and Google Scholar searches. The availability, definition, and impact of instructional materials for teaching chemistry, as well as their efficacy in terms of student learning achievement, are all summarized in this review for the benefit of chemistry educators and researchers. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]

Practices and challenges in implementing chemistry laboratory work in secondary schools: A review

2024-06-21T09:59:37+00:00

Laboratory work in secondary schools plays a paramount role in the teaching and learning process of practical activities, aiding students’ understanding of chemical concepts and experimentation. This review aimed to assess the practices and challenges of implementing chemistry laboratory work in different secondary schools in developing countries. The most recent and reputable journal publications were examined and utilized as primary sources. Fifteen studies, gathered through Google Scholar and Eric databases in the time frame from 2016 to 2024, were selected for review. Findings indicate that significant challenges, including shortages of laboratory apparatus, chemicals, and trained technicians, inadequate storage facilities, and limitations in laboratory infrastructure. These challenges hinder effective teaching and learning of chemistry, impacting students' academic achievement and attitudes towards science. Despite positive perceptions towards practical work, resource constraints and other factors limit its implementation. Curriculum expectations often differ, and practical constraints often hinder hands-on learning. Effective collaboration among stakeholders, including educational authorities, policymakers, school administrators, and teachers, is important for enhancing students' learning experiences and promoting scientific literacy. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]

Challenges for effective teaching of chemistry in secondary schools of developing countries: A review

2024-06-21T10:05:46+00:00

Effective teaching is the ability to improve student achievement and expressed by content knowledge, quality of instruction, teaching climate, classroom management, teacher beliefs and professional behaviors. Teaching chemistry has been identified to be one of the major bases for the transformation of our national economy, and hence must be accorded adequate attention. However, it has been shown that implementing of effective teaching chemistry almost ignored in secondary schools in many countries of the world because of different factors. The main purpose of this review was to identify challenges facing implementing effective teaching chemistry at secondary schools in different areas of the world based on different published works. The most recent and majorly the last 10 years that published in reputable journals have been reviewed and used as a direct source. Hence, the dominant factors that frequently indicated in most findings specially in developing countries to implement effective teaching chemistry in secondary schools are problems related to student attitude toward chemistry, laboratory inadequacy, poor method of instruction, large class size, curriculum constraints, and educational administrations. The other factors are teacher’s salary, parental support, teachers’ feelings and attitude, professionalism, time constraints, self-assurance and school setting are identified as causes for the dominant factors. However, each of them affects the implementation of effective teaching chemistry with varies degree from school to school and also among different countries. The implementation process of effective teaching chemistry in developing countries is still limited in high schools and students perform poorly in chemistry subject. It is recommended that teachers, educational leadership, parents, educators and policymakers address the factors. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]

Teaching and learning of practical chemistry in African (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia) secondary schools: A review

2024-06-21T10:21:48+00:00

The practical activity in chemistry is a new approach of chemistry teaching and learning, which relates to the curriculum of chemistry in basic education. The purpose of the review was to collect evidence and challenges for teaching and learning of practical chemistry practices in the African secondary schools. A literature search of articles related to teaching and learning of practical chemistry were conducted using three data bases, such as Google scholar, Web of science (WOS), and ERIC. The selected articles were carefully read many times and analyzed them from the perspective of the review questions. The review has identified the impact of practical activities, constrains for practices and challenges for implementing practical works in teaching and learning of practical chemistry. Based on the findings collected, in detailed discussion was presented. It is concluded that the quality of chemistry practical work has a significant positive effect on learner’s performance in secondary school chemistry. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]

The extent of audio-visual material use in the teaching and learning of chemistry in secondary schools

2024-06-21T10:27:38+00:00

The study focused on the extent of audio-visual material use in the teaching and learning of chemistry in secondary schools.to assess the extent of audio-visual material use in the teaching and learning of chemistry in junior secondary schools, a review of ten studies conducted between 2016 and 2023 was undertaken from Scopus, Google Scholar and ERIC database. The review found the utilization of audio-visual resources in chemistry education varies among secondary schools, with the majority (95%) using them infrequently due to factors like limited technological access and insufficient teacher training. Only a small number of schools have fully embraced these materials, integrating them into their curriculum on a regular basis. The majority of teachers and students has a positive perception of audio-visual materials and see them as valuable tools for engagement and learning, there are some challenges and concerns expressed by a minority of teachers and students regarding the preparation, integration, and effectiveness of these materials. The inconsistent availability of resources, the time-consuming nature of preparation and integration, and a lack of understanding on how to effectively use audio-visual materials hindered the realization of their educational benefits. Additionally, the absence of centralized platforms for accessing curated content was noted as a limitation. Generally, these materials have the potential to provide a more inclusive and engaging learning environment, particularly for students who may struggle with traditional teaching methods. Overall, the reviewer concluded that investing in infrastructure and providing professional development opportunities to enhance the effective utilization of multimedia resources in secondary education. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]

Innovative practices in chemistry instruction in the case of developing countries of Africa: A review

2024-06-21T10:31:59+00:00

Chemistry education plays a critical role in fostering scientific literacy and promoting socioeconomic development. However, the challenges faced by educational systems in the developing regions of Africa, often hinder effective chemistry Instruction. This review aims to explore Innovative practices in chemistry instruction specifically to developing countries to Africa, with a focus on, Innovative practices in chemistry curriculum, Innovative practices in chemistry Instruction, and important considerations for improvising equipment and experiments because this is very significant part for Innovative Instruction. The review highlights the Innovative approaches, such as: Adjustment of Students, Student/Learner Centered Approach, Inductive Approach, Process Approach to Teaching, Student Motivation Approach, Socratic Approach, Problem-based Instruction, and Inquiry based Instruction. So, in using them properly, they are important to improve the quality of chemistry Instruction. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 14(2), May 2024]