Mabel Ini-Ibehe Eden, Dr Msuur Tofi, Usoudo Emmanuel Umoetuk & Utibe Akpan Charles
Abstract
The study investigated the comparative effect of Polya and Target-task Problem-solving teaching strategies on students’ achievement in electrolysis in Uruan Local Education Authority of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The design was a quasi-experimental research employing pre-test, post-test design with a population of 2,950 Senior Secondary II Chemistry students of which 100 students were selected from two intact classes by criterion sampling technique. The instrument used for the study was Achievement Test on Electrolysis (ATE). The reliability coefficient of ATE was determined to be .82 using Kuder-Richardson Formulae-21. Two research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings showed that those in Target-Task Problem-Solving Teaching Strategy (TPTS) performed better than those in Polya Problem-Solving Teaching Strategy (PPTS). There was a significant difference in the achievement mean scores of students. But there was no significant difference in the mean academic achievement scores of male and female students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Chemistry teachers should adopt the use of Target-Task Problem-solving Teaching Strategy (TPTS) in teaching concepts in chemistry to enhance improved academic achievement.