EFFECTS OF REFLECTIVE TEACHING ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY.

The study investigated effects of reflective teaching on secondary school
students ' achievement in Chemistry. Eleven thousand, six hundred and twenty
three senior secondary two (SS/1) offering Chemistry in the six area councils
constituted the target population. However, simple random sampling technique
was used to select a total of 90 SSII Chemistry students from two schools in
Gwagwalada Area Council of Federal Capital Territory who were used as
sample for the study. The sample was categorized into two groups who were
taught using lesson plans. A non- randomized pre test-post test control group
quasi- experimental design was employed for the study. Multiple choice items
were administered as instrument of study to the groups of students immediately
after treatment. The treatment session lasted for ten weeks. Data gathered for
the study were analysed at 0.05 level of significance using t-test statistical
method. The finding showed that there was significant difference between the
performance of students taught with reflective teaching and those taught
without reflective teaching. This indicated that reflective teaching enhanced
students ' academic achievement in Chemistry. In addition, there was no
significant difference between the achievement of male and female students who
were taught using reflective teaching. This indicated that gender has no effect
on the performance of students in Chemistry. However, gender had effect on
the performance of students in the control group as shown in the gender-related
differences in performance observed. These findings were exhaustively
discussed and recommendations made. Prominent among the recommendation
was that use of reflective teaching should be encouraged among science
teachers for self- evaluation and deeper reflection in their classroom activities.