Application of the Learning Theories in Teaching Chemistry: Implication for Global Competitiveness

The relevance of chemistry in economy, industry, health and as the center of all other sciences is well known. New expectations arising from education reforms to improve on students' learning outcomes and to enable them face the challenges in a rapidly growing, innovative competitive world presuppose that teaching and learning prepare students for the world of tomorrow. The traditional teaching methods preponderantly used in the chemistry classroom have proven to be ineffective in promoting students' understanding of chemistry concepts leading to persistent failure of the subject in public examinations. Analyses of chemistry results of two African countries (Nigeria and Kenya) over a period presented in this paper reveal that students register dismal failure in the subject. This makes it increasingly difficult for students to qualify for the competitive job market or to enroll for science- related courses in the universities after secondary education. Models of constructivist teaching methods designed in this paper show how the learning theories within the constructivists' perspective differ from the traditional approaches in promoting lifelong learning capable of enabling students acquire skills and competencies to be effective throughout their lives. The paper has implications for teachers, curriculum developers and for the chemistry students.