EFFECT OF HANDS-ON LABORATORY ACTIVITIES ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN CHEMISTRY IN ORUMBA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of hands-on laboratory activities on secondary school
students’ engagement in Chemistry in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra
State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design was
adopted. The study involved 60 Senior Secondary II Chemistry students selected from two
government co-educational secondary schools. The experimental group comprised 33 students
taught using hands-on laboratory activities, while 27 students in the control group were taught
using the conventional lecture method. Data were collected using the 33-item Science Engagement Scale, adapted from the Math and Science Engagement Scale. The instrument had a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of .74. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while analysis of covariance was used to test the null hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The results showed that students taught using handson laboratory activities had a higher mean engagement gain (20.56) than those taught using the conventional lecture method (7.87), with a mean gain difference of 12.69. The analysis further showed a significant difference in engagement between the two instructional groups, F(1, 57) = 67.94, p < .001. Among students taught using hands-on laboratory activities, female students recorded a higher mean engagement gain (21.38) than male students (19.34), while the analysis indicated a significant gender difference, F(1, 56) = 6.26, p = .015. However, the teaching method × gender interaction was not statistically significant, F(1, 55) = 1.99, p = .163. The study concludes that hands-on laboratory activities were associated with higher student engagement in Chemistry than the conventional lecture method. It recommends increased use of structured hands-on laboratory activities in secondary school Chemistry instruction and attention to gender-responsive classroom practices that support the active engagement of all learners.