INNOVATIONS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA, Ebele C. Okigbo, Nneka R. Nnorom, Ernest O. Onwukwe [best reads .TXT] 📗

strategy.

School owners, whether Government or private should provide such software for e-laboratory strategy.

Where laboratories are not available, Parent Teachers Association should assist schools in providing equipment for e-laboratory strategy.

 

 

References

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Akpan, B.B. (2012). Science education in Nigeria. In U.M.O Ivowi & B. B. Akpan (eds) Education in Nigeria: from the beginning to the future. Lagos: Foremost education service Ltd.

Akpan, B.B. (2008) . Nigeria and the future of science education. Ibadan: Oluseyi Press Ltd.

Danjuma, B.R. (2006).A survey of the Supply of equipment and materials in chemistry laboratories in Plateau State senior secondary schools. Proceeding of the 47th Annual Conference of STAN, 187-192

Ezenduka, C.U & Achufusi, J.N (2013). Level of secondary school biology teacher’s ICT literacy and utilization in Anambra State: Implication for MDGS attainment A. 54thnnual Conference Proceedings of the Science Teachers Association of Nigerian, 323-331.

Harbor-Peters V. T. A. (2001). Computer education for all mathematics teachers. A basic preparation for year 2010: ABACUS: Journal of Mathematics Association of Nigeria.26 (1); 70-77

Mohammed, Y. (2001). Improvisation of science teaching resources for the realization of the objectives of Universal Basic Education (UBE).JASSKON Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 3 (1); 15-17

Moses, J. B. (2012). Evaluation of the Nigerian senior secondary school chemistry curriculum in Bayelsa State. An unpublished Ph.D dissertation, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,  Awka,  Nigeria.

Moses, J.B. (2013). Chemistry laboratories and the implementation of the revised Nigerian senior secondary school chemistry curriculum in Bayelsa State. Niger Delta Journal of education, 5 (12); 37-47

Nzewi, U. M. (2009). Information and communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning curriculum theory and practice. Calabar: University of Calabar press.

Olayiwola, M.A (2000). Re-thinking improvisation towards effective chemistry delivery in Nigeria secondary schools. 41st  Annual Conference proceedings of STAN, 159-162

Paulley, F. G (2017). Examination malpractice and cheating as forms of corruption in the education system: Implication for the Nigerian society. In A. A. Adeyinka, J. C. Buseri, T.T. Asuka, A. C Egumu, A. A. Agih & F. G. Paulley (eds) Education for the reduction of corruption in Nigeria.  Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt.

Transparency International, (2019), Corruption perceptions index 2018. Berlin: Transparency International.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EFFECT OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING MODEL ON THE INTEREST OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY

 

Dr. Peter I.I. Ikokwu  

&

                                                                                 Joy A. Eke

 

Abstract

 

The study investigated the use of computer and its effect on the interest of secondary school chemistry students in Ogidi education zone. It was a Quasi experimental study conducted on a sample of 140 chemistry students taken from a population of 2806 students by stratified random sampling technique. The sample was divided into control and experimental groups. Chemistry Interest inventory was first administered on the two groups as pre-test before treatments. The two groups were taught acids and bases. One group was taught with conventional method and the other group with Computer Assisted Learning Model (CALM). After two weeks of treatment, both groups were exposed to post-tests. The results show that the students exposed to computer assisted instruction showed more interest than those taught with conventional method. The influence of gender on the interest of chemistry students exposed to computer assisted instruction was found in favour of the females based on the mean interest gain of the male and female students. Implications of the study were discussed. Recommendations made included a call on government and school administrators to assist chemistry teachers to attend seminars, workshop and other capacity building courses on ICT and computer application.

Keywords: Computer Assisted Learning Model, Interest

 

Introduction

Currently, there is no equivocation on the issue of continuous shift in the nature and use of technology for improving the processes and products of education depending on the type of excellence attainable by the members of the society and communities all over the globe. The areas of excellence span across medical sciences, philosophy, psychology, technology, forensic science, education, engineering etc. The advancement in science and technology and the application of education principles and methods have yielded rich dividends in almost all disciplines related to the management and organization of educational system. The applied aspect of technology in the educational disciplines has tremendous capacity to provide the best possible output for both the teachers and students. There has been consistent advocacy for a shift from the old to new methods of teaching and learning including the use of computer and other teaching aids.

 

Computer is one of the finest and most important gifts of science and technology to mankind. All aspects of life and disciplines have received a touch of the computer. Such aspects of life and disciplines which are in exhaustive include communication, education, criminology, etc. Ikokwu and Emendu(2014)stressing the importance of computer in teaching and learning recommended that every teacher should endeavour to be computer literate and design ways of aiding instruction with the computer in their various fields. Abanobi and Abanobi (2017)observed that when computer is properly used in teaching, achievement is not only enhanced but the interest of students is also highly influenced positively.

 

Chemistry, which according to Ikokwu and Igboanugo (2018) is central to all the sciences and science related courses, is the science which deals with the elementary principles of natural substances. Chemistry makes our life very easy and comfortable. It has brought wonderful changes in the life of man. Today, we live in the world of electricity, air conditioners, refrigerators, radios, telephones, telegraph and computers. Also the areas of medicine and defense have their own impacts of chemistry. No doubt, these applications of chemistry have extensively made it a subject of interest. However, Ikokwu (2017) stressed that learning of chemistry for remarkable achievement demands the interest of the players that is the teacher and the learner.

 

Interest is a feeling of the inclination or identification with a particular thing, idea or belief. Agbai (2006) defined it as the feeling of a person whose attention, concern or curiosity is particularly engaged by something. It is also a concern, drawn attention of, or aroused curiosity of a person. Moreover, influence is said to be the capacity of power of persons or things to compel or produce effects on the actions, behaviour, and opinion of others.

 

Generally, the prevalence of computer drastically affects many areas of the society positively. Education is not an exemption. Over a decade, Omwenga (2005) observed that the use of computer is being extended to different disciplines and sectors including commerce, banking and education. Chemistry is not an exemption. While teachers use computer technology and modern principles and methods to enhance their lessons, modern day chemistry students employ the computer in their school work including internet browsing for research.  As a result the computer has recorded some good and bad influences on chemistry students and chemistry as a discipline.  

 

Nevertheless, some of the positive influences of computer on the study of chemistry are:

1.                It gives a better understanding of certain concepts or topics in chemistry.

2.                Computer gives a better assess to E-books.

3.                It gives a virtual manipulation of chemistry.

4.                It makes the learning of chemistry easier and essentially more valuable.

5.                Computer can turn educational experiences into games for students.

 

Conversely, some of the bad influences of computer on chemistry include:

1.                Consumption of learning time.

2.                Computer and technology create a generation of distracted students.

 

Despite the importance of chemistry in the world today, the achievement and interest of secondary school students in chemistry are reportedly poor (Igboegwu (2010), Ikokwu (2016), Mbonu (2017), Ikokwu and Igboanugo (2018)). Available research findings attribute the low achievement and lack of interest to teachers and students attitude towards the subject; poor application of computer to the teaching and learning of chemistry, unavailability and poor use of resources, dull or unchallenging learning environment and inappropriate methods of instruction.

 

Integration of computer in teaching and learning of chemistry has been proposed as one of the modern approaches which could lead to improved interest and achievement (Ogembo, 2012). However, there is limited research on the extent and influence of the use of computer for mastery and interest in chemistry. This research therefore sought to investigate the effect of computer on the interest of secondary school students in chemistry in Ogidi education zone of Anambra state.

 

Research Questions

 

The following research questions guided the study:

What is difference in the mean interest scores of chemistry students exposed to computer and those taught with the conventional method?

What is the influence of gender on the students’ mean interest score in chemistry when taught using computer using computer assisted learning model?                                

 

Hypotheses

1.                There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of chemistry students exposed to computer and those taught with the conventional methods

2.                There is no significant difference in the effect of computer on students based on gender.

 

Method

The design for the study was quasi-experimental. The area of study is Ogidi education zone of Anambra State. The population of the study consists of all the SS2 Chemistry students in all the forty government owned secondary schools in the education zone totalling about 2806 (two thousand, eight hundred and six).

 

The sample of the study constitutes 140 students from six intact classes, from six coeducational schools, two from each of the three local government areas in the zone. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the schools used for the study. 67 students from three schools (one from each of the three L.G.As) were used as experimental group, and 73 from the other three schools served as control group.

 

The instrument for data collection was chemistry interest inventory, adopted from Ikokwu (2016). The interest inventory was administered before and after the computer assisted instructions and conventional teaching methods. This gave the pre and post test scores.

 

Mean and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions while analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses.

 

Results

Research Question 1: What is difference in the mean interest scores of chemistry students exposed to computer assisted learning model and those taught with the conventional method?

 

 

Table 1: Means and standard deviations of the effect of teaching methods on the interest of students in chemistry.

 

Method

N

Pretest

Post test

Mean Gain Scores

 

Computer  

Conventional

 

68

73

 X1  SD1

10.57  4.4

7.97  3.86

 X2  SD2

24.76  1.76

18.51  7.45

 X

14.19

10.54

 

From Table 1, the pretest and posttest scores show that there are differences in the interest of chemistry students exposed to computer and those taught with the conventional method. Also, those taught with computer recorded a higher mean gain score against those taught with the conventional method.

 

Research Question 2: What is the effect of gender on the students’ mean gain interest score in chemistry when taught using computer?

 

Table 2: Mean and standard deviation of the effect of computer on the interest of students based on gender                                                                                                                                                                                               

Gender

N

Pretest

 

Post  Test

 

Mean Gain score

 

Male

Female

 

62

79

X1

9.96

8.19

SD1

4.35

3.87

X2

20.11

20.00

SD2

5.87  

7.23

X

10.15

11.81

 

From Table 2, the differences in the mean gain interest scores of male and female chemistry students show thatgender influences the students’ mean score in chemistry when taught using computer. The females were favoured with a mean gain score of 11.81 as against the males’ 10.15.  

 

Table 3: Analysis of covariance of students’ interest scores of computer assisted model and conventional groups

 

Sources of Variation

Sum of Squares

DF

Mean square

F

SIG

Covariates model

Intercept

Pretest

Method

Gender

Age

Method x Gender

Method x Age

Method x gender x age

Error

Total

Corrected total

1550.852

4397.342

468.147

186.706

69.301

213.85

6.494

59.124

121.523

4241.570

62153.00

5792.421

8

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

131

140

139

193.856

4397.342

468.147

186.706

69.301

213.851

6.494

59.124

121.523

32.378

5.987

135.811

14.459

5.766

2.140

6.605

.201

1.826

3.753

.000

.000

.000

.018

.146

.011

.655

.179

.055

 

 

HO1: There is no significant difference in the interest of students exposed to computer and those exposed to conventional method.

 

The data in Table 3 shows that there is significant main effect for methods of teaching chemistry f (1,139) = 5.766, p<.018. The null hypothesis is therefore rejected indicating a significant difference in the mean pre and post test score for students taught  chemistry using computer assisted method and those taught using conventional method.

 

HO2: There is no significant difference in the influence of gender on the mean interest gain of chemistry students exposed to computer.

 

Table 3 revealed no significant main difference of gender on students’ mean interest gain in chemistry f (1,139) = 2.140, p >146.