“Beyond the Pages: A Critical Analysis of the Contents of Chemistry Textbooks Used in Nigerian Secondary Schools for Instructional Effectiveness”

“Beyond the Pages: A Critical Analysis of the Contents of Chemistry Textbooks Used in Nigerian Secondary Schools for Instructional Effectiveness”

¹Priscilla O. Dave-Ugwu., ^*1Eunice O. Chukwunwogor., ¹Onah Anthonia Ebere., ²Rejoice C. Dave-Ugwu

¹Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

²Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.903SEDU0542

Received: 03 September 2025; Accepted: 12 September 2025; Published: 13 October 2025

ABSTRACT

Chemistry textbooks serve as the major tool for instruction and learning chemistry concepts in Nigerian secondary schools. Chemistry is a foundational science, recognized as vital for fostering scientific literacy in developing countries such as Nigeria. A sound grasp of its principles is essential for comprehending other scientific disciplines. However, educators and stakeholders in Nigeria have voiced concerns regarding the quality of chemistry textbooks employed in secondary school instructions. Consequently, this study undertook a thorough examination of the content of these chemistry textbooks. An evaluation research design was chosen for this investigation, and two research questions were formulated to direct the study. From a compilation of thirteen approved chemistry textbooks utilized in Nigerian secondary schools, five commonly prescribed texts were intentionally selected. The collected data underwent analysis using percentages and the Quantitative Approach to Content Evaluation of Science Texts (QACEST) proforma. The findings revealed that all chemistry textbooks demonstrated adequate topical breadth but fell short in the depth of sub-topical explanations and end-of-chapter summaries thus not reflecting the Nigerian Chemistry curriculum well. The results further indicated that none of the textbooks incorporated the modern constructive method of textbook development. These outcomes have significant repercussions for student engagement and achievement in chemistry, as well as their pursuit of further scientific careers, thereby making the attainment of national scientific literacy an elusive goal. Based on these findings, recommendations were made.

Keywords: Chemistry, Textbooks, Contents and Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION

One of the principal instructional materials that impacts students’ understanding of concepts and organizes the students’ knowledge and performances in all disciplines of learning is the textbook. In Nigerian Secondary schools. textbooks are the pivotal learning materials. Teachers use the textbooks as guides to set limits of instruction and impart basic knowledge while the learners use it as framework to organize learning both inside and outside the classroom. Textbooks in a typical Nigerian classroom are like the carpenter’s tool, without which little or no work is done. In a subject like chemistry, taught in abstraction in many Nigeria secondary schools, textbooks are anticipated to serve as the optimal instructional material. The widespread use of digital knowledge and Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) in Nigeria remains limited, particularly in rural areas where most secondary schools are located. This low level of development hinders the adoption of digital tools for teaching and learning chemistry. Many such regions lack internet access, making traditional, physical textbooks the optimal choice. Thus, as noted by Naiz (2015), textbooks are essential for effective instruction and learning, especially in chemistry, a subject known for its inherent abstractness. Whether within the classroom, beyond it, or during laboratory experiments, textbooks serve as the primary instructional material for chemistry due to their inclusion of abstract concepts, chemical equations, and formulas. Thus, for effectiveness of classroom instruction, chemistry requires textbooks that are not only precisely accurate but pedagogically sound. Classrooms have functioned as tangible environments where students gather to acquire knowledge from a teacher, structured as both physical and social learning spaces (Falsario etal., 2014). Although today there are virtual classrooms but be they physical, social or virtual classroom, textbooks must be used.

The qualities of these textbooks are of serious concern to curriculum planners and chemistry educators, because, at the heart of effective chemistry education lies the qualities and effectiveness of these textbooks. Despite ongoing educational reforms and curriculum revisions by bodies such as Nigerian Educational Research and development council (NERDC), the extent to which textbooks used in teaching and learning of chemistry in Nigeria secondary schools reflect the curriculum standards, support cognitive development and address practical dimensions of the subject is still in doubt. The effectiveness of these educational materials in fostering student acquisition, comprehension, and use of chemical principles raises significant questions for chemistry instructors. Chemistry inherently involves numerous abstract terms and concepts; a lack of understanding in these areas will impede further study of the subject itself and other scientific disciplines. Consequently, compromise scientific literacy, national development and the nation’s global visibility. Research has revealed that a number of these textbooks become inadequate and obsolete but are swiftly pushed out for circulation and recommendation by the stakeholders as there are no strict regulations guiding textbook writings and publications in the country. Shannon, (2010) in line with this assertion states that textbooks are commodities and political objects which face a lot of struggles and compromise about who produces them and who uses them. The implication of this is that students who are compelled to use such textbooks acquire wrong and obsolete scientific knowledge and so end up avoiding chemistry and chemistry related disciplines.

The need for periodic analysis of these textbooks cannot therefore be overstated. This is necessary to fish out those textbooks whose contents are not presented coherently and in alignment with curriculum standard. Chemistry education is the cornerstone of scientific literacy as it provides the citizens with knowledge and understanding of environmental issues such as climate change, it also enhances sustainable development. Its vital role in developing the next generation of scientists, innovators and citizens who can address global challenges also makes the analysis and regular upgrade of textbooks imperative. If Nigeria must excel in the ever changing and dynamic world, chemistry education must be very effective reflecting also its link with all the science and technology disciplines. Chemistry has what it takes to move Nigeria to the next level in the ever increasingly complex and technologically driven world if accorded the right position and teaching in schools. An important fact that has been ignored over the years in Nigeria, is that students lack adequate understanding of the concepts and contents of Chemistry as presented in the textbooks prescribed for their studies. This could also be one of the reasons there is repeated poor performances by students over the years in chemistry external examinations in Nigeria (Akin & Kondakci, 2013; Abdi -rim, 2015; Naiz, 2015; Igwe, 2015), Hence the technological backwardness despite all efforts to improve pedagogy.

Understanding the contents of chemistry textbook is a precondition for learning the Chemistry contents and all the other science subjects. A textbook that can be used to teach such a subject as chemistry is expected to have adequate and understandable contents to impart basic Chemistry knowledge. Naiz (2015) points out that Chemistry concepts appear difficult to understand and are abstract not because the contents are difficult but because of the way they are presented in the textbooks. Hence the need to appraise and re-appraise the contents of each Chemistry textbook before recommendation for use. For a chemistry textbook to be considered adequate and an effective instructional material, it must have adequate contents coverage, it must align with the contents in the chemistry curriculum which must also be relevant to cultural values and needs of society, it must be learner-centered and gender sensitive, it must also be appropriate for the grade of students it is made for, that is to say that it must be appropriate to the levels of the students it is meant for and must have a good end of chapter summary to enhance what is in the book chapter. To ensure that these criteria are in place, there is the need for the appraisal of the qualities of these textbooks to guarantee their use as effective instructional material.

The focus is on exposing the strengths and weaknesses of the textbooks contents and providing insight and recommendation for improving the qualities of their contents. Nworgu (2001) defines textbook content by its alignment with the prescribed curriculum or syllabus, encompassing “surface coverage,” which is the proportion of curriculum topics included, and “depth coverage,” referring to the level of detail provided for those topics (both topical and sub-topical), among other content indicators. An important textbook element is a concise recap of a chapter’s main ideas at its conclusion, highlighting the core concepts and fostering student anticipation. This is known as the end-of-chapter summary. Miksen (2012) characterized a chapter summary as a shortened version of the chapter itself, designed to facilitate easier comprehension of primary ideas and major points compared to reading the full chapter. End of chapter summary is important because a good end of chapter summary leaves the students with a sense of what to expect next because it does not have a conclusion. The presentation should be attractive and have an appropriate title, motivating, and should be able to connect the reader to what is expected in the next chapter. It is, however, a very important part of any textbook that makes for understanding of contents, easy flow and transfer of knowledge. Against this background, a detailed and empirical analysis of the contents alongside the end of chapter summary of the Chemistry textbooks used in Nigerian secondary schools is important before recommendation for use. This study evaluated the content of some selected senior secondary school chemistry textbooks used in Nigeria around topics covered, sub-topics covered and end of chapter summary of each of the textbooks.

Statement of the problem of study

Chemistry textbooks used in Nigeria still conflict with the new learner-centered approach to teaching and learning. Chemistry textbooks currently have remained teacher-centered as against learner- centered approach which is advocated by the curriculum planners to enhance the Hands-On-Minds-On process of learning which has proved effective in knowledge construction and transfer. Observation shows that majority of the textbooks used in teaching and learning Chemistry are merely dishing out information to the passive reader. Their contents remain doubtful especially as it concerns alignment with the restructured Nigerian secondary school chemistry curriculum. Literature reports several inadequacies, yet these textbooks are prescribed and used as such by teachers and students since recommendation of textbooks for schools is not done by the teachers who are the bridge between the learner and the textbooks. Often, concepts are presented defectively in these textbooks, putting the teacher and the learner in confusion. A detailed and empirical evaluation of these Chemistry textbooks is important before recommendation for use.

Regrettably, a number of these Chemistry textbooks have not been subjected to any process of empirical evaluation by experts but are used in teaching and learning Chemistry, thus, creating a gap in the learning process because any deficiency in the textbooks used affects the whole learning outcome. As the content adequacy of these textbooks remains in doubt, majority of what students learn is also in doubt. The expectation is that textbooks should have satisfactory contents to convey the curriculum contents to the learners. Against this backdrop, the present study was conceived to evaluate the adequacy of the Chemistry textbooks by critically analyzing the contents and end of chapter summary.

Research Objective

 Specifically, this study determined the:

1. topical coverage index (TCI)of each of the senior Secondary school chemistry textbooks.
2. chapter summary index (CSI) of each of the senior Secondary school chemistry textbooks.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. What is the topical coverage index (TCI) of each of the senior secondary school Chemistry textbooks?
2. What is the chapter summary index (CSI) of each senior secondary school chemistry textbook?

METHODS

This study utilized an evaluation research design, a method highly suitable for assessing the content and end-of-chapter summaries of textbooks, given that the research involved gathering and analyzing these texts. The investigation was conducted within Nigeria. The study’s population comprised the 13 officially approved Chemistry textbooks designated for Chemistry instruction in Nigerian Secondary Schools. However, there are more than 13 chemistry textbooks used at various levels in Nigerian secondary schools, with many being practical handouts, examination series, questions and answer manuals, the researcher therefore, considered these as not full textbooks to be counted into the population to be analyzed. From the 13 approved Chemistry textbooks used for instruction in Nigerian Secondary Schools, a specific selection of 5 widely chosen textbooks constituted the purposively drawn sample for this study. These 5 include: New School Chemistry” by Osei Yaw Ababio, the 16^th edition (Book A), “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A. A. Demehin, P.C. Onianwu, P. A. Oshinyemi, et al, new edition (Book B). “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Godwin Ojukwu, Second Revised edition (Book C). “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah, B. O. Teibo, G. Onwu, A. Obikwere; 3^rd edition (Book D). “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia, G. I. Amasiatu, J. O. Ajagbe, G. O. Ojukwu and U. Mohammed, 2^ndedition (Book E)” The Quantitative Approach to Content Evaluation of Science Textbooks (QACEST) developed by Nworgu, (2001) was used to measure the Topical and sub-topical coverage and the end of chapter summary of the sampled textbooks. The choice of QACEST was because it gives quantitative index that measures and indicates the quality of the textbooks. This was done entirely by the researcher book by book using this prescribed QACEST proforma.

RESULTS

Table 1a presents the number of topics and subtopics in the Secondary School Chemistry Syllabus and the topics and sub-topical coverage by each of the textbooks as well as the percentage of the coverage. The table shows that the “New School Chemistry” by Osei Yaw Ababio, the 16^th edition, has a percentage topical and sub-topical coverage of 76.47% and 97.96% respectively, the “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A. A. Demehin, P.C. Onianwu, P. A. Oshinyemi, et al, New edition has a percentage topical and sub-topical coverage of 73.50% and 86.80% respectively. “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Godwin Ojukwu, Second Revised edition, has a percentage topical and sub-topical coverage of 82.35% and 84.77% “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah, B. O. Teibo, G. Onwu, A. Obikwere; current edition, has a percentage topical and sub-topical coverage 97.05% and 97.46% respectively. “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia, G. I. Amasiatu, J. O. Ajagbe, G. O. Ojukwu and U. Mohammed, 2^ndedition, has a percentage topical and sub-topical coverage of 73.50%and 86.80% respectively.

Table 1a. Percentage of Topics and Sub-Topical coverage by each Textbook

KEY* “ABABIO……   “New School Chemistry” by O.Y. Ababio (Book A)

MACM……. “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A.A.Demehin (Book B)

UNDER……… “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” for Schools & Colleges by G. Ojukwu (Book C)

BAJAH………. “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah (Book D)

COMP………… “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia (Book E)”

Table 1b presents the mean scores of topical coverage index of five Chemistry textbooks used in teaching and learning of Chemistry in Enugu State Secondary Schools. The table shows that the “New School Chemistry” by Osei Yaw Ababio, the 16^th edition, has a mean topical coverage index of 0.872, while the “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A. A. Demehin, P.C. Onianwu, P. A. Oshinyemi, et al, New edition has a mean topical coverage index of 0.801. “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Godwin Ojukwu, Second Revised edition, has a mean topical coverage index of 0.835, the “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah, B. O. Teibo, G. Onwu, A. Obikwere; current edition, has a mean topical coverage index of 0.972 and “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia, G. I. Amasiatu, J. O. Ajagbe, G. O. Ojukwu and U. Mohammed, 2^ndedition, has a mean topical coverage index of 0.960 respectively. The interpretation of this data is that the current Chemistry textbook written by Bajah et al has a wider topical coverage than the other four textbooks. Next to it is “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” written by G. N. C. Ohia et al with a mean topical coverage index of 0.960, followed by the others in that order. This implies that all the textbooks are within the same range of topical coverage. Hence, when a text covers the topics and sub-topics specified in a syllabus, the maximum value of this index is 1, but when a text does not cover any of the materials; its value is zero which is the minimum value.

Table 1b. Mean Score of the Chemistry Textbooks as measured by the Index of Topical coverage

Table 2a presents the percentage of chapter summary which links the materials of the chapter with new materials to facilitate more permanent learning transfer and that which are mere repetitions of the materials in the passage in each of the textbooks. The results show that “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah, B. O. Teibo, G. Onwu, A. Obikwere; current edition, has a percentage chapter summary of 8.06% and 91.93% respectively.   “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia, G. I. Amasiatu, J. O. Ajagbe, G. O. Ojukwu and U. Mohammed, 2^ndedition, has a percentage chapter summary of 13.18%and 86.81% respectively. The “New School Chemistry” by Osei Yaw Ababio, the 16^th edition, has a percentage chapter summary of 5.45% and 94.54% respectively, while “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” for Schools and Colleges by Godwin Ojukwu, Second Revised edition, has no chapter summary and hence 0%. The “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A. A. Demehin, P.C. Onianwu, P. A. Oshinyemi, et al, New edition has a percentage chapter summary of 3.48% and 96.51% respectively.

Table 2a. Percentage of Chapter Summary of each Textbook

Table 2b presents the mean scores of chapter summary of five Chemistry textbooks in use in teaching and learning of Chemistry in Enugu State Secondary Schools. The table shows that the “New School Chemistry” by Osei Yaw Ababio, the 16^th edition, has a mean chapter summary index of -0.89, while the “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” by A. A. Demehin, P.C. Onianwu, P. A. Oshinyemi, et al, new edition has a mean chapter summary index of -0.93. “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Godwin Ojukwu, Second Revised edition, has no mean chapter summary. The “Senior Secondary Schools Chemistry” by S, T. Bajah, B. O. Teibo, G. Onwu, A. Obikwere; current edition, has a chapter summary index of -0.83 and “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” by G. N. C. Ohia, G. I. Amasiatu, J. O. Ajagbe, G. O. Ojukwu and U. Mohammed, 2^ndedition, has a mean chapter summary index of -0.73 respectively. These figures indicate that Ohia’s Comprehensive Chemistry textbook provides superior summaries compared to all others; Bajah’s Current Chemistry textbook ranks a close second. Next in line is Demehin’s “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools”. Notably, Ojukwu’s “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” entirely lacks chapter summaries throughout the book. When the chapter summary contains no repetitions of the materials of the chapter, that is when the chapter summary makes perfect provisions for such statements that are likely to facilitate more permanent learning and transfer, such as raising new questions whose answers cannot be found directly from the chapter, providing basis for subsequent chapters, the C.S.I. gets a maximum value of +1. On the other hand, when the chapter contains only repetitions of the chapter, and no new materials and it is doubtful if such a summary will aid in a better understanding of the chapter more than the chapter itself, a minimum C.S.I. of – 1.00 occurs. A chapter summary index of zero magnitude indicates a condition where there is a balance between those materials that can foster better understanding and those that merely repeat the contents of the chapter. The above results indicate inadequate chapter summary in all the five textbooks, since none of them measured up to +1. The chapter summaries contain mainly facts that are as directly presented as they are in the passage, mere repetition of facts. Very few items in the summaries contain facts that connect the students’ thinking and imagination to the next topic in the next chapter.

Table 2b. Mean Score of the Chemistry Textbooks as measured by the Chapter Summary Index.

DISCUSSIONS

The findings from this study reveal that there are some obvious omissions of some relevant topics and sub-topics contained in Nigerian chemistry curriculum in some of the chemistry textbooks. Igwe (2015) posits this situation may stem from authors’ varying understanding of curriculum content and structure. Hence, Chemistry textbook writers  are expected to possess extensive subject matter and curriculum expertise, alongside robust writing and research capabilities. Olufunmilayo (2018) precisely noted that if restructured curriculum concepts are poorly organized within textbooks, both teachers and students will face frustrating challenges aligning textbook material with the curriculum. This significantly increases the perceived difficulty of such Chemistry textbook contents. The authorities in charge, however, are sometimes not knowledgeable on the contents of the curriculum and therefore fail to identify the areas of limitation of such textbooks. (Dave-Ugwu et al,2023)

The current Chemistry textbook written by Bajah, Book D had wider topical coverage (TS) and sub-topical coverage (STS) than the other four Chemistry textbooks. Close to that is the “Comprehensive Certificate Chemistry” written by Ohia Book E also with wide topical coverage (TS) and sub-topical coverage (STS). The second revised edition of “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Ojukwu Book C had wide topical coverage but lower sub-topical coverage than the School Certificate Chemistry written by Ababio Book A and the “Macmillan Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools” Book B. This means that Book A and Book C though missed out covering a few topics but were able to break down the topical coverage into smaller units of sub- topics for better understanding. This is creditable because narrowing down the units into more sub-topics will most probably make the density of the topics less complex. However, the five (5) Chemistry textbooks can be said to have fair coverage of the curriculum, though lacked greatly in sub-topical coverage which notably could help in narrowing down the contents to an easily understandable level.

The findings also reveal that four out of the five Chemistry textbooks Ababio (Book A), MacMillian (Book B), Bajah (Book D) and Comprehensive Chemistry (Book E) have chapter summaries but do not measure up to standard benchmark, therefore have inadequate end of chapter summary. They contain mainly facts that are as directly presented as they are in the passage, mere repetition of facts. Very few items in the summaries contain facts that connect the students’ thinking and imagination to the next topic in the next chapter. Thus, the stand of Naiz (2015) that Chemistry concepts appear abstract and difficult not because the contents are difficult but because of the way they are presented in the textbooks. The quantity of statements within summaries connecting chapter content to new material, aiming for more lasting learning in these four textbooks, is notably deficient. Conversely, the proportion of summary statements merely restating information from the main text is substantial. One of the five textbooks, “Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges” by Ojukwu (Book C), completely lacks end-of-chapter summaries across all its chapters. Based on these findings, without improvements, these Chemistry textbooks are currently insufficient for effective Chemistry instruction and student learning. When a chapter summary avoids repeating material, it effectively includes provisions for statements likely to promote more enduring learning and transfer, such as posing new questions not directly answered in the chapter and establishing a foundation for comprehending subsequent chapters. On the other hand, when the chapter contains only repetitions of the chapter, and no new materials, it is doubtful if such a summary will aid a better understanding of the new chapter more than the chapter itself. A chemistry textbook that has an inadequate end of chapter summary does not encourage permanency of learning and transfer of knowledge; hence such cannot be deemed an effective instructional material (Joanne, 2015; Ruddick, 2014; Wu & Liu, 2015).

Educational Implication of Findings

The findings of this study hold implications for Nigerian’s technological development and scientific literacy, policy makers and curriculum planners, authors and publishers of chemistry textbooks, teachers and students, school librarians and the Educational Resource Centers involved in book review. From the findings, all the five Chemistry textbooks crossed the benchmark stipulated by QACEST for judging the adequacy of the contents of textbooks but there is a short fall in sub-topical coverage. This leaves a serious gap and implication for their use as effective instructional material. The implication of this is that if textbooks are the only source of chemistry knowledge, the chemistry knowledge transferred to the learners will not be comprehensive enough to equip them as global citizens.

The inadequacy of the end of chapter summary of four of the textbooks and the entire absence of end of chapter summary in one of the textbooks has much implication for the students, the teachers, and the entire Chemistry education. The implication is that the students’ thinking, and imagination cannot easily be connected to the next topic in the next chapter and so, facilitating transfer of learning and creating more permanent learning will be difficult and achievement of learning objectives cannot be summarily measured by the teachers and students while using textbooks with poor or no end of chapter summary.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of the study, several conclusions were made. All five Chemistry textbooks are within an acceptable range of topical coverage, but a few do not have good sub-topical coverage, as such cannot be deemed effective instructional materials. Using these textbooks as they are without upgrading will not be of best interest to the objectives of chemistry education as stated in the National policy of Education. Also, Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges by Ojukwu (Book C) has no end of chapter summary in all the chapters of the book, and the other four do not have chapter summaries that measure up to standard benchmark of QACEST, they are therefore considered inadequate in this regard, hence not good enough as effective instructional material. They contain mainly facts that are as directly presented as they are in the passage, mere repetition of facts. Very few items in the summaries contain facts that connect the students’ thinking and imagination to the next topic in the next chapter. This is a strong weakness; therefore, there is a need for serious improvement in this regard.

It is important to note that from the findings of this research, none of the Chemistry textbooks used in Nigeria at this level used the format of the constructivist view of conceptual change model in writing the textbooks. This model, according to Uğur & Fitnat (2008), empowers students to substitute misconceptions with scientifically accepted ideas, utilize historical accounts to replace jargon with narrative, and encourages them to pose questions or employ analogies that clarify abstract concepts through concrete examples for learners. Consequently, it can be concluded that chemistry textbooks currently used in Nigerian secondary schools remain inadequately equipped as effective instructional materials for effective teaching purposes in this complex, scientifically driven world.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations were proffered considering the findings and conclusion of the study; Chemistry textbooks authors should ensure good topical and sub-topical coverage in the Chemistry textbooks. They should also ensure that there are good and adequate end of chapter summaries. Textbook authors should be guided by the curriculum contents and formats in writing the textbooks.

Chemistry textbooks ought to include supplementary resources like workbooks, CDs, and cassettes. This addition would likely aid students in grasping the material within those texts. Attempts should be made to split the contents of the textbooks into grades as arranged in the subject curriculum.

Chemistry textbooks should be written based on the new constructivists’ approach as advocated by Uğur and Fitnat, (2008). There is a need to incorporate alternative texts in the writing of Chemistry textbooks which involves creating alternative stories to explain difficult concepts in Chemistry by way of drawing analogies and other strategies such as concept maps, POE (predict-observe-explain) Learning cycle format (exploration, term introduction and concept application or in the form of “pattern first—terms second format” contrary to traditional “terms-first” format) and Historical episode format (Analogy enhancement). In line with Vivi et al., (2017) who advocated that chemistry textbooks should be developed based on scientific literacy.

Limitations of the study

There was this limitation of time constraints which could not permit the researcher to include inputs from teachers and other chemistry textbook users. Secondly, the possibility of the researcher analyzing different editions of the same textbook by the same author to x-ray if there existed any difference in content was very slim.

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