Using Fast Feedback Method to Enhance Students’ Learning in Chemistry: A Case Study in Yilo Krobo Senior High School

Traditional practices by which teachers give feedback to students during classroom discourse have been challenged. The research found out how students get information about how well they are doing in chemistry class, which is the actual feedback that chemistry teachers give to their students. The study again suggested FAST feedback method as an ideal way of giving feedback to enhance students learning during chemistry lessons. FAST is an acronym for frequent, accurate, specific and timely. An exploratory-survey design was adopted for the study and a sample of 865 chemistry students and 20 teachers, (n=885), responded to the instruments. 795 students and 20 teachers were involved in the pre-intervention survey and 70 students were involved in the post-intervention survey. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, worksheets, observation of chemistry lessons and students’ exercise books. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS to provide answers to the research questions; i) how often do chemistry teachers give feedback to their students? ii) do chemistry teachers give accurate feedback to their students? iii) to what extent can the feedback given by chemistry teachers be described as specific? iv) do chemistry teachers give timely feedback? v) what effect has FAST feedback on the learning of chemistry? The research revealed the actual picture of feedback given by Ghanaian chemistry teachers in senior high schools as not frequent, accurate, specific nor timely. It was inferred from the learning outcomes and the students’ responses to the post-intervention questionnaire that FAST feedback method is ideal and can help students make positive impact on their chemistry learning.