IMPROVING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND REDUCING ANXIETY IN CHEMISTRY: A STUDY OF GAGNÉ'S LEARNING HIERARCHY IN KATSINA SECONDARY SCHOOLS

This study investigates the Effects of Using Gagne’s Learning Hierarchy on Chemistry Students’ Academic Achievement and Anxiety level in Balancing Chemical Equations in Secondary Schools. The study sample used 100 SSII students randomly selected from two Senior Secondary Schools in Katsina Metropolis. The two schools were randomly placed as experimental and control groups each with 50 students. A quasiexperimental pretest-posttest research design was used for the study. The study subjects in the experimental group were taught using Gagne’s learning hierarchy, while the control group was taught using lecture method for the period of six weeks. Two instruments; Balancing Chemical Equation Achievement Test (BCEAT), and Students’ Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (SASQ) with reliability coefficient of 0.79 and 0.78 respectively, were used to collect data for the study. Performances of the two groups were compared using their posttest mean scores. The major findings from the study are: Students taught using Gagne’s learning hierarchy recorded high academic achievement than those taught using to lecture method. The anxiety level of students taught using Gagne’s learning hierarchy tended to be low when compared with students taught using lecture method. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: Chemistry teachers should as much as possible arranges concepts taught in Chemistry hierarchically so that students can learn the simple concepts which will help their understanding of abstract or complex concepts