Effect of Graphic Advance Organizer Strategy on Students’ Academic Achievement and Retention in Chemistry among Senior Secondary School Students in Enugu State

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of graphic advance organizer strategy on students’ academic achievement and retention in chemistry in Enugu State secondary schools. A quasi-experimental pretest–post-test control group design was adopted. The population comprised senior secondary school two (SS II) chemistry students in public secondary schools in Enugu State. A sample of eighty (80) students was selected using multistage sampling technique and assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught using graphic advance organizers, while the control group received instruction through the conventional lecture method. Data were collected using the Chemistry Achievement and Retention Test (CART), which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Mean, standard deviation, and mean gain were used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that students taught using graphic advance organizer strategy recorded higher achievement mean gain and demonstrated better retention than those taught with the lecture method. The study concluded that graphic advance organizers enhance meaningful learning, improve achievement, and promote long-term retention of chemistry concepts. It was recommended that chemistry teachers integrate graphic advance organizers into classroom instruction to improve learning outcomes.