EFFECT OF NUMBER LINE ASSISTED INSTRUCTION IN THE LEARNING OF REDOX REACTION ON SECONDARY STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY

Abstract

The study examined the impact of number line-assisted instruction on students’ academic achievement in Chemistry, specifically in redox reactions. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test non-randomized control group design was employed. The study was conducted in the Otuocha Education Zone, Anambra State, Nigeria, involving 118 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students (55 males, 63 females) selected from a population of 857 students across four randomly sampled public schools. A 20-item multiple-choice Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) on redox reactions was used for data collection. Students were assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction using number line-assisted teaching, where electron transfer in redox reactions was visualized through structured number line models to enhance conceptual understanding, while the control group was taught using conventional lecture methods. The treatment lasted four weeks, during which students received four instructional sessions per week, each lasting 40–60 minutes. The collected responses were screened for missing values, outliers, and validity. Data analysis involved mean, standard deviation and t-test at a 0.05 significance level. Results indicated that number line-assisted instruction significantly enhanced students’ achievement in redox reactions. A significant difference in achievement was observed between the experimental and control groups, with males outperforming females when taught using the number line-assisted method. The study recommends adopting number line-assisted instruction for teaching redox reactions in Nigerian senior secondary schools.