Enhancing Students’ Academic Achievement in Chemical Reactions Through Computer-Based Molecular Modelling and Hackathon Teaching Strategies

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of computer-based molecular modelling, hackathon teaching strategies and students’ academic achievement in Chemistry in secondary schools in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control group design. The population of the study consisted of all the 1840 Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) Chemistry students in the sixteen (16) public co-educational secondary schools in the study area. A sample size of 126 SS2 Chemistry students from 3 intact classes were used for the study. A simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 3 secondary schools out of 16 public co-educational secondary schools in the study area. The instrument for data collection was the Chemistry Achievement Test on the Concept of Chemical Reactions (CATCCR). The instrument was validated by two Chemistry education lecturers and one expert in Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability of the instrument was determined using the Kuder Richardson formula-20 with a coefficient of 0.85. The data generated were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and ANCOVA. The result showed that there is a significant difference in mean achievement scores of Chemistry students taught the concept of chemical reactions using computer-based molecular modelling, hackathon and expository teaching strategies. Students taught using computer-based molecular modelling and hackathon groups performed significantly better than those taught with the expository teaching strategy. There is no significant difference in achievement scores between students taught using computer-based molecular modelling and hackathon strategies. Lastly, there is no significant difference in mean achievement scores of male and female students taught using computer-based molecular modelling, hackathon and expository teaching strategies. It was recommended, among others, that teachers adopt innovative teaching strategies such as computer-based molecular modelling and hackathon teaching strategies for effective teaching and learning of chemical reactions in Chemistry.