Teachers’ use of class talk interaction as a predictor of learning outcomes in chemistry

Abstract

There appears to be a general, global trend of many students not taking chemistry related courses at post-secondary institutions, while the academic performance of the subject at secondary level is on the decline. Addressing the performance and unpopularity gaps of the subject requires an exploration of effective pedagogical practices. One critical objective of a chemistry teacher is to create an active learning environment. However, due to insufficient research, relatively little is known about the concept and role of class talk interaction in enhancing learners’ engagement and inquiry-related curiosity. To address the gap, the current study explored the effect of class talk interaction on students’ learning outcomes in chemistry. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study involved a sample of 384 students and 30 teachers, drawn from 30 public secondary schools in Murang’a County, Kenya. Data was collected through validated instruments which included students’ questionnaire, interview schedule, observation checklists and also a Chemistry achievement test. Descriptive statistics revealed that learners were very poor in utilizing class talk interaction, in comparison with teachers who were rated above average. Further, inferential statistics involving one way ANOVA revealed that there was a statistically significant effect of class talk on learning outcomes, while simple regression revealed that class talk is a strong predictor of learning outcomes. These results indicate a need for policy interventions aimed at achieving meaningful instructional class talk interaction between teachers and students as a way of improving learning outcomes.

Attitude and Achievement of First-Year Chemistry Undergraduate Students at The University of the South Pacific

“…Other work by Fraser and Lee (2015) has indicated that student attitude is partially responsible for student achievement, while other factors such as self-efficacy, motivation and the learning environment were also significant contributors. To explore the potential impact of these additional factors, a range of studies have been conducted to evaluate the attitude of students and/or their achievement in chemistry from different perspectives and dimensions such as gender-based differences (Steegh et al, 2021), the influence of teacher practices (Mwangi et al, 2020), the self-efficacy of students (Kadioglu-Akbulut and Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, 2021) and their experiences in learning chemistry (Kaur and Vadhera, 2021;Naiker et al, 2021). Most notably, Celik (2018) showed that providing students with an interactive and engaging learning environment only enhance their achievement if they had a positive attitude toward the topic, otherwise no improvement in achievement was observed.…”

A Classroom Interaction Analysis of Teacher and Students by Using FIACS

“…In addition, Khusnaini (2019) and Tsegaw (2019) stated that it is proved to be more practical to utilize. It is because it has clear guidelines and flexible that makes it open for modification (Mwangi et al, 2021).…”

Exploring Indonesian EFL Classroom Interactions in an Online Setting

“…Huriyah and Agustiani (2018) stated that FIACS offers a robust and reliable tool to record classroom interaction. Moreover, it is proved to be more practical and simple to utilize (Khusnaini, 2019;Tsegaw, 2019) because it has clear guidelines (Huriyah & Agustiani, 2018) and has flexible nature which makes it open for adaptation and modification (Mwangi et al, 2021;Qassim, 2017;Tsegaw, 2019). Some of the recommended guidelines for utilizing FIACS mentioned previously will be provided.…”