EFFECT OF COMPUTER – ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE NCE PHYSICS STUDENTS IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of Computer- Assisted Instruction on Academic Achievement
of Nigeria Certificate in Education Male and Female Physics students, in Niger State, Nigeria.
Two research questions were raised and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the
study. The study adopted pretest and posttest quasi experimental control group design. Two
hundred and eleven (211) NCE II students from the two colleges of education in Niger State
were used as research sample. The purposive sampling techniques was used to choose the two
schools while balloting method was employed to assign the colleges into experimental and
control groups. The researcher developed Computer-Assisted Instructed package on Mechanics
and Properties of Matter which was used as treatment instrument for experimental group while
control group were exposed to traditional (lecture) teaching method. The instrument for data
collection was Mechanics and Properties of Matter Achievement Test (MPMAT) which was
validated by experts in science education. A 40 items multiple choice objective type
achievement test was used to collect data for both pre and posttest. A reliability coefficient of
0.78 was obtained by using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). The data of
the two hypotheses were analyzed using t-test statistics. The findings of the study revealed that
experimental group performed better than the control group, no statistically significant
difference in the performances of both male and female students taught using CAI which
implies that it is gender friendly. It was recommended among others, that Physics lecturers
should use computer software in teaching Physics in order to enhance students’ achievement in
Physics and Physics lecturers should acquire computer literacy, so that they can develop
customized computer assisted instruction software.