Prior Knowledge of relevant mathematical concepts and gender as factors in achievement in Stoichiometry

Abstract

Stoichiometry is an essential part of various arms of chemistry but students usually perform poorly in it due to a number of formulae and calculations involved. This study investigated the effect of prior knowledge of relevant mathematical concepts (RMC) and gender on achievement in Stoichimetry. The design was a pretest – posttest quasi experimental study. The population comprised all SS2 chemistry students in Onitsha education zone. Two hundred (200) students were used for the study (100 males and 100 females). The instrument used for data collection was mathematics achievement test (MAT) and chemistry achievement test (CAT). Data collected were analyzed using the t-test statistics. It was found out that teaching RMC before Stoichiometry had significant effect on male and female student’s achievement in Stiochiometry. The implication for study is that education policy makers and the chemistry curriculum planners should consider this when planning chemistry curriculum.