CHEMISTRY LABORATORY COMPETENCE AMONG HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR GENDER, TYPE OF SCHOOL AND LOCATION OF SCHOOL

Abstract

Laboratory work is considered essential in promoting students’ learning of science and of scientific inquiry. The chemistry laboratory competencies are focused on students knowing and applying scientific methods and procedures to solve problems in familiar settings and understanding their environment in a rational way. Despite all efforts made, there is still an enormous gap between the competencies that students should acquireandthewaytheyarebeingevaluated.ChemistryLaboratoryCompetencehasgreatimpactondevelopingvariousskillsofhighersecondaryschoolstudents.RealisingtheimportanceofChemistryLaboratoryCompetenceindevelopingtheimportantskillsofhighersecondaryschoolstudentsandalso theinfluenceofitintheacademicachievementsofstudents,toinvestigatetheproblem byStandardizedtoolnamelyChemistryLaboratoryCompetenceTestdevelopedbyRathodandKotwale(2012)isused.Thesampleconsistsof192highersecondaryschoolstudents,96(male) and96(female)ofJammudistrictselectedbystratifiedrandom samplingtechnique.TheObjectivesofthestudyweretoassessthelevelofchemistrylaboratorycompetenceofhigherSecondaryschoolstudents.To studyinteractionexistsbetweentypeofschoolandLocationofschool,typeof schoolandgender,locationofschoolandgenderandamong gender,typeofschool and location ofschoolwith chemistrylaboratorycompetenceasthe dependent variableinhighersecondaryschoolstudents.Inthepresentstudy,percentageand3-wayANNOVAwerecalculatedtoachievetheobjectivesofthestudy.From theresults,itwasconcludedthatthehighersecondaryschoolstudentsstudying in privateschoolwerefound to havelow chemistrylaboratorycompetence than higher secondary school students studying in governmentschool.There was significantdifference oflocation ofschoolonchemistry laboratory competence of students studying in eleventh class.There was significantgenderdifferences at0.05 levelofsignificance in the chemistry laboratory competence of highersecondarystudents.Theresultalsoindicatedthatthereisnosignificantinteractionexists between type of schooland gender with chemistry laboratorycompetence as the dependentvariable among highersecondarystudentsstudyingineleventhclass.Theresultalsoindicatedthatsignificantinteractionexistbetween location ofschooland genderwith chemistry laboratorycompetence as the dependentvariable among highersecondarystudentsstudyingineleventhclassandtheresultalsoindicated thatnosignificantinteractionexistbetweenvariablestypeofschool,locationofschoolandgenderwithchemistrylaboratorycompetenceasthedependentvariableamonghighersecondaryschoolstudentsstudyingineleventhclass.