Effect of Two Modes of Computer Aided Instruction on Students’ Achievement and Interest in Statistics and Probability

The study investigated the effects of two modes of Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) on students’ achievement and interest in Mathematics. A non-equivalent quasiexperimental research design was adopted in the study. Specifically, the study adopted pre-test posttest control group design. The study was carried out in Enugu Education zone using a random sample of 250 senior secondary school two (SSS2) students. Two groups were taught using Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics; the treatment group was taught using drill and practice method and the control group were taught using tutorial method. The study was guided by four research questions and four null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data for the achievement in mathematics were collected using Statistics and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) while data on interest were collected using Statistics and Probability Interest Inventory (SPII). Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while hypotheses were tested using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA). The findings reviewed that students performed better as well as show more interest in solving mathematics problems when the drill and practice method of Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) was used then when the tutorial approach was used. Again, the finding revealed that practicing at the computer terminals stimulate students more and helps them retain what they learnt longer, among other issues. It was recommended that government should organize mass computer literacy programme for secondary school mathematics teachers as well as providing adequate number of computers to schools for effective mathematics instruction with computers. ISSN: 2201-6333 (Print) ISSN: 2201-6740 (Online) www.ijern.com 90 EFFECT OF TWO MODES OF COMPUTER AIDED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND INTEREST IN STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY Introduction The success of any nation such as Nigeria in the new-millennium goal on science and technology demands that her citizens in formal schools should be competent in manipulating mathematics. Mathematics is viewed as tool for achieving success in scientific and technological development of any nation. Umoingang (1997) viewed mathematics as the springboard for technological and overall national development. Really, without mathematics there is no science there is no technology and without technology there will not be all the factors of modern society (Ukeje, 1997). Probably because of this consideration of the vital contribution of mathematics to the national development the Federal government of Nigeria made the study of mathematics compulsory at all levels of 6-3-3 system of education in Nigeria as indicated in the National Policy on Education (2004) provision. Despite the importance of mathematics in science and technological advancement of the Nigeria nation, its study in Nigeria secondary school level is bedeviled by incessant poor performance among the students. Really, the problems associated with the teaching and learning mathematics in Nigerian secondary schools have continued to be topical and attract the attention of researchers and mathematics educators. The incessant low achievement in mathematics among Nigerian secondary school students is a clear manifestation of this problem. (West African Examination Council (WASC) Chief Examiners’ reports (2005-2006), Bot, 2011; Imoke and Anyagh, 2012, and Unodiaku, 2012). Harbor-Peters (1992) and Ozofor (2001) reported that poor students performance in mathematics has been more prominent in some aspects of mathematics curriculum content than in others. Such content areas have also been shown to be very difficult to tackle by students. Some topics Harbor-Peters(1988) identified in the senior secondary school mathematics and further mathematics to be difficult to comprehend to students include geometry, number and numeration, algebraic processes, statistics and probability; and calculus. Moreso, Anioke and Ezike (1989) and Obioma (1991) reported that statistics and probability are difficult topics in school mathematics, to students and their teachers alike. Yet more, WAEC Chief Examiner (2006) reported that at the school certificate level students exhibit negative attitude towards probability. International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 3 No. 1 January 2015 91 From the experience of the researcher, students still find mathematics difficult especially statistics and probability aspects. Some mathematics educators (Nwosu, 1989; Adichie, 1990; Onubuogu, 1990, and Ezeilo, 1991) reported that poor performance of students in probability may be attributed to poor methods of presenting the concepts. A method such as the Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) has been considered to be efficient in teaching specific identified topics in mathematics (Emerson and Forbes, 1991; and Ozofor, 2001), especially statistics and probability. The reason for the choice of this alternative method is that the research on tutorial (TR) and Drill-Practice method of Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) invoked, and with many states in Nigeria, using computers to teach school mathematics can then be initiated in all schools. Moreso, with some states government such as Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Lagos, Oyo and Adamawa state pressing on their teachers of science and mathematics to become computer literate (at least at computer appreciation level), one would see the probability of utilizing computer in teaching and learning mathematics. The tutorial package demands self contained and guided instructional program. The program requires little or no assistance from the teacher(s) of mathematics (Mathematics Teacher, 1972). The computer monitor or screen has to be operationally in order to enable a proper display of the concepts to be learnt. The students should be properly taught on the use of the major function keys of the computer keyboard. The tutorial method is a type of programmed learning, using StimulusResponse theory of learning. On the other hand, the Drill-Practice Approach demands the teacher’s expertise in introducing and developing the concepts to be taught in a one-third lesson time. After the introduction, the students would begin to practice using the instructional terminals (keyboard). The Drill-Practice method is developed following the Gestalt theory of learning. The Drill-Practice method involved four levels of control: content selection, Display selection, conscious cognition and meta cognition. Statistics and probability are aspects of mathematics that teachers are finding difficult to teach. Therefore, the use of Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) may serve as a great relieve to secondary school teachers in search of instructional method for teaching the topics. Hence this study was designed to investigate the effect of two modes of computer Aided Instruction on students’ achievement and interest in statistics and probability. ISSN: 2201-6333 (Print) ISSN: 2201-6740 (Online) www.ijern.com 92 Statement of the Problem Mathematics is the springboard for technological and scientific development of all nations. But the incessant poor performance of students in both internal and external examinations vindicates that students find mathematics difficult especially difficult topics in school mathematics such as statistics and probability. Difficult in learning statistics and probability has been associated with poor teaching methods teachers use in teaching the topics which failed to arouse the interests of the students in learning the subject. To what extent would the use of Drill-Practice or Tutorial approaches in Computer Aided Instruction be effective in improving students’ achievement in statistics and probability? Moreso, how would male and female students perform when exposed to the drill-practice or tutorial approaches in computer aided instruction? And more crucially, would their use elicit and sustain higher interest in learning the concepts of statistics and probability? Purpose of the Study This study sought to investigate the effect of two modes of computer aided instruction on students’ achievement and interest in statistics and probability. The objectives of this study are to find out: i. The effect of Drill/practice (DP) and Tutorial methods on students achievement in statistics and probability. ii. The effect of Drill/practice (DP) and Tutorial methods on students interest in statistics and probability. iii. The impact of Drill/Practice method on the mean interest score of male and female students in statistics and probability. iv. The impact of Drill/Practice on the mean interest score of male and female students in statistics and probability. Scope of the Study The study is limited to two modes of Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) on students’ performance in statistics and probability. Moreso, it is limited to senior secondary school two (SS2) students. The statistics and probability covered four content areas viz: measures of central tendency, measures of variability, set theories and case of simple events, and problems on probability. International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 3 No. 1 January 2015 93 Research Questions The following research questions were posed to guide the study. 1. What is the effect of Drill/Practice method on the mean achievement of male and female students in statistics and probability? 2. What is the effect of Drill/Practice and the Tutorial method on students’ interest in statistics and probability? 3. What is the impact of the Drill/Practice method on the mean achievement of male and female students in statistics and probability? 4. What is the impact of Drill/Practice on the mean interest score of male and female students in statistics and probability? Research Hypotheses The study was guided by the following formulated null hypothese. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant level. Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught statistics and probability using the Drill/Practice and the Tutorial method. Ho2: There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of students taught statistics and probability in the Drill/Practice and the Tutorial method. Ho3: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught statistics and probability using the Drill/Practice method. Ho4: There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female students taught statistics and probability using the Drill/Practice method. Methodology Research Design The design of the study a non-equivalent quasi-experimental design. Specifically, the design is pretest-posttest control group design. The study was carried out in the old Enugu Education zone of Enugu State. The population of the study consisted of 7,048 senior secondary two (SS2) students in the 102 secondary schools in Enugu Education zone of Enugu State. The sample for the study was obtained through simple random sampling technique. Based on this technique, 5 schools were selected out of the 102 schools. This was followed by randomly selecting a total of 10 intact classes from the 5 schools. This brought the total number of samples ISSN: 2201-6333 (Print) ISSN: 2201-6740 (Online) www.ijern.com 94 subjects to 250 students used for the study. In each of the five schools, 2 intact classes were randomly drawn from SS 2 classes. Out of the two classes, one class was assigned to be experimental group while the other was assigned to be control group through a simple balloting technique. The experimental group was composed of ________ students while the control group consisted of ___________students. Both groups was composed of 110 males and 140 females used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was called Statistic and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT). The instrument was subjected to face and content validation processes. The content validation of the Statistic and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) was ensured through the use of test blue print. The test was vetted by these experts. The instrument was composed by twenty-five objective items selected from the content which includes, the measures of central tendency, measures of variability, permutations and combinations, and application on probability. Interest inventory consisted of ten structured response items. The instrument was field-tried in two secondary schools in Enugu Education of Enugu State using SS2 students. These two schools were not used in the main study. For the purpose of data collection, the researcher administered the Statistic and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) instrument to the two secondary schools students (SS2) in Enugu State during trial-testing and data obtained was analyzed using computer software (SPSS, Version 8.0) by applying the Croubach’s alpha reliability procedure in calculating the internal consistency reliability coefficient of the Statistic and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) which yielded 0.9824. Based on the calculated reliability index which was high, the Statistic and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) was considered a highly reliable instrument for data collection. In conducting the study, classes in each samples school, were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM) and the control group were taught using the tutorial method (TR) in the Computer Aided Instruction in Mathematics (CAIM). The basic resource materials used by the teachers of both experimental and control groups for teaching the lessons are computer machines. At the end of the lesson, achievement test known as the Statistics and Probability Achievement Test (SPAT) was administered to the two groups. The answered samples of the treatment and the control groups were properly evaluated and the scores were distributed according to the groups. In other to ensure valency of the scores, the students’ scores of both experimental and control groups were International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 3 No. 1 January 2015 95 transformed into standard scores before analyzing the scores. The data generated with the instrument was analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANCOVA technique. Results Research questions one and two were answered using Table 1 below. Table 1: Mean and Standard Deviation of Achievement and Interest of Students in Statistics and Probability. Control Treatment or Experiment Achievement Pretest (SPAT) × 34.928 40.04 S.D 8.846 5.979 Posttest (Post-SPAT) × 45.688 58.528