Strategic Intervention Material-Based Instruction, Learning Approach and Students’ Performance in Chemistry

Abstract

This study explored the learning approach adopted and attempted to investigate the effect of Strategic Intervention Material-Based Instruction (SIM-BI) on the performance of students in high school Chemistry. It utilized the pretest-posttest pre-experimental design. The SIM-BI used as a treatment of the study covered one of the least mastered skills in the subject area which is chemical bonding. Two classes which consisted of 80 students enrolled in Chemistry during the fourth quarter of the school year 2012-2013 were used as respondents. They were classified according to their learning approach based on their mean scores in the Chemistry Learning Approach Inventory (CLAI). The score in the Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) measured students’ performance in Chemistry administered as pretest and posttest. Dependent t-test was employed to determine the significant difference between the mean responses in the pretest and posttest. Results of the study showed that the use of SIM-BI is effective in terms of improving students’ performance and learning approach. The surface learners performed equally well as the deep learners when SIM-BI is used. The positive result of the survey suggested that the SIM was appreciated and appealing to both types of learners.