CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Because chemistry is such an essential topic in science, it is included in the Nigerian secondary school curriculum. Almost all fundamental and applied scientific disciplines at postsecondary institutions require a credit pass in the senior secondary certificate test.
According to research, Nigerian students consistently do badly in chemistry due to inadequate stoichiometry problem-solving skills (Opara, 2013; Udosoro, 2011; Badru, 2004). Chief Examiners of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have reported on students’ inadequacies in chemical arithmetic, low mathematical abilities, and inability to derive mole ratio from stoichiometric equations on a consistent basis from 2007 to 2017. Stoichiometry is a field that encompasses all types of measurements and computations that are related to one another. Stoichiometry is at the core of chemistry since it describes the link between the measured quantities in a chemical reaction as well as the calculations that are based on the rules of definite proportions and the conservation of matter and energy. The amount of atoms or molecules involved in a chemical process must be transformed into measurable quantities expressible in practical units, according to stoichiometry. Parker (1983) presented four categories that make up the stoichiometry concept.
The law of conservation of substance, the law of chemical combining weights, the law of combining proportions, and the rates of reaction connections in a system are all examples of these laws.
Engineering practice and present operations, as well as the design of new manufacturing units and equipment, rely heavily on calculations utilizing these concepts. Understanding quantitative deductions in physical chemistry requires a strong basis in stoichiometry.
Despite the importance of stoichiometry in physical chemistry, research has revealed that students struggle with stoichiometric calculations (Evans, Yaron and Leinhardt, 2008; Fach, de Boer and Parchmann, 2007 and Furio, Azconu and Guisasola, 2002). In the literature, there is evidence of students’ misunderstandings and knowledge of stoichiometry (Gauchon and Meheut, 2007; Arasasington, Taagepera and Potter 2004). Other studies sought to create problem-solving models and instructional tactics to aid students’ stoichiometry success (Chandrasegran, Treagust, Waldrip and Chandrasegaran, 2009). There is a direct link between students’ mathematical ability and their comprehension of chemical arithmetic (Badru, 2004). As a result, it’s critical to provide an anxiety-free environment within a social, democratic setting in which students may actively participate in the learning process and engage one another’s intellectual, academic, and social abilities.
Observation over the previous few decades has revealed that, despite significant improvements incorporated into scientific instruction in general and chemistry in particular, student performance has remained poor. This is supported by pupils’ dismal results in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
