Effect of Laboratory Activity Teaching Method on Students’ Interest and Academic Achievement in Chemistry in Ikom Education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria

This study examined the effect of the laboratory activity teaching method on students' interest and academic achievement in Chemistry. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test–post-test control group setup was employed. The study involved 314 Senior Secondary School One (SSI) chemistry students from eight co-educational schools in the Ikom Education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria, selected purposively. The data collection instruments were the Chemistry Interest Inventory Scale (CIIS) and the Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT), which demonstrated reliability coefficients of 0.78 and 0.85, respectively, through the test–retest technique. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results revealed a significant difference in the mean interest scores of students taught chemistry using the laboratory activity method compared to those taught using the conventional method, with the laboratory activity method proving more effective. Furthermore, students in the laboratory activity method group outperformed their counterparts in the conventional method group. Based on these findings, it was recommended that government and non-governmental organizations provide well-equipped and functional laboratories to facilitate the effective implementation of the laboratory activity method in the teaching and learning of science (chemistry), thereby enhancing students’ interest and academic achievement.