Students’ Attitudes towards computer-assisted learning in Biology subject in a selected secondary school in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

Abstract

Any career in STEM discipline is shaped by the attitudes towards science education in secondary schools. In turn, attitudes are determined by teachers, environment and individual factors. The unsatisfactory performance in the national examination in Kenya in Biology, calls for a review of the student-related factors influencing achievements. On the other hand, the adoption of ICT in learning has been proven to have a positive impact on the student's attitudes, however, there is limited empirical evidence to support the use of ICT in teaching Biology classes in Kenya. Due to the dearth in studies within the local context, the study examined how Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) or Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI) can realign the student's attitudes towards Biology subject for form-four class in a selected secondary school in Uasin-Gishu County. The concept of mutations is taught under the topic of genetics and is abstracts as there are no laboratory experiments that can help the students to grasp the actual processes of mutations in cells. Materials and Methods: This study designed a CAL lesson and measured student attitude towards learning mutations in the biology lesson using a Pretest-Posttest control group design to compare the computer-assisted learning with conventional teaching methods. The study used the experimental design to compare the differences between the experimental and the control group from a total of 54 students from Kerotet Girls High School in Uasin-Gishu County, randomly sampled and equally placed into the groups. First, the study measured the attitudes towards biology using a conventional tool before assigning them into the groups. The experimental group used the CAL, while the control group used the conventional methods (lecture and discussion). The experiment was spread over five lessons lasting one hour totalling 300 minutes. The achievement and attitudinal components were assessed by the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and Student Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) respectively. The data generated were entered into statistical software and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Importantly, Importantly, χ2 was conducted at ά = 0.05 significances level of significance. Results: At the onset, there were no significant differences in the students’ attitudes with χ2 ranging from 3.933 to 7.522(p > 0.5) between both groups but at the end, there were changes in attitudes towards biology with higher positive attitudes towards the use of ICT in biology subject. The achievement scores for the experimental group was statistically and significantly different (t = 10.89, p < 0.05) from the control group. Thus, the students exposed to the CAL lesson show higher positive mental attitudes and performed significantly better on the BAT. However, the finding must be interpreted with caution in light of sample size. Conclusion: The computer-assisted learning module influences student's attitudes and can be considered as an efficient instruction medium for aligning students' attitudes in secondary schools in Kenya. The study recommends that the schools explore several techniques and means that include CAL to grow and sustain students' attitudes towards biology subject and STEM discipline as a whole.