Factors Affecting Students’ Enrollment in Chemistry Education in Rivers State Universities
Keywords:
Chemistry Education, University, Enrolment, Socio-Economic, Career Guidance, Secondary SchoolAbstract
This study investigated the factors influencing students’ enrolment into chemistry education programmes in tertiary institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the impact of socio-economic factors, career guidance and awareness, students’ perception of chemistry, parental expectations and societal views, secondary school science experiences, and gender-related factors on students’ choice of chemistry education. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and employed purposive sampling to select 100-level and 400-level students in Chemistry Education of the Science Education departments. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The reliability coefficient was estimated using Cronbach’s Alpha and was found to be r = 0.81. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentages, means, and standard deviations, with a criterion mean of 2.5 for acceptance. Findings revealed that socio-economic factors, career guidance, students’ perception, parental expectations, societal views, and secondary school science experiences significantly influenced students’ enrolment, while gender-related factors were not significant. The findings show that socio-economic factors, career guidance, students’ perception, parental expectations, and secondary school experiences exert a moderate to high influence on students’ enrolment into chemistry education, while gender-related factors have a low or negligible effect. The study concludes that targeted interventions in these areas, such as improved career guidance, enhanced secondary school experiences, parental sensitization, and financial support, are essential to increase students’ enrolment in chemistry education programmes and address the shortage of qualified chemistry teachers in secondary schools.
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