Intérêt pour la chimie et performances des élèves du secondaire général : cas des élèves de 3ème de l’arrondissement de Yaoundé vi.

Abstract

Our research entitled “Interest in chemistry and students’ performances in secondary general education: the case of form 4 of Yaounde VI ’’, is based on the observation that students are performing poorly in chemistry at a time when education is taking on new challenges especially in quality. This observation has led to the formulation of the following main research question: Does the performance of students in chemistry vary according to their interests? In response to the question, the general hypothesis was formulated as follows: “Students’ performances in chemistry vary depending on their interests.” When operationalized, it gives the following for research hypotheses: HR1: Students’ performances vary depending on their interest in chemistry; HR2: Students’ performances vary depending on their participation in chemistry classes; HR3: Students’ performances vary depending on their personal work in chemistry; HR4: Students’ performances vary depending on parental follow up in chemistry. The theoretical framework of the study is inspired by motivational theories of learning. Data were collected from a sample of 223 students through a questionnaire and analyzed using the spearman correlation test. From the results, all for hypotheses were confirmed (HR1, HR2, HR3 and HR4). The results indicate that there is a relationship between interest in chemistry and students’ performances. In short, difficulty in obtaining good marks in chemistry is explained by fears and lack of interest by learners. Therefore, interest in chemistry, just like in other scientific subjects, plays a key role through commitment and self-determination, in the success of students. For practical involvement, suggestions have been made to students, teachers, parents and school authorities.