Effects of Simulation and Structured Inquiry Strategies on Critical Thinking Skills in Titration among Secondary Schools Students in Kano State, Nigeria

Critical thinking is essential for effective science learning, yet secondary school students often experience limited opportunities to develop critical thinking through conventional laboratory method. This study investigated the effects of Virtual Laboratory Simulation Strategy (VLSS) and Structured Inquiry Strategy (SIS) on senior secondary school students’ critical thinking skills in acid base titration in Kano State, Nigeria. A pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was adopted. The population comprised 12,516 Senior Secondary II chemistry students, from which 321 students (149 males and 172 females) were purposively selected from six schools, with one intact class selected from each school. Data were collected using the validated Acid Base Titration Critical Thinking Skills Test (ABTCTST), which demonstrated test-retest reliability of r = .82 and internal consistency of α = .88. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and ANCOVA. Students taught using VLSS and SIS had significantly higher posttest critical thinking scores than those taught using the conventional method, p < .001, while the two experimental groups did not differ significantly, p > .05. Gender had no significant main effect, p = .424; however, the Group × Gender interaction was significant, F(2, 314) = 27.68, p < .001, ηp² = .150. The findings support the use of VLSS and SIS to enhance critical thinking skills development in secondary school chemistry. It was therefore recommended that teachers should adopt the use of VLSS and SIS, when teaching titration.