EFFECT OF ROLE PLAY METHOD ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN CHEMISTRY IN AGUATA EDUCATION ZONE OF ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of Role Play method on secondary school students’ interest in chemistry. Two research questions were raised and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The research design adopted was quasi-experimental. Specifically, the pretest and post-test non-randomized control group design was used. Two groups (experimental and control) made up of eight-five SS 2 students offering chemistry were drawn from the population of 1256. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the single sex secondary schools from Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State. Electrolysis interest inventory (EII) scale was used for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument. The instrument was trial tested and the reliability coefficient of EII obtained using Cronbach Alpha method was 0.88. The students in the experimental group demonstrated electrolysis using role play method while those in the control group were taught by their chemistry teacher using conventional method. They were pretested before treatment and post tested after 4 weeks of treatment. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance was used to test the null hypothesis. The findings indicated that Role Play method has significant effects on the mean interest scores of students in Electrolysis. Male students had higher mean interest score than their female counterparts even though it was not significant. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that chemistry teachers should adopt the use of Role Play in the teaching of chemistry in order to enhance the interest of students and seminars and workshops be organized for teachers on the use of Role play method.