Bridging Gaps in Science Education- A Case Study of Chemistry Education in Bo City, Sierra Leone

The degree to which students understand the subjects taught in schools largely depends on the educational environment. In resource-poor regions, particularly in resource-poor developing countries, this environment is often inadequate; severely hindering learning outcomes. Here, the mixed-methods approach was used to assess the degree to which students understand chemical formulas and equations taught in Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) in Sierra Leone. A total of 158 SSS II and SSS III students across 6 schools in Bo City were randomly selected. Bo City is the regional headquarter of the Southern Region of Sierra Leone. Diagnostic pre-test results showed an alarming deficiency among students regarding the level of knowledge of foundational chemistry. Only 3.6% of the students correctly formulated Lithium Trioxosulphate (IV) and only another 7.3% accurately balanced the sodium-chlorine reaction equation. Qualitative analysis further showed a widespread misconception of the IUPAC nomenclature (63.29%) and polyatomic ion valencies (88.3%). Additionally, 77% of the students failed to correctly identify NaCl compound and some 53.7% properly balanced the related chemical equations.