Influence Of Ability And Gender Groupings On Senior Secondary School Chemistry Students Achievement On The Concept Of Redox Reactions by Dr. N. E. U. lnyang & Mrs. Hannah E. Ekpenyong

Abstract
The influence of ability and gender grouping on senior secondary chemistry students achievement on the concept of redox reaction was investigated. 160 senior secondary two chemistry students from two co-educational institutions in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa lbom Stale constituted the experimental and control classes. The experimental classes of 50 students consisted of mixed ability and mixed gender groups. The control classes of 110 students were in separate high, average and low ability groups and separate gender
groups respectivelv. Subjects in both experimental and control classes were exposed to practical activities on redox reactions for three weeks after writing on Achievement Test on Redox: Reaction: (ATRR) as pretest. The ATRR was re-administered to the subjects as post-test at the end of treatment. A t-test analysis revealed a significant difference between the mean post-test and pretest scores in ATRR by each of the ability levels – high, average, low, and mixed with the mixed ability recording the highest difference (at a=.05). On the basis of gender, there was no significant difference in the achievement of the students in the post-test scores but the mixed gender group achieved higher than each of the male and female groups. The need to emphasize mixed grouping of students by ability level in both single and mixed gender classes was stressed.