Effect of Numbered Heads Together Strategy on Application Level of Achievement in Chemistry for 9th Grade Students

This research aimed to address the issue of rote memorization by exploring alternative teaching strategy to enhance student's application level of achievements and retention in chemistry. The study employed a quasi-experimental design, with the target population consisting of secondary level students in the Science Group, aged 14 to 17. A school was selected using purposive sampling with over 60 students of grade IX two sections was chosen to ensure an adequate sample size. One section was chosen as the experimental group and other as control group. The experimental group received instruction using the Numbered Heads Together cooperative learning strategy. While second section the control group was taught using traditional lecture-based strategy. The key components of NHT strategy are Heterogeneous Teams and Common team goals. Both groups were taught the same curriculum. Assessment was developed by the researcher and validated by pedagogy experts and chemistry experts, were used to measure student's achievements and retention for application, analysis and evaluation levels of Blooms taxonomy. The scoring rubric focused on indicators such as accurate explanation of content, Clarity and Organization. The collected data were analysed using mean scores from the pre-test, post-test and retention test in both groups. The independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test were used to compare the mean scores of the experimental and control group for application level of achievement and retention. The analysis of the data showed that NHT strategy has a significant effect on student's application level of achievements and retention. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the effect of the NHT strategy in improving student's achievements and retention for application level in chemistry and provide insights for educators and policy makers seeking innovative strategies to enhance student’s achievements and retention for application level in chemistry.