Implementation of Chemistry Curriculum in Nigeria: Challenges for the 21st Century

Abstract

The study examined the level of implementation of chemistry curriculum by teachers and the available material resources necessary for the implementation of the curriculum in Nigeria. The study adopted a survey design. A sample of 250 chemistry teachers in Nigeria were used for the study. The instrument tagged “Chemistry Curriculum Implementation and Material Resources Questionnaire (CCIMRQ) was used for study. CCIMRQ was prepared by the researcher and validated by experts in curriculum studies with a reliability co-efficient of 0.78. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and t-test. Results showed that more than 30% of Chemistry teachers in secondary schools in Nigeria did not implement effectively the four themes in the curriculum as they tend to skip some difficult concepts in the curriculum. Also, results of t-test analysis (t = 3.01, p=0.03) revealed that there was a significant difference between the teachers’ view on the problem militating against the implementation of chemistry curriculum and the adequacy of material resources.

The study concluded that some chemistry teachers in Nigeria did not implement the chemistry curriculum effectively due to inadequate material resources and lack of mastery of the subject matter. To meet the challenges for the 21^st century, chemistry teachers in Nigeria should be exposed to capacity building on the subject matter and be retrained on how to handle difficult concepts in the chemistry curriculum.