EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE PACKAGE ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND INTEREST IN CHEMICAL BONDING

ABSTRACT

The  study  investigated  the  effects  of  an  instructional  software  package  –  Chemical Bonding Instructional Software Package (CBISP) – on secondary school students’ achievement and interest in Chemical Bonding. It also investigated the influence of gender and location on students’ achievement and interest in Chemical Bonding when the instructional software was used.  The  design of the  study was a  pretest-posttest non- equivalent control group design. The population consisted of 5,966 senior secondary class one (SS1) chemistry students. The sample consisted of 311 SS1 students drawn from nine senior secondary schools in Nsukka Education zone. The criteria for selecting the schools in the study were based on availability of ICT facilities such as computer and over head projectors; ability of teachers to perform basic operations using the afore mentioned ICT facilities; school location (urban and rural) and gender of students. The instruments for the study were Chemical Bonding Achievement Test (CBAT) and Students’ Interest Scale on Chemical Bonding (SISCB). Two university chemical educators, one measurement and evaluation expert and six professional secondary school chemistry teachers validated the instruments.  The  reliability  of  CBAT  was  0.87,  calculated  using  Kuder  Richardson formula 20.The reliability of SISCB was 0.68, calculated using Cronbach Alpha method.

Twelve research questions guided the study and fourteen hypotheses were tested at p =

0.05.The  researcher  trained  regular  chemistry  teachers  of  the  selected  schools  for

experimental group for one week, on instructional software method (ISM). For the control group, the Traditional lecture method (TLM) was used. In this case, only the Course of Study on Chemical Bonding (CSCB) was used. The CSCB is a hardcopy and has the same text materials and illustrations as in the software. Intact classes were used. Treatment for the study was teaching, using ISM, and this lasted for five weeks. ISM involves guiding the students and making necessary explanation to them on request while learning, using the CBISP. Before treatment commenced, the researcher administered CBAT and SISCB to the subjects as pre-tests. Each of the tests lasted for 40 minutes. The subjects’ scores in the tests were recorded and kept separately. Three periods of 40 minutes each week were used for teaching of the students, following the usual school timetable as was peculiar to each school.  The  next  day,  immediately  after  the  completion of treatment,  the  researcher administered CBAT and SISCB to the students as post-test and their scores were recorded separately. For this post-test, the various questions in CBAT were rearranged to eliminate the effect of familiarity with the items in the instruments. Each of the tests lasted for 40 minutes. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used in this study. The covariates are the pre-test and post-test (CBAT) and SISCB scores.   Mean and standard deviation scores were used in answering the research questions. From the data analyses, the following results emerged: Method of teaching has statistically significant effect on students’ mean achievement in chemical bonding (F= 16.10, p < 0.05); gender has no statistically significant influence on students’ achievement in chemical bonding (F = 3.23, p ˃ 0.05); school location has statistically significant influence on students’ mean achievement in chemical bonding (F = 4.24, p < 0.05); the interaction effect of gender and location on students’ achievement  in chemical  bonding  is  significant  (F =  12.19,  p  <  0.05); the interaction effect of gender and teaching methods on students’ achievement in chemical bonding is significant (F = 72.84, p < 0.05); the interaction effect of location and teaching methods on students’ achievement in chemical bonding is significant (F = 72.37, p < 0.05); gender has no statistically significant influence on students’ interest in chemical bonding (F = 2.98, p ˃ 0.05); school location has  no statistically significant influence on students’ interest in chemical bonding (F = 1.15, p ˃ 0.05); method of teaching has statistically significant effect on students’ interest in chemical bonding (F = 4.24, p < 0.05); the interaction effect of gender and school location on students’ interest in chemical bonding is not significant (F = 0 .37, p ˃ 0.05); the interaction effect of gender and teaching methods on students’ interest in chemical bonding is significant (F = 5.53, p < 0.05); the interaction effect of school location and teaching methods on students’ interest in chemical bonding is not significant (F = 0 .29, p ˃ 0.05).

The educational implications of these findings were discussed. Based on these findings, the following  recommendations among others were  made:    chemistry teachers  should  be encouraged to use ISM in teaching chemical bonding. Enrichment of chemistry teacher- training programmes in  Nigerian teacher-training  institutions and  faculties,  to  include appropriate ICT courses that enable teachers develop and use their own-made instructional software packages, to  make their  teaching effective. The  limitation of the  study was discussed and suggestions for further studies were made.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Computer-aided instruction and learning (CAIL) is an aspect of e-learning, which is the current trend in pedagogy. Other aspects of e-learning include web-based learning.  CAIL is recommended in most 21st  century secondary schools chemistry curriculum of many countries, including Nigeria (NERDC, 2009). On daily basis, students use the computer to surf the Internet for various educational information and activities; to play games, send and receive mails, chat with friends, create or update their own blogs and carry out other activities of interest to them. The computer has become not only a means of entertainment but also a veritable instrument of learning for present day students at all ages (Ayogu,

2011). Olayiwole (2005) advocated the use of ICT, particularly computer in teaching chemistry in Nigerian schools. The author asserted that some chemistry contents are better taught using the computer.

Chemistry has been described as the science of molecules and their transformation (Hoffmann, 1991), and is pivotal to the transformation and development of many nations. Developed nations are associated with numerous and varied industries (both light and heavy), involved in processing materials (inorganic and organic substances) including oil, gas, petrochemicals, textile, food, pharmaceutical and ceramic industries.  Transformation and development of any nation are tied to the presence of heavy chemical industry, which meets economic and defence requirements.

An important constituent of the chemical industry is manufacturing or industrial processes based on achievements in chemistry (Potapov and Tatarinchik, 1979). Manufacturing or industrial processes are procedures involving chemical or mechanical steps to aid the manufacture or production of specific materials or items, usually carried out on a large scale. They include those in industry of heavy (basic) organic synthesis, which produces hydrocarbons of various types used as raw materials for other industries involved  in  secondary processes,  for  example,  oxygen-containing organic  compounds (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, ethers and esters); nitrogen-containing organic compounds (nitro compounds, amines, nitrides); halogen-containing organic compounds; and substances containing phosphorous, silicon and other elements.

Besides organic synthesis, chemistry plays a key role in the production of fuel cells, refrigerators, heat pumps, and engines the functions of which are based on the second law of thermodynamics studied under physical chemistry. Other products based on application and knowledge of physical chemistry include laser rays used in reading barcodes and compact discs (CDs) (Engel and Reid, 2006).

Chemistry as pivotal to the transformation and development of nations has continued to play an increasingly important role in the production of many technologies, from  life-saving  pharmaceuticals  to  computers  and  other  information  technologies. Because of the central role it plays in the successful study of science-based courses such as medicine, pharmacy, biochemistry, engineering, agriculture and several others, chemistry is regarded as a ‘central science’ and this underlines the importance and need to study it. Chemistry and its impact on lives of individuals will continue to grow, and probably even

at a faster rate in the 21st century, as a number of innovative secondary school chemistry curricula have emerged across the globe since the turn of the 21st century.

In Nigeria efforts being made by various stakeholders to improve chemical education attest to the general awareness that chemistry plays a significant role towards its national transformation and development.  For instance, at the tertiary level of Nigeria’s education system,  virtually all private and public institutions of higher learning have academic  departments for  the  study of chemistry and  chemistry-related courses.  The various  proprietors of these  institutions  provide  laboratory facilities  for  the  study of chemistry.   Besides the  huge  budgetary allocations made to these  institutions for the purchase of chemicals and equipment, the Federal government has built science equipment manufacturing centres in Enugu, Minna and Lagos for local fabrications of equipment needed to study chemistry and other science subjects.  At the secondary level of education, various state governments have built special science schools; proprietors of secondary schools and others, including individuals build and equip chemistry laboratories while science allowance is paid to teachers of chemistry and other sciences as incentive to encourage the teachers to put in their best in ensuring that students are well taught.

In spite of its importance and the efforts to improve chemical education in Nigeria, achievements of secondary school students in chemistry have continued to fall bellow expectation (Adeyegbe, 1998; Ifeoma, 2005;  Agbi,  2006,  Udo  & Eshiet,  2007  and Nwahunanya, 2011).  One of the reasons for this poor state of affair is attributed to poor foundation in the students’ early years of studies in chemistry, resulting from among other factors, inappropriate teaching methods adopted by teachers (Adeyegbe, 1998; Nwofor, 1991; Ochu, 2007; Udo & Eshiet, 2007 and Nwahunanya, 2011).  The teachers

seem not to have adequate knowledge and skills in their choice of teaching methods and usage of appropriate instructional strategies for meaningful teaching (Oloyede, 1998; Agbi, 2006; Ayogu, 2011; Agogo & Terngu, 2011). The teachers use mainly lecture method with no recourse to the use of relevant  instructional materials and practical activities that arouse and sustain students’ interest in the subject or concept. This mode of teaching does not make lessons lively, and does not help in concretising abstract ideas often associated with many chemical concepts.  This perhaps accounts for the learning difficulties (Udo & Eshiet, 2007 ; Oloyede, 1998; and Nwahunanya, 2011) that students have about chemical concepts. One of such chemical concepts, which students find difficult is chemical bonding (Peterson, Treagust and Garnett, 1986; Butts and Smith,

1987;  Boo,  1998;  Pereira  and  Pestana,  1991;  Griffiths  and  Preston,  1992;  and

Nwahunanya, 2011).

Udo and Eshiet (2007) defined difficult chemical concepts as those that teachers find difficult to teach or students find difficult to understand. This is the case with chemical bonding. Nwahunanya (2011) asserted that secondary school teachers find it difficult to teach chemical bonding . The chemical bond is at the heart of chemistry and bonding between atoms  is  the  essence of chemistry (Engel and  Reid,  2006).  In other  words, understanding chemical bonding and the nature of the bonds is very fundamental in the study of chemistry. For example, a good understanding of bonding and the nature of bonds makes it easy for chemistry students to predict the overall energy change in a chemical reaction (Boo, 1998). WAEC (2010) showed that candidates in Senior School Certificate chemistry examination were unable ‘to correctly distinguish between dative bond and covalent bond’. A covalent bond is one in which two atoms share a pair of electrons. A

dative bond  is  just  like any other covalent  bond once  it  has been  formed. The only difference is that one atom, rather than each atom donating one electron donate both electrons. It is perhaps in consideration of the difficulties that students have in understanding; and their inability to explain for example the concept of dative bond and covalent bond, as explained above, that Oloyede (1998) concluded that learning of some chemical concepts by most Nigerian secondary school students is generally regarded as difficult.

Lasisi (1998) asserted that a recipient of chemical education in Nigeria ‘merely “adsorbs” and “desorbs” scientific facts’, with the result that they lack operational and manipulative skills needed for meaningful application of theoretical concepts to real life situations. Ifeoma (2005), blamed students’ learning difficulties and low achievement in chemistry on  the  different  teaching  methods  (lecture,  discussion,  guided  discovery, expository, etc.) employed in teaching chemistry to the students. The percentage of failures in this subject at the school certificate examination has consistently remained large (Okorie, 1983; Lasisi, 1998; Adeyegbe, 1998; Ajah, 2004; Agbi, 2006; Ochu,

2007).  This secondary school students’ low achievement in chemistry has persisted as shown in Table 1. This is worrisome, in view of the central role of chemistry in the study of science-based courses.

Table 1: Students’ Performance in SSCE Chemistry (2004 – 2010)

Year	Total Entry	Total Sat	% Performance Grade 1-6	% of Failure	Passes (P7)	(P8)
2004	334491	3275503 (97.91)	37.86%	32.76%	3.26%	12.26%
2005	357658	349936 (97.54)	50.94%	27.28%	8.65%	10.06%
2006	389462	380104 (97.84)	44.90%	30.11%	10.47%	12.76%
2007	432230	432230 (100)	45.96%	26.33%	13.85%	13.85%
2008	428513	418423 (97.65)	44.44%	26.39%	10.43%	10.98%
2009	478235	468540 (97.97)	43.69%	25.45%	10.48%	13.85%
2010	477573	465643 (97.50)	50.70%	21.08%	10.81%	12.80%

Source: West African Examination Council (WAEC) Statistics Division, (1990 –

2010),                                      Statistics Annual Report of WAEC

Exam,5,L/PR/92,PP:71,74,78,104. Yaba,                                                 Lagos: Megarons  (W.A) Plc.

It appears that these traditional methods of presenting chemical concepts to beginning students, at the secondary school level, do not encourage or engender adequate understanding of the concepts; and so constitute serious problem that might have led to a decline in achievement among students who study chemistry.

Achievement of students has often been associated with their gender. Gender refers to the  fact  of being  male or  female (Pearson Education, 2003). Kanno (2008) referred to gender as an analytic concept that describes sociological roles, cultural responsibilities and expectations of men and women in a given society or cultural setting. Therefore, gender is a psychological term and a cultural construct developed by society to differentiate between the roles, behaviour, mental and emotional attributes of males and females. Eze (2008) asserted that gender had significant effects on students’ achievement in chemistry, and showed that male students achieved higher than their female counterparts

did.  Owoyemi (2007) asserted that student’s achievement in chemistry course has ‘nothing to do with whether the student is male or female’.  Other studies (Ssempala, 2005; Adesoji and Babatunde, 2008) showed that there is difference in performance among male and female students in chemistry. Adigwe (1992) showed that male students perform better than female students in both achievement and acquisition of problem solving skills. There is therefore the problem of uncertainty about the influence of gender on achievement in chemistry. In other academic discipline, Bosede (2010) showed that there is no difference in performance of students because of gender. The influence of gender on learning and achievement has remained a controversial and topical issue amongst educationists. Therefore, there is need in this study to investigate the effect of gender on students’ interest and achievement in chemical bonding.

Teaching method appears to contribute significantly to the problem of low achievement among secondary school chemistry students. Oriaifor (1993) attributed students’ low achievement in chemistry to a function of several factors including the proficiency of the teachers, teaching method which in Nigeria is ‘still largely based on abstract  exposition  and  learning  done  by  rote  memorisation’.  Therefore,  the  present methods of teaching chemistry, especially the traditional method of teaching chemical bonding can be said to encourage rote learning on the part of the students. This is the crux of the matter.

Oriaifor (1993) therefore suggested that in seeking solutions to the problems of underachievement of students, efforts should be made towards ‘finding answers to the problems of teaching method applied in chemistry’. Lasisi (1998) observed that teaching of chemistry in secondary schools has become too rigid, didactic and expository and that this

traditional method of teaching chemistry limits effective understanding of chemical concepts to the students. In chemistry education particularly, the inability of the teacher to communicate effectively the  meaning of chemical concepts represented by the  signs, formulae or structure has been found to affect students’ achievement in chemistry. Adeyegbe (1998) reported that the teachers’ ineffectiveness in communicating the concept of chemical bond to chemistry students resulted in the students’ average achievement of

31% on the test based on the concept. Ineffective communication between the teacher and students in a chemistry class makes the lesson uninteresting. Ogunsola-Bandele (1998) asserted that ineffective communication between the teacher and students in chemistry class results from inappropriate teaching strategy adopted by the teachers, who  often presents chemical concepts as they were presented to them several decades back.

There is the need, therefore, to explore other intervention teaching strategies to improve achievement in the subject amongst secondary school students.  The intervention teaching strategy should be one that explores and takes advantage among others, of the students’ background in  terms of previous knowledge and  interest  in  the  subject,  in improving  their  learning.  Oriaifor  (1993)  recommended the  adoption of the  ‘eclectic methods which combine essential components of the traditional lecture method with those of the progressive’.  It is in this spirit of progressiveness that McKee (1997) suggested that progressive teachers would seize any available opportunity to integrate appropriate multimedia into the learning environment. Progressive teachers are teachers with new or modern  ideas  and  methods  in  education  who  want  to  change  things.  One  of  such progressive approaches to pedagogy is the Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) or e-

learning, which is recommended in most 21st century secondary school chemistry curriculum of many countries including Nigeria.

In educational institutions therefore, the computer is recognised as a very vital instrument for teaching and learning (Ebem & Inyama, 2005; Okoroafor & Okoroafor,

2010;  Ayogu,  2011).  Ebem  &  Inyama  (2005)  asserted  that  the  computer  provides a multimedia learning system – a technology based learning system that combines use of written words, images, sound, video, animation and interactive conversation to transmit information and enhance the process of teaching and learning. They suggested that the computer’s role in education is that of educational medium. Ayogu (2011) noted that the computer provides interactive hands-on and minds-on activities that stimulate and facilitate critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.

It is therefore understandable why institutions of learning, teachers and curriculum planners now place emphasis on computer-assisted instruction and computer-assisted learning. In fact, all over the world, the various chemistry curricula that have emerged since the turn of the 21st century for the study of the subject at the secondary school level offer new ideas about how teachers should deliver chemistry concepts, using new technologies and devices (the Internet, computer-based classroom projection tools), to assist students in learning (Okorie, 2010). For example, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) Curriculum for Senior Secondary School Chemistry (NERDC, 2009) recommends that as part of their learning activities, students should surf

the Internet for information, for example, on chemical industries, and the uses of Nitrogen. The same curriculum recommends the Internet, hence the computer as a teaching tool to teachers in delivering their lessons (NERDC, 2009).

The computer is seen as an important, wonderful, intelligent, and versatile machine, and very often, it  is not realised that these attributes of the computer depend on the computer software, without which it becomes impossible for the computer machine to carry out any operation (Mbam, 2005). The software is a set of programs necessary to carry out operations for a specific job. These programs consist of step-by-step instructions telling the computer how to carry out operations for a specific job (Gupta, 2008). The computer software’s ability to interface and interact very well with the computer hardware accounts for these attributes associated with the computer. Therefore, meaningful computer operations can only take place when the computer software is available in the computer machine.

The computer software constitutes the non-physical or tangible component of the computer system. It is the logical mechanism that enables the computer user to harness the computing potential, which modern computer hardware represents (Mbam, 2005). It is the software that gives a computer the intelligence it possesses (Nwakalo, 1995), and the flexibility and versatility to do whatever the user wants (Ngene, 1999). Li-Yeh, Cheng- Huei and Cheng-Hong (2001) noted that one software package might have different facets through which to  interact with users, and software designers typically select ways of displaying the features of a particular software package in a manner appropriate to its theme  and  purpose,  in  order  to  ensure  the  best  possible  educational results.    Using application program and a software package specifically designed for that purpose, the computer provides a forum for a two–way dialogue, with the learner in a position to determine both the scope and level of the dialogue.

The acceptance of the computer as a vital instrument for teaching and learning in the 21st  century implies that relevant Instructional Software packages to teach specific lessons need to be developed for computer-assisted instruction and learning, especially for difficult and abstract concepts such as chemical bonding. Mbam (2005) and Ekoko (2006) point to the scarcity of relevant software packages and the need to develop them for Nigerian educational system. Such software packages should consider the characteristics, interests, educational needs of students, the curricular needs to be addressed and should be free from programming errors or ‘bugs’. Computer-assisted instruction is a set of programs written to stimulate learning process. It also serves as a teaching tool.   It is a learning

process, in which a student interacts with, and is guided by a computer through a course of study   aimed   at   achieving   certain   instructional   goals.   Through   computer-assisted instruction,  computers can  become  a  very  powerful  instrument  that  would  assist  the chemistry teacher in effectively managing large-size classes, which have become one of the major problems that confront secondary school classroom teachers in Nigeria, where there is a dearth of good and professionally qualified chemistry teachers (Okorie,1986; Nwofor,1991; Oloyede, 1998).

Computer-assisted instruction helps in restructuring learning environment by engaging the students with computers, through which the learners receive instructions on the screens and make appropriate responses through the attached keyboards. Depending on the learner’s responses, the stored programme in the computer varies its sets of instructions to meet individual learners’ needs. Mbam, Ekwe and Ituma (2005) observed that computer-assisted instruction can be made available all day long; and to many students through time sharing, as the computer has the capacity to drill them while each student

works privately at his/her own pace. The computer is a patient teacher and it can repeat a given exercise several times without being bored;  this is a unique quality that may not be associated with a human teacher. The relationship between the computer and the student is impersonal;   therefore,   a   student   can   afford   to   make   mistakes   without   fear   of embarrassment. In its assessment of students’ learning, the computer-assisted instruction is impartial; this is an advantage that may not be guaranteed with a human teacher.

In consideration of the unique role, which chemistry plays in the live of individuals and society, Oriaifor (1993) observed that the objective of instruction in chemistry is normally to produce cognitive learning as well as impart to the students among others, scientific attitudes and interest that bring about positive changes in the students’ behaviour. Gankon (1998) defined scientific attitude as the position taken by an individual relative to feelings, thinking, prejudice or bias, preconceived notions, ideas, fears, etc. Attitude influences students’ achievement, interest, attention, motivation and confidence in learning (Keeves, 2002; Olatunde, 2009 and Bot, 2011). It is necessary that teachers help their students to develop the right kind of attitude in classrooms. The Oxford Dictionary defines interest as the feeling of wanting to give your attention to something or of wanting to be involved with and to discover more about something. Pearson Education (2003) explains that if an individual has interest in something, that individual wants to know or learn more about them. Thorndike and Hagen (1969) defined interest as the tendency to seek or avoid particular activities.

From the above definitions and explanation, interest is emotional expression of like or dislike towards an object or activity. It is a trait, which could be aroused in someone. For instance, interest in a subject or the use of a particular tool could be aroused by sheer

advert, that is, telling someone how useful and helpful the subject or tool could be towards achieving a particular objective. In this case, the cultivation, development and sustenance or otherwise of interest in the subject or tool will depend on how truly useful the subject or tool has helped in achieving a desired objective or in performing a particular function.

Interest enables someone to make a choice between alternatives; the individual

‘makes a variety of choices with respect to the activities he engages. He shows preferences for some, aversion to others’ (Thorndike and Hagen, 1969: 27), for example, in the use of two alternative pedagogic approaches in achieving the same educational objectives. Agbi (2006) asserted that interest determines the vigour, which a learner invests in learning and other activities. This implies that the degree of interest in a particular object, situation or activity can only be ascertained in actual involvement of someone with the object, situation or activity. For example, interest of students in a chemical concept such as chemical bonding could be aroused, developed or sustained if and only if the students get involved in activities that will help them in learning and improving their performance on the concept or subject.

Appraising  the  tendencies  to  seek  or  avoid  particular  activities  or  objects constitutes the domain of interest measurement. In this study, efforts will be made to ascertain the interest of urban and rural secondary school students in Chemical Bonding. In Nigeria, rural life is uniform, homogenous and less complex than that of urban centres, with cultural diversity, which affect the interest of students. The urban centres are better favoured with respect to distribution of social amenities such as pipe borne water, electricity, healthcare facilities while the rural areas are less favoured. This is also true in the distribution of educational facilities and teachers. These prevailing conditions imply

that ‘learning opportunities in Nigerian schools differ from school to school’ (Ariyo and Ugodulunwa, 2007:6). It would appear therefore that students in Nigerian urban schools have more educational opportunities than their counterparts in rural schools have. While some studies have shown positive influence, others have shown negative influence of school location on the interest of students and their learning outcome or achievement. Nwogu (2010) found that location was significant in learning aspects of mathematics that involve angles, with rural students exhibiting more learning difficulties than their urban counterparts do.    Ahiaba  and  Igweonwu (2003)  investigated the  influence  of  school location on the performance of chemistry students in rural and urban schools at the SSC examination and found that chemistry students in urban schools performed better with superior grades, than their rural counterparts while failure rate was higher in the rural schools. Some studies (Bosede, 2010; Ezeh, 1998) showed no difference in academic achievement of students because of location. Agbir (2004) showed that rural students performed better on practical skills in chemistry than their urban counterparts did. The influence  of  location  on  students’  academic  achievement  remains  controversial  and inconclusive. This calls for further investigation.

Agbi (2006) assert that students’ interest in chemistry can be dampened by the use of inappropriate teaching method. This implies that the use of appropriate teaching method engenders students’ interest and achievement in chemistry. Chemistry teachers therefore should make teaching of difficult concepts such as chemical bonding interesting, real, lively and enjoyable by using innovative teaching strategies, such as the use of ICT.

Bosede (2010) showed that there  is  no  difference in performance of students because of location. Location here is in terms of whether the place of study or school is

cited in rural or urban community. Onah (2011) showed that urban students achieved more than the rural students did. No available literature from empirical studies explained if there is any differential performance because of gender and location in chemical bonding.

In evaluating learning outcome, the effect of gender and school location on learning and hence achievement in a teaching-learning process is often not taken into consideration. Curriculum designers and examination bodies do not make allowance for differences in school location and gender, hence students, irrespective of their gender and school location are subjected to the same teaching curriculum, teaching method and examination in a given subject. It is expected that teachers should be conscious of, and make allowances during classroom activities for differences in school location and gender. It is recognised that differences exist in the way individuals react to learning situations and materials.  Davis (1977) noted that teaching and learning can take place anywhere (rural or urban), and at any time insofar as there is communication between the teacher and the learner.  In this study, the chemical bonding Instructional Software package developed for it constituted the interactive multimedia that provided a platform for communication and interaction between the learning material and the learners, irrespective of their gender and location.

This present study is undertaken to investigate  the numerous advantages, which literature attributed to computer-assisted instruction. It  is undertaken because of the need to assist students in learning the concept of chemical bonding , which research (Peterson, Treagust and Garnett, 1986; Butts and Smith, 1987; Boo, 1998; Pereira and Pestana, 1991; Griffiths and Preston, 1992; and Nwahunanya, 2011)  has identified as one that teachers and students find difficult in a teaching-learning situation.

Statement of the Problem

Chemical bonding is a concept found difficult by both rural and urban male and female students to  learn. Students find  it  difficult to  learn chemical bonding because of the abstract  nature  of  the  concept  and  the  pedagogic  approach  adopted  by  teachers  in presenting the  concept  to  the  students. Chemical bonding  is  regarded a  difficult  and abstract concept, because both the atoms, which take part in a chemical combination to form the bonds, the bonds themselves, and their process of formation are not concrete objects that  can be  seen with the  naked eyes.  They can only  be  conceptualised and imagined. Chemistry teachers in secondary schools find  it  difficult  to teach chemical bonding, because they failed to devise necessary tools that will enable them help their students to visualise the bonding process.

A good understanding of chemical bonding is fundamental in students’ progress in the study of and achievement in chemistry. Various traditional methods (lectures, discussion, guided discovery and expository) used in teaching chemistry, have contributed to students’ learning difficulties and low achievement in chemistry ( Ifeoma , 2005). This is because these traditional methods of teaching chemistry limit effective communication of chemical concepts to the students (Lasisi, 1998). The traditional methods have not been effective in communicating the concept of chemical bonding to students (Adeyegbe, 1998). The traditional methods have therefore failed to help students in the understanding and mastery of the concept, and may have interacted with other factors to contribute to low achievement of students in chemical bonding and chemistry generally.  This is worrisome and compounded by disparity in school location (Ahiaba and Igweonwu, 2003; Nwogu,

2010) and gender (Adesoji and Babtunde, 2008). There is need to use other innovative

teaching methods, as a way of improving students’ achievement in chemistry generally and chemical bonding in particular. Curriculum planners (NERDC, 2009) look to and recommend  the  use  of  computer  as  an  innovative  strategy  in  teaching  concepts  in chemistry. The common trend in pedagogy since the turn of the 21st century is the use of computer in delivering lessons on specific chemical concepts, using relevant instructional software package.  For chemical bonding in chemistry, software packages tailored to the curriculum needs of the students are scarce. This makes imperative the development of appropriate software packages, which literature (Mbam, 2005 and Ekoko, 2006) revealed are scarcely available for Nigerian education system. Therefore, the problem of this study

is embedded in the questions: How can a reliable, relevant instructional software package for the teaching and learning of chemical bonding in secondary schools be developed. What will be the effects of the instructional software package on the interest and achievement of students in chemical bonding?

The Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a computer software package designed for the teaching of the concept of chemical bonding in secondary schools. Specifically, the purpose is to:

1.  Design and construct a Chemical Bonding instructional Software Package (CBISP)

that runs on computers.

2.  Ascertain the effect of the use of CBISP on the students’ interest in chemical bonding.

3.  Ascertain the effect of CBISP on the mean achievement of students in chemical bonding.

4.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method and students’ gender on their mean interest rating in chemical bonding .

5.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method and student location on their mean interest rating in chemical bonding.

6.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method and students’ gender on their mean achievement in chemical bonding.

7.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method and students’ location on their mean achievement in chemical bonding.

8.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method , students’ location and gender on their mean achievement in chemical bonding.

9.  Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method, students’ location and gender on their mean interest rating in chemical bonding.

10. Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method, students’ location and gender on their mean achievement in chemical bonding.

11. Ascertain the interaction effect of teaching method, students’ location and gender on their mean interest rating in chemical bonding.

Significance of the study

The need to lay a solid foundation for the beginning students of chemistry by adopting an innovative teaching strategy that takes into consideration their interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), especially computer, inspired and informed this study. Since the advent of e-learning or the use of computer in learning, controversy has been raging among educators and designers of multimedia materials for human-computer interaction,  as  to  whether  computer-supported learning  is  better  than  the  traditional learning environments, such as classroom or from a textbook. A school of thought asserts that studies and reports that promote e-learning very often are not based on research but rather on doctrine. In other words, much of what is said about the effectiveness of e- learning is theoretical. It is crucial to carry out a study and ascertain the effectiveness or otherwise of e-learning on both students’ interest and achievement in learning. This is

necessary because the 21st  century society has come to embrace e-learning as a way

forward in promoting learning. It is in this regard that the present study is very significant.

In addition, chemistry is at the centre of the various advancements the world has witnessed in recent years in science and technology, from life saving pharmaceuticals to computers and other information technologies. Therefore, the twenty-first century world is driven by science and technology in which chemistry plays a significant part. There is need, therefore, to rejuvenate and revitalise the learning experience of students in the subject. Innovative methods of teaching chemistry should be adopted, to make the study of the subject more interesting to today’s young students, for whom the computer provides a multimedia learning system. A multimedia learning system is a technology-based learning system that  combines the use of written words, images, sound, video, animation and interactive conversation to transmit information and enhance the teaching-learning process.

Chemical bonding is an abstract chemistry concept, which at a higher level of education  is  usually  studied  and   understood  better,   using  the   tool  of  advanced mathematics. The use of mathematics in describing the concept of atomic bonding can be a distraction to young students, and prevents them from appreciating or ‘‘seeing’ the underlying concepts’. The CBISP that will be a major product of this study would be available as  a resource material for classroom use to both teachers and students. It at will help to make the task involved in the teaching-learning process of chemical bonding easy. With the software, students could work individually and privately at their own pace, afford to make mistakes, learn from their  mistakes without any fear of embarrassment. The subject is made alive as the students are enabled to focus on the science, and the students’ interest could be kindled, and sustained throughout the study of the concept. This way, teachers and students would no longer see chemical bonding as a difficult concept. The CBISP could therefore be for teachers a very important tool that would make them more effective and efficient in the delivery of the concept. This innovation could guarantee a sound foundation for students’ effective learning and achievement in the concept.

The CBISP could be a source of huge revenue to the Department of Science Education, if patented, produced in commercial quantity and sold for use in public and private schools. This is particularly significant now that universities are encouraged to look inwards and internally generate or source fund to meet their financial needs. Individuals or members of society with basic education, who may be interested in becoming scientifically literate, as a requirement to live effectively in the 21st century world, could buy and use the software, which will drill and entertain them while they learn and enjoy themselves, without resorting to reading books for the same lessons. Finally, the result of this study

might go a long way in providing insight as to whether multimedia make a difference or not, and indeed on the actual benefits of e-learning in the education system. In particular, the result might throw more light on the effect of software method on students’ interest and achievement on the difficult concept of chemical bonding.

Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is limited to the development, quality rating  and testing of  an Instructional Software package designed to facilitate the teaching and learning of chemical bonding, as documented in NERDC (2009) curriculum, to beginning students of chemistry at  the  senior  secondary school class  one  (SS1).  Senior  secondary schools  in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State,  during the 2012/2013 academic year constituted the subject of this study.

Research Questions

The following questions guided the study:

1.       What is the effect of the use of chemical Bonding Instructional Software package

(CBISP) on secondary school students’ achievement in chemical bonding?

2.         What  is  the  influence  of  students’  gender  on  their  achievement  in  chemical bonding?

3.         What  is  the  influence  of  location  on  the  students’  achievement  in  chemical bonding?

4.        What is the effect of Chemical Bonding Instructional Software Package (CBISP)

on students’ interest in chemical bonding?

5.        What is the influence of students’ gender on their interest in chemical bonding?

6.         What is the influence of students’ school location on their interest in chemical bonding?

7.         What is the interaction effect of gender and school location on students’ mean achievement in chemical bonding?

8.         What is the interaction effect of gender and     method of teaching (CBISP and lecture) on students’ mean achievement in chemical bonding?

9.         What is the interaction effect of location and method of teaching (CBISP and lecture) on students’ achievement  in chemical bonding?

10.       What is the interaction effect of gender and school location on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding?

11.       What is the interaction effect of gender and teaching method on students’ interest in chemical bonding?

12.      What is the interaction effect of school location and teaching methods on students’

interest in chemical bonding?

Hypotheses

The  following  null  hypotheses  that  guided  the  study  were  tested  at  0.05  level  of significance (P < 0.05):

Ho1:     There is no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught chemical bonding using CBISP and those taught using lecture method.

Ho2      Students’  gender  does  not  significantly  influence  their  mean  achievement  in chemical bonding.

Ho3      School location does not significantly influence students’ mean achievement in chemical bonding.

Ho4      There is no significant difference in the students’ interest in chemical bonding between those taught chemical bonding using CBISP and those taught using lecture method.

Ho5       The influence of gender on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho6      The influence of school location on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho7      The  interaction  effect  of  gender  and  teaching  method  on  students’  mean achievement in chemical bonding is not statistically significant.

Ho8      The  interaction  effect  of  gender  and  teaching  method  on  students’  mean achievement in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho9      The  interaction effect  of  location  and  method  of teaching  on  students’  mean achievement in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho10  The interaction effect of gender and location on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho11    The interaction effect of gender and method of teaching on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho12    The interaction effect of method of teaching and location on students’ mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

Ho13  The interaction effect of teaching method, students’ location and gender on their mean achievement in chemical bonding is not significant. Ho14        The interaction effect of teaching method, students’ location and gender on their mean interest rating in chemical bonding is not significant.

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