Teaching Reaction Stoichiometry: Exploring and Acknowledging Nigerian Chemistry Teachers Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Although there is a growing interest in studies of students’ problem-solving strategies and difficulties, and misconceptionsregarding stoichiometry, little is known about the way teachers understand and teach reaction stoichiometry. This articlepresents a case study of pedagogical content knowledge put into actions by chemistry teachers when teaching the topic ofstoichiometry to second year senior secondary school students. Fourteen chemistry teachers with teaching experience rangingfrom 5 to 20 years were involved in this study. Research data were obtained from classroom observations and videotapedrecordings of classroom practice. Analyses of the teachers’ teaching activities revealed their skillfulness, resourcefulness, andweaknesses in terms of pedagogical content knowledge displayed when teaching stoichiometry. The results of this exploratorystudy offer insight into the knowledge systems that need to be expanded, enriched, and elaborated for teaching stoichiometry.To better understand the findings of this study, the results obtained were presented under two separate sections: (1) resultsconcerning introducing reaction stoichiometry to students and (2) results concerning leading students to identify limitingreagents. Implications for instruction and teachers’ professional development are offered.