South Eastern Journal of Research

Statement of the Problem

Today in Nigeria, poor students achievement has been written about and discussed in conferences, suggestions have been made on the way forward especially by improving methods of teaching. Evidence seem to show that the use of different methods have led to very little if any improvement. Students‟ poor performance in chemistry has been a source of worry to teachers, guidance and counselors, parents, academicians and the society at large. The problem of poor performance or achievement in chemistry has persistently occupied the mind of teachers in secondary school. Factors such as parental influence, ineffective teaching strategies, poor motivation of students and ill equipped laboratories have been identified as the cause of students‟ achievement by various authors. While these factors have been well researched, little attention has been paid to classroom interaction patterns. This study was to establish if there is any relationship between classroom interaction patterns and senior secondary school students‟ achievement in chemistry.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between classroom interaction patterns and students‟ achievement in chemistry. Specifically, the study sought to

1. 
   Identify the patterns of interaction in an observed chemistry classroom.
   
2. 
   Determine the amount of teacher talk, student talk and period of silence or confusion in an observed chemistry classroom.
   
3. 
   Find whether the relationship between classroom interaction pattern and the mean achievement scores of the students is significant.
   
4. 
   Determine the relationship between the amount of teacher talk (direct and indirect influence) in the classroom and students‟ achievement
   
5. 
   Determine the relationship between the amount of student talk (response and initiation) and students‟ achievement
   
6. 
   Determine the relationship between the period of silence or confusion in the classroom and students‟ achievement