Towards a Framework for Understanding the Influence of Selected Aspects of Culture on Secondary School Students’ Learning of Stoichiometry: Insights from a Preliminary Study

Abstract

Secondary school students have perennially presented problems with learning for conceptual understanding of reaction stoichiometry. The problem persists besides stoichiometry knowledge being fundamental base for understanding other chemistry concepts. A study was carried out in May 2018 to investigate the influence of some selected aspects of culture on students’ learning for conceptualization of stoichiometry. The study also sought to find out the appropriate philosophical, methodological and conceptual underpinnings that may sufficiently explore the influence of an indigenous culture on students’ learning for conceptual understanding of stoichiometry. The investigation was divided into the theoretical literature study and the empirical study. The research employed the convergent parallel mixed methods approach. The study was a case study of School A in Shamva district in Mashonaland Central province in Zimbabwe. A chemistry class of 7 students (M=4, F=3) was purposively sampled for the study. Methods used for data generation for the study were document analysis, stoichiometry diagnostic test, students’ questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data generated were analysed using both interpretive and descriptive statistical analyses. The findings indicated that the revised curriculum framework for primary and secondary education (2015-2022) in Zimbabwe adopted the ubuntu/unhu philosophy of education in a bid to have a culturally-inclined curriculum. The revised curriculum encourages inclusion and use of contextual knowledge among communities in teaching and learning. The findings of empirical component of the study pointed to the effect that there is a building-up indication that culture may influence students’ learning for conceptual understanding of stoichiometry. The study also revealed that students encounter problems with stoichiometry. The study recommends for the development and use of culture-inclined pedagogies taking into account indigenous languages, valued knowledge and scientific literacy to facilitate epistemological access of scientific knowledge to enhance learning for conceptualization of stoichiometry.