Effect of Discovery Teaching Approach on Scientific Creativity Amongst Students of Chemistry In Public Secondary Schools In Imenti North Sub-County, Kenya.

Abstract

The Chemistry curriculum in Kenya anticipates production of learners who possess scientific creativity abilities of sensitivity, Recognition and Flexibility to solve day to day life. Approaches of teaching chemistry ought to promote Scientific Creativity amongst Chemistry students. In spite of this, level of Scientific Creativity amongst secondary school Chemistry students has remained low. This is attributable to the teaching approaches in use. The current study investigated the effect of Discovery Teaching Approach on Scientific Creativity amongst students of chemistry in Public Secondary schools in Imenti North Sub-county. The study is based on Gardiner‟s Theory of Multiple Intelligence and Okere‟s model Scientific Creativity. The study used Solomon-Four Non-Equivalent Control Group Design. The study was conducted in four County Girls‟ Only Public Secondary Schools. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the participating schools. The target population was all the students in Public Secondary Schools in Imenti North Sub-County. A sample of 186 Form Three students participated in the study. Chemistry Creativity Test (CCT) and Chemistry Class Creativity Observation Schedule (CCCOS) were the research instruments. Validity of the tools was ascertained by high school chemistry teachers who are examiners with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and Chuka University lecturers in the Department of Education who are experts. Piloting of the tools was done in Public Secondary Schools of similar characteristics in the neighboring Imenti South Sub-County. Kuder-Richardson Formula (KR-21) was used to determine the reliability of the instruments by use of the formula [n/n-1)*[1-(M*(n-M)/(n*Var))]. The average reliability coefficient of 0.80 was obtained for the two instruments. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The objectives of the study were to determine the effect of Discovery Teaching Approach on students‟ Sensitivity to chemistry problems, Recognition of relationships and Flexibility in reasoning when solving Chemistry problems. Three null hypotheses were generated and tested at α=0.05 level of significance. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software version 22. The results showed that there was a significant difference in Scientific Creativity when Discovery Teaching Approach was used as compared to Traditional Teaching Approaches. The study concluded that Discovery Teaching Approach improved Scientific Creativity in Chemistry amongst secondary school students. The findings of the study would be significant to the curriculum developers at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the teachers on the approaches to use when implementing the chemistry curriculum. They will also be useful to universities in planning teacher training curriculum and form basis for further research in teaching approaches that enhance scientific creativity amongst learners in other subjects in secondary school science curriculum.