COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE SUBJECTS IN HIGH SCHOOLS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA (original) (raw)

In recent years, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been growing quickly and seems to become an integral part of individual life. Since the dawn of the twenty first century, technology has crept into learning and teaching environment. With the growing rate of technology, the education framework must be improved, and ICT be integrated into school activities. This may be the thought of the State of Osun in introducing computer into senior high schools to assist delivery of instructio ns. However, the effect of the introduction of computer on students' performance has to be considered. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in science subjects (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) on senior school students' academic achievement. One school in each senatorial district was supplied with computer by the state government of Osun ahead other schools. These schools were purposively selected for the study. An intact Senior Secondary School Two science class was randomly selected from each school supplied with computer. In all, 152 students participated in the study. Pretest-posttest quasi experimental design was used for the study. Students' examination scores served as instruments. The examination questions were validated, and the reliability stood at r = 0.82. Data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed difference between the mode of instruction and students' achievement in each of the subjects. The difference was highest in biology; physics and chemistry trailed behind respectively. It was recommended that computer be used in aiding the teaching of science subjects. Introduction Since ancient times, various techniques have been devised for communicating thoughts, needs, desires, etc among human beings. Communication being an integral part of everyday life of an individual has span through the entire world. Today, in this civilized dispensation of the twenty-first century, the communication system has advanced to carrying voice, text, pictures and many other types of information with the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT according to Adomi and Kpanghan (2010) are electronic technologies used for information storage and retrieval. Asli, Berrado, Sendide and Darhmaoui (2015) refer ICT to a large field that includes radio and television, as well as newer digital technologies such as computers and internet. The rapid rate at which ICT is growing has led to globalization and the world becoming a global village. The recent advances of ICT have led computers to become recognized and widely available to many people. According to Adomi and Kpanghan (2010), ICT has a significant impact on all areas of human activity. It has found its use in every area of human endeavour. With communication being an integral part of education, the education system is not left out of the ICT move. When used appropriately, different ICTs are reported to foster access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasing digital workplace and raise educational quality by teaching and learning in an engaging, active process connected to real life. The use of ICT is fast gaining prominence and becoming one of the important elements of defining the basic competence of students. The ICT breakthrough has made a landmark in globalizing education. Agari and Singh (2013) submit that the use of ICT in teaching is a relevant and functional way of providing education that will assist in