AN ANALYSIS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION AND ITS EFFECTS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG NCE PHYSICS STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT ABILITIES
- Project Research
- 1-5 Chapters
- Quantitative
- T-test
- Abstract : Available
- Table of Content: Available
- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 3000
Background to the study
The world is growing increasingly technologically advanced. The industrial period gave rise to the information era, which is as important as the water we drink since it has brought good improvements to society, business, education, and other aspects of human life. In truth, the educational sector does not escape the advantages of living in an information-rich, computerized culture. Our current educational system is constantly improving its resources through the modernization of the many aspects of the system in order to stay up with new technological advances at the national, regional, and global levels (Bunkure, 2007). Modernization can be pursued by the use of current teaching aids and resources like as computers, CD-ROMs, television, and the internet, among other things (Caday, 2004). According to Linn (2003), information and communication technology has had a complicated but ultimately beneficial influence on scientific education.
Computers provide innovative teaching methods that were unimaginable just two decades ago, but the extent to which computer technology's educational promise will be realized remains to be seen (Amara, 2006). Many academics and educators are interested in computer technology, and computer-based educational applications are regarded an excellent alternative to traditional teaching methods (Yushau, 2006). Over the last century, science education and computer technology have developed a strong collaboration, according to research findings (Flick & Bell, 2000). According to Thomas (2001), little was understood regarding the employment of computers in scientific classes and their influence on students' learning. It is self-evident that current study trends throughout the world include the utilization of computer facilities and resources to help students learn more effectively. This might explain why Handelsman, Ebert-May, Beichner, Bruns, Chang, Detloan, Gentile, Lauffer, Stewart, Tilghman, and Wood (2004: 521) believed "many activities that diverge from standard technique are now freely accessible on the web," despite the fact that teachers did not use these resources. They also demonstrated that interactive teaching methods dramatically improved learning. Computers and science are inextricably linked as transformative tools for increasing production, generating wealth, and raising security awareness.
Physics, being one of the science courses, is critical for our country's technological advancement (Agommouoh & Nzewi, 2003). Physics is the center of science and the centre of all technological operations, according to Okeke (1997). The study of Physics improves one's comprehension of the interplay of forces in nature and serves as a veritable amour against superstition, which stymies technological progress wherever (Agommuoh & Nzewi, 2003). Furthermore, according to Danjuma (2008), physics, as the essence of science, plays an important part in all human endeavors and is a prerequisite for courses in medicine, geology, computer engineering, forestry, space navigation, agricultural science, and pharmacy, among others.
Bunkure (2007) found that CAI improved students' physics achievement, but that teachers did not utilize it very much. Instead, they employed lecture techniques, necessitating the development of a new teaching approach in accordance with worldwide trends toward the use of CAI, particularly in scientific education. Science and technological advancements have significantly altered society's educational institutions. The rising relevance of trained people not just as users but also as producers of information places extra demands on scientific instructors (Gonen, Kocakaya & Inan, 2006). In a similar vein, Kadoglu, 1996; Ayas & Ozmen, 1998; Ozmen, Brahimoglu, and Ayas (2000) stated that physics, chemistry, and biology have many theoretical concepts that are difficult for students to understand, and that if they are not properly taught, students will encounter a lot of misconceptions that will affect their learning. It's also common knowledge that students don't or just seldom apply what they've learned in those fields to their daily life. In a related development, ahin and Parim, (2002); Saka and Cerrah, (2004) noted that conventional education and current educational materials did not serve to solve existing problems or aid in the formation of conceptual learning in the education and learning process.
The study discovered, however, that using CAI teaching generates and maintains students' interest and curiosity in the learning process. The usage of CAI is also expected to improve physics idea learning. Furthermore, with the usage of computers in education, the majority of natural phenomenon information is now available in a computer environment. This is why teachers should utilize computers as a teaching tool to enable pupils to perceive the physical phenomena of some ideas in three dimensions (Soylu & Biş, 1998).
The responsibilities and interactions between men and women in a specific scenario are referred to as gender roles. Shaibu and Mari (1994) discovered that there was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls' abilities to solve issues requiring process skills knowledge. In their numerous investigations, James (2000), Olorukooba (2001), and Bichi (2002) discovered that there was no statistically significant difference in boys' and girls' scientific achievement in relation to their exposure to activity-based science education. As a result, the influence of CAI on gender among NCE Physics students in Niger State was explored in this study.
The lecture technique is a teacher-centered approach to teaching that is similar to the classic chalk-and-talk method. The instructor is the one who speaks, while the students' only role is to listen and take notes. The lecture technique, according to Obeka (2009), is a teacher-centered method. He went on to say that the technique improves subject matter learning mostly through memorizing and careful instructor monitoring of the students. The lecture method is a scientific teaching style that encourages rote memorization and repetition of material without necessarily promoting understanding, and it does not help students achieve academic success in science (James, 2000, Bichi, 2002 &Usman, 2008). Teachers frequently employ this strategy, despite its drawbacks. As a result, in accordance with worldwide trends, it is necessary to adopt an alternate teaching technique such as CAI.
There are students with various academic ability levels, which are classified as low, middle, and high. Low-level ability students have a score of 0% to 39%; middle-level ability students have a score of 40% to 69%; and high-level ability students have a score of 70% and above (Ofonime, 2007). Low level ability pupils, according to Hummel and Sprinthal (1965) and Ashilley (2001), are students that do badly on exams and examinations, are quickly distracted, are less able to set about activities in an ordered manner, and are less able to regulate their own basic impulses and destines. Low-level ability pupils, according to Ofonime (2007), are kids whose academic capacity is below class average but their accomplishment is poor. Collia (2002), on the other hand, defined high-level ability pupils as those who did not attribute their success to luck or chance, but rather to their own personal decisions and efforts. Ofonime (2007) went on to say that high-level ability pupils have academic potentials that are above the class average, and their success is considered good. Some research looked at teaching strategies for academic accomplishment without taking ability levels into account, and others looked at how CAI may help students achieve at the NCE level, while others looked at SSS. This study employed Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) to investigate if it might improve the academic success of NCE physics students of various ability levels.
Statement of the Problem
In general, low student success in science disciplines has been a source of worry for many educational stakeholders (Olorundare, 1993 & Olatoye, 2002). Examiners observed low enrolment and poor achievement of secondary school pupils in science disciplines, according to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC 2006, 2007 & 2008). Furthermore, the majority of secondary school Physics professors were NCE teachers. The performance of Physics students in WAEC or NECO external tests was mostly dismal, as evidenced by the reports of WAEC chief examiners (Ogunneye, 2003).
According to the available information, little research has been done on the impact of employing Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) on academic accomplishment in science for students of all ability levels. As a result, even if students' aptitude levels are taken into account, low academic performance in Physics may remain. Many studies in the literature have found a substantial link between students' academic accomplishments and their usage of computers in teaching and learning processes (Altun, Yigit & Alev, 2007). For example, Yigit (2005) discovered in his research that computer-assisted education had a favorable influence on students' perceptions of it as well as their academic accomplishment. As a result, the goal of this research is to examine the impact of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) on NCE Physics students' academic progress in relation to their ability levels in Niger State, Nigeria..
Objectives of the Study
The study was designed to determine:
- Whether there is any difference in academic achievement of Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with lecture method at NCE level.
- If there is any difference in academic achievement between low ability level Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with lecture method at NCE level.
- Whether there is any difference in academic achievement between medium ability level Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with lecture method at NCE level.
- If there is any difference in academic achievement between high ability level Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with lecture method at NCE level.
- If there is gender difference in academic achievement between Physics students taught using CAI at NCE level.
- Whether there is any difference in academic achievement among Low Ability (LA), Medium Ability (MA) and High Ability (HA) level Physics students taught with CAIat NCE level.
Research Questions
The following research questions were set for answering;
- What is the difference between academic achievement of Physics students taught using CAI and those taught using lecture method at NCE leve?
- Is there any difference in academic achievement between low ability level Physics students taught using CAI and those taught using lecture method at NCE level?
- What is the difference in the academic achievement between medium ability Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with Lecture method at NCE level?
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement between high ability Physics students taught with CAI and those taught with Lecture method at NCE level?
- What is the difference in the academic achievement between male and female Physics students taught with CAI at NCE level?
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement among low ability (LA), medium ability (MA) and high ability (HA) level students taught with CAI at NCE level?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated at 0.5 level of significance to answer the stated research questions,
H01: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between Physics
students taught using CAI and those taught using Lecture method in Physics at NCE level.
H02: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between low ability students taught using CAI and those taught using Lecture method in Physics at NCE level.
H03: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between medium ability students taught using CAI and those taught using Lecture method in Physics at NCE level.
H04: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between high ability students taught using CAI and those taught using Lecture method in Physics at NCE level.
H05: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between male and female students taught using CAI in Physics at NCE level.
H06: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement among low ability, medium ability and high abilitystudents taught using CAI in Physics at NCE level
Significance of the Study
The findings of the study would hopefully uplift the standard of Physics education in the following ways:
The study would contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning of Physics in Nigeria‟s institutions of learning. That is to say it would help to improve teacher effectiveness and confidence in the classroom during instruction and hence improve students‟ achievement in Physics concepts.
It would promote further research. For example National Institute of Physics (NIP), National Educational Research Council (NERC), Science Teacher Association of Nigeria (STAN) and private individuals that carry out research, discuss and disseminate research findings might wish to consider the result of this research work with a view to using the CAI to promote further research.
It would encourage active participation of the students in teaching and learning of Physics which would lead to meaningful learning outcomes, to stimulate the curriculum developers and administrators to encourage lecturers in all subject areas to acquire skills and attitude for developing CAI instructional materials for teaching, to enable administrators of higher institutions to organize and sponsor workshops, seminars and in-service trainings for their lecturers with a view to making use of CAI as one of the methods of teaching at NCE level.
Learning difficulties may be reduced using CAI and this will help to remove the abstractness of some concepts. Fellow researchers will benefit from the findings of this study by gaining access to recent literature and to be acquainted with present solutions of using CAI in teaching Physics at NCE level. This study would also serve as a foundation for further studies in the teaching of Physics.
Delimitation of the Study
The study was delimited to two colleges of education in Niger State i.e. Federal College of Education, Kontagora and Niger State College of Education, Minna, because they are the only Colleges of Education in the state. The Colleges selected were accredited by National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and were similar in terms of academic activities, quality of staff and infrastructure. The study was limited to Physics students in NCE II (200 Level) of the two Colleges of Education under study.The study was also limited to Mechanics and Properties of Matter with the following concepts: Inertial of Rigid body, Energy and Gyration of Rigid body, Angular Momentum, Gravitation, Surface Tension and Oscillatory and Circular Motion.
Basic Assumptions
For the purpose of this study, the following assumptions were made:
- Computer Assisted Instruction is not used in teaching physics in the selected schools.
- The study sample i.e NCE II students of different ability levels have been taught by qualified physics teachers.
- The concept under study have been taught using NCCE minimum standard syllabus.
- The Colleges are homogenous in the area of provision of equipment, instructional materials, staff qualification, motivation and students enrolment.
1.9 Operational Definition Of Terms
Computer Assisted Instruction: Is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place.
Lecture Method: Is a traditional method of talk and chalk method of teaching in which the teacher does most of the talk, while students listen and write note.
Academic Achievement: Something has been accomplished by superior ability; special effort; Great courage; or a great or heroic deed; it is the art of achieving; attainment or accomplishment.
Low Ability Students: They are the group of students who performed poorly in tests, examinations and are easily distracted and less able to set about tasks in an organized manner, less able to control their own basic impulses and their destines.
Medium Ability Students: These are group of students who can only record an average achievement, not because they are not capable of doing better, but partly because they cannot put in extra effort to attain better achievement.
High Ability Students: These are students who did not ascribe their fate to luck or to vagaries of chance but rather to their own personal decisions and efforts.
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