ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT LEVEL AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF CHEMISTRY STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Science and Technology have become the major ingredients of economic and national advancement .Science and Technology influence every aspect of our lives. They are centrals to our welfare as individuals and society at large. The position and prestige of a Nation in world politics depends on the extent to which the country advances in science and technology. Omosewo (2006) defines Science as an activity which results into a testable, falsifiable and veritable body of knowledge. It accelerates the pace of change in the world by providing the foundation for wealth and development and brings improvement to the quality of life. A scientist seeks to study in a systematic way the nature of things and the reason for the everyday changes. For instance, a scientist seeks to answer question of this kind; What is water? What does it contain? Where does it come from? Why, do we drink it? Can one make it? In what ways can it be used for the benefit of mankind? All these questions and many more of their kind face the scientist when he come across a new substance or when he observes a new change in nature.

Chemistry as one of the basic natural science subjects plays a vital role in advancement of science and technology. Today chemistry has two sides; on one hand, it provides the basis for our current world picture, while on the other hand it is the foundation of other subjects for technological developments. Of the three science courses; Biology, Chemistry and Chemistry, chemistry holds the strongest position as a major subject prerequisite into career in science and technology (Esiobu,2007). Our civilization today is the direct result of the work of scientist. The important reason why we study chemistry is that it play part supplying our basic need; The food we eat that is needed for warmth and energy repair of tissue, for growth and for resistance diseases. The alcohol we drink is made by fermentation of sugar starchy materials. The cloth we wear are made from plant and animal fibres and also from synthetic fibres discovered by chemist. Drugs use in medicine is produced by chemist it also provides a bond background for the future specialization.

The study of chemistry in the senior secondary schools is no more a mere make-up of number of subject for examination purposes (Bajah 1991). Chemistry generally studied the everyday uses and that justified its inclusion in the syllabus and curriculum of secondary schools. The nature of chemistry makes it dierent from any other subject. Between the ages of 14 and. 16 years, students who have opted to study chemistry spend some 300 hours or more learning chemistry in school, and no doubt an additional amount of time at home warning the subject. What do they achieve for this expenditure of time and eort? The answer would seem to be very little as available (Oderinde, 1977). When then does the problem lie? Is the chemistry attempt to teach too diicult for students of this age range or is external examination they sit for too diicult? Does it require reasoning skills that are beyond the developmental level of most of students? This situation calls for an urgent attention and improvement especially now that there is a clamour for scientific and technological advancement in the country. Some will say that recent on curriculum matching suggests that this is so. On the other hand, others would suggest, that students commence the y of the subject with limiting factors, pre-conceptions and firmly entrenched misconceptions. These and many other reasons have adduced for possible high failure rate in chemistry. But the question still remains, “Has there been awareness on the part of the examination body that questions set for students may not match their intellectual capabilities.

Nigeria Education Research and Development council (NERDC,2003) central to the reason generated in the report is that cognitive functioning is formal operation stage according to piaget (NSSSP, 1999). Cognitive development is the emergence of the ability to think and understand. Piaget believed that the development of a child occurs through a continuous transformation of thought processes. A developmental stage consists of a period of months or years when certain development takes place. Weinert & Helmke, (2007) are of the view that students are usually grouped by chronological age, their development levels may differ significantly, as well as the rate at which individual children pass through each stage. This difference may depend on maturity, experience, culture, and the ability of the child (Papila & Olds, 2008). According to Berk (2006), Piaget believed that children develop steadily and gradually throughout the varying stages and that the experiences in one stage form the foundations for movement to the next. All people pass through each stage before starting the next one; no one skips any stage. This implies older children, and even adults, who have not passed through later stages process information in ways that are characteristic of young children at the same developmental stage (Eggen & Kauchak, 2007).