ABSTRACT
This study investigated the Impacts of Process Approach on Questioning Preference, Academic Achievement and Retention Span among Chemistry students in Senior Secondary School (SS2). A sample of 78 students selected from two secondary schools in Zaria Metropolis were used as the study sample from a population of 1,241 students from 10 schools. The two schools randomly selected, were found after matching them, to be equivalent academically. One of the schools served as control group and the other serve as the experimental group which was exposed to science process teaching approach while the control group was exposed to lecture based instruction. Topics taught are state of matter, change of state, and kinetic theory of matter, Gas laws, Acid-Base reactions and chemical reaction. The choice of these concepts is considered suitable because they are some of the difficult areas student failed in exams. A researcher-developed Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.73, was used to collect data for pretest, posttest and post-posttest (Extended test) used to test the four null hypothesis. The data collected were analyzed using t-test statistic, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe's test at a significance level of P≤0.05. Results indicated that (i) the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in their academic achievement after undergoing the experimental treatment of science process teaching approach (ii) the level of retention was significantly high for students taught using Science Process Teaching Approach when compared with those taught using Lecture Method (iii) Science Process Teaching Approach was found to be more effective in enhancing cognitive questioning preference of chemistry students at the senior secondary school level. Based on these findings, a number of recommendations were made; (1) there is a need for the improvement of the Chemistry conditions and practices existing in Nigerian schools through the use of SPTA(2) there is a need to employ science process based instruction in the senior secondary schools as a means to reduce academic failure and enhance retention span among science students in the senior secondary schools and (3) there is also a need for training and retraining of science teachers towards effective use of Science Process Approach in the teaching of chemistry at SSS among others.