Article Details

This study investigated gender as a determinant of students’ interest and achievement in chemical combination when taught using differentiated and blended instructional strategies in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design involving pre-test and post-test with non-equivalent control groups was adopted. The population comprised 1,195 Senior Secondary One (SS1) chemistry students, from which a sample of 158 students (87 males and 71 females) was selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Three intact classes from selected schools were assigned to two experimental groups (differentiated and blended instructional strategies) and one control group (conventional method). Two instruments were used for data collection: the Chemical Combination Interest Rating Scale (CCIRS) and the Chemical Combination Achievement Test (CCAT). The instruments were validated by experts and yielded reliability coefficients of 0.81 and 0.84, respectively. Data were analyzed using means and standard deviations to answer the research questions, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that gender significantly influenced students’ interest and achievement when taught using differentiated instructional strategy. Gender also significantly influenced students’ interest in the blended instructional strategy; however, it did not significantly influence achievement under the same approach. The study concludes that while differentiated instruction may produce gender-based variations in learning outcomes, blended instructional strategy promotes more balanced academic achievement across genders. The study recommends the adoption of differentiated and blended instructional strategies in chemistry teaching, alongside efforts to ensure gender-inclusive classroom practices that enhance students’ interest and achievement in chemical combination.