Effective Pedagogical Approaches Used in High School Chemistry Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This article systematically reviews the pedagogical approaches adopted in high school chemistry education with the aim of highlighting the most effective evidence-based instructional practices reported in the literature. For this, a meta-analysis of 35 pedagogical approaches is analyzed, and their effect sizes (Cohen’s d) are compared in terms of students’ learning performance. In comparison to the traditional teaching approach, the data confirmed the effectiveness of using various teaching strategies in chemistry education toward student accomplishment. The results indicate that, in general, deploying chemistry education practices in secondary education improves student learning compared to control settings (d = 1.06). Furthermore, this impact is considerably stronger when the problem-based learning approach (d = 3.35) is adopted. Therefore, according to the meta-analytical evaluation, embracing various learning paths through creative teaching promotes academic achievement. In terms of instructional quality, the findings provide a comprehensive picture of recent educational practices in chemistry instruction, which will serve as the foundation for future educational changes. We believe the results of this study will promote a progression of intimation to evolve the current high school chemistry practices and pave the direction for future research in chemistry education.