Think-Pair-Share Strategy and Achievement in Difficult Concepts in Chemistry Education: A Scoping Review

This study aimed to examine research literature on how the think-pair-share strategy affects teaching and learning of difficult chemistry concepts for academic achievement in secondary schools. A review of about 680 published articles from 2012 to 2024 was carried out. The articles were categorized into research focus, methods, teaching strategies, article focus and subjects. The article’s focus was further categorized into achievement, gender and sample size. The subject was further narrowed down to chemistry. The think-pair-share strategy has been found to improve academic achievement. The review indicated that the implementation of the think-pair-share strategy was carried out on a few chemistry concepts. It was observed that the sample sizes used in many of the studies were small and cannot be used to generalize to the population of students offering chemistry in secondary schools. The study also indicated that most of the studies did not consider that the effect of gender was significant. It is recommended that the think-pair-share strategy be recommended to education bodies, school administrators and teachers for inclusion as a teaching method in the curriculum. Table 1 provides a concise summary of the contribution of researchers to teaching strategies and thus forms a compendium for researchers to identify future research gaps and directions in teaching strategies. Analysis performed and results obtained from this study provide justification for the application of the think-pair-share strategy in secondary schools and a basis for inclusion in schools’ curriculum across the globe. This would improve understanding and achievement in difficult chemistry concepts.