Effects Of Experiential Learning Strategy on Students’ Achievement and Interest in Chemistry among Senior Secondary Schools in Minna, Niger State

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of experiential learning strategy on students’ achievement and interest in Chemistry among senior secondary schools in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by persistent poor academic performance and declining student interest in Chemistry, often linked to the dominance of traditional teacher-centred instructional methods. A quasi-experimental design involving pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control groups was adopted. The sample comprised selected SSII students from public secondary schools. Two instruments were used for data collection: the Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) and the Chemistry Interest Inventory (CII). The instruments were validated by experts, while their reliability was established through a pilot study; the CAT yielded a Kuder–Richardson (KR-20) reliability coefficient of 0.93, while the CII also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Students in the experimental group were taught using an experiential learning strategy, while the control group received traditional instruction. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Mann–Whitney U test at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students exposed to an experiential learning strategy achieved significantly higher academic performance than their counterparts. This was confirmed by the t-test result (t = 9.36, p = 0.000), indicating a statistically significant difference in favour of the experiential learning group. Similarly, students in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher interest in Chemistry compared to those in the control group (p = 0.000). The study further revealed that gender had no significant influence on students’ achievement and interest, suggesting that the experiential learning strategy supports inclusive learning. The study concluded that the experiential learning strategy enhances students’ understanding, engagement, and positive disposition toward Chemistry more effectively than traditional teaching methods. It was recommended that teachers adopt experiential learning approaches, while stakeholders provide adequate resources and training to support activity-based instruction