THE EFFECTS OF SHORT TERM MEMORY AND READING COMPREHENSION ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN CHEMISTRY IN JERE, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Rhoda E. Camble

Department of Education

University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri

Abstract: Working memory relates to an individual’s ability to attend to verbally- or visually-presented information, to process information in memory, and then to formulate a response. Difficulties with working memory may make the processing of complex information more time-consuming, draining a student’s mental energies more quickly and perhaps result in more frequent errors on a variety of tasks. Short-term memory is important to reading achievement. Reading comprehension, involving long reading passages, may be affected by skills specifically related to working memory. Basic word reading may be impacted by deficits in short-term memory because it may interfere with acquiring letter and word identification skills. The objective of this study is to extend the current research linking reading performance to academic performance by examining the relationship between reading and performance in chemistry at the senior secondary (SS) I and II levels. Two research question and a hypothesis guided the study. The result of the study found out that: there is significant relationship between recall and students’ performance in chemistry; there is significant relationship between digit span and students’ performance in chemistry; there is significant relationship between comprehension and students’ performance in chemistry; there is no significant relationship between spelling and students’ performance in chemistry; there is significant relationship between vocabulary ability and students’ performance in chemistry and that there is significant relationship between all the five variables put together and students’ performance in chemistry the study recommended that: the working memory demands of classroom activities can be reduced by minimizing processing requirements. This can involve simplifying the language used in tests of problem solving, reducing the use of technical language, and increasing the meaningfulness and degree of familiarity of material to be processed; and that he storage demands of classroom tasks can be reduced by restructuring multiple step tasks into separate independent steps, using external memory aids, and frequently repeating important information among others.

Keyword: Effect, Short term Memory & Reading Comprehension on students’ Performance in Chemistry