EXPLORING THE ROLES OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY
EXPLORING THE ROLES OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY

Summary/Abstract: The study investigated the roles of differentiated instruction on cognitive engagement and achievement among colleges of education chemistry students in South-West, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Non-randomized Quasi-experimental design was used for the study. The population of the study was 240 year three students of chemistry in Federal Colleges of Education in South-West, Nigeria. A sample size of 180 students was purposively selected from three schools. Students’ Cognitive Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ) adapted from Barlow et al. (2020) and Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) developed by the researchers, were the instruments used for data collection. These instruments were validated by three experts in Psychology, Chemistry, and Measurement and Evaluation, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Internal consistency reliability coefficient of SCEQ was established using Cronbach Alpha technique as 0.82. Kuder-Richardson formula 20 was used to estimate reliability coefficient of CAT as 0.76. SCEQ and CAT were administered to the students with the help of the research assistants. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, whereas t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that the students taught chemistry using differentiated instruction improved in their cognitive engagement and achievement. The study also revealed that there were significant differences in the mean cognitive engagement and achievement scores of students taught with differentiated instruction and those taught using lecture method. It was recommended amongst others that Chemistry teachers should adopt the approach as it would foster improved cognitive engagement and achievement among Chemistry students.

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