The Influence of Electronic Information Technology on the Intellectual Development of Students
Chapter One
Purpose of the Study
The objectives of the study include to:
- Examine the influence of information communication technology on students’ achievement in Mathematics.
- The difference between the intellectual development of students taught by mathematics teachers who are computer literate and those who are not.
- To assess whether there is a relationship between the teaching method and the intellectual development of students due to use of ICT.
- To examine whether there is computer literate difference in the intellectual development of students due to the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT).
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
ICT integration in Mathematics
Introducing technology into the learning environment has been shown to make learning more student-centered, to encourage cooperative learning and to stimulate increased teacher student interaction and that teachers using ICT applications in their pedagogy are likely to show gains on measures of progressive thought and reflection, (Newhouse, 2002). The use of ICT thus encourages teachers to use more cooperative work and less teacher lecturing as this study sought to find out that in schools where ICT was integrated, teachers enabled their students to be field independent (i.e. leaners who rely less on contextual clues in defining meaning) thus enabling them perform better than field dependent learners (Weller, 2002). The use of ICT in teaching mathematics can therefore raise understanding and give better insights into mathematical concepts and the support of ICT to mathematics teachers comes in handy when helping their students design and produce their own knowledge presentations and thereby engage with powerful learning experiences. Therefore, application of ICT employs methods that intensify understanding of mathematical concepts through a wide range of technologies could be available to teachers and whose applications could be designed to match user characteristics and the requirements of mathematics curriculum tasks (Leask et al, 1999). This study sought to investigate the underlying influence of the use of ICT in enhancing performance in mathematics through a student-centered approach. Gachenga, (2007) identified assignments, demonstration as well as drill and practice as the most common methods used in teaching mathematics. These teacher-led methods however, only tended to slow down learner creativity and problem solving cues, and instead this study found out that offering unlimited access to use learning technologies could be a very important aspect in teaching mathematics concepts in abstract topics especially 3D mathematics which would stimulate the learner towards better performance. While reporting on the use of ICT to teach mathematics, (Rahman et al. 2003) linked ICT in three ways; using the technology as a data analysis tool, using the technology as a problem solving or modeling tool and also using it as a tool to integrate mathematics with context. This study addressed itself to the use of ICT integration in mathematics context.
In a study done in Kenya and Uganda it was found that mathematics teachers rarely used ICT to teach (Kidombo, 2010). In Kenya for instance, one of the challenges the country faced in efforts to integrate ICT to learning was coming up with appropriate digital content yet excellence in mathematics as a subject was viewed as a key subject and a formidable link to numerous careers as well as a gateway to easier learning of other subjects in school. According to Rahman et al. (2003), Mbugua et al. (2012) and Shikuku, (2012), problem solving was an activity mathematics teaching must be centered on and which this study articulated through ICT integration in teaching pedagogy. Earlier studies by Polya (1957) noted that the process of problem solving in mathematics involved four steps: understanding the problem, devising a plan (solution), implementing the plan and looking back (examining the solution) all of which demanded the ability to develop a deep understanding of the problem and to devise a plan to solve them. To this extent therefore this study identified these existing loopholes in the pedagogical approach in the teaching of mathematics and that endeavored to have the learner get more involved in the learning process.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study was quasi-experimental in nature. It was non- equivalent pretest, posttest, post-posttest control group in design. This design was adopted because it is not possible to undertake true experiment in social sciences. There was no randomization of subject since this might disrupts school organization, hence, intact classes of SS II students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups respectively. The experimental group was taught through ICT used teaching method and the control group through lecture method.
Population of the Study
The targeted population of this study comprised of all state owned Senior Secondary Schools in Agege L.G.A. Lagos State. The total population of eight thousand two hundred (8,200) SS II students comprising four thousand six hundred and forty-five (4,645) males and three thousand five hundred and fifty-five (3,555) females. Nineteen (19) out of these twenty-four (24) schools were coeducational with six thousand one hundred and eighty-nine (6,189) students and only three schools did not separate their classes computer literate wise which make a total of one thousand seven hundred and forty-three (1743) students. The schools with ICT capacity were thirteen (13) with the total of six hundred and eight (608) computers.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
ICT performance in mathematics between Experimental group and Control group.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The research work explored to find the effects that ICT method of teaching has over the lecture method. Several literatures were reviewed in the course of this study ranging from the theoretical framework, teaching of mathematics at senior secondary schools, ICT and mathematics teaching, retention and performance in mathematics, computer literate and performance in mathematics, computer literate and ICT, overview of similar studies to the implications of all these literatures on the present study. Two senior secondary schools were randomly selected out of twenty-four state owned senior secondary schools making a total of eight thousand four hundreds and forty-two (8200) students in the Lagos metropolis. One hundred and twenty-eight students were sampled although the initial numbers were more, those who scale through the three tests, their scores formed the data of this study. The instrument used, Mathematics Performance Test, validated by three experts (Professors in the faculty of education) was pilot tested with the reliability coefficient as 0.86 using the spit-half (odd-even) ranking method. The researcher taught both the control and the experimental groups on curved and lateral surface areas, volumes and other parameters of the solid shapes popularly known as mensuration. Four research questions were formulated and their corresponding hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Independent t-test and two-way ANOVA were the statistics employed for the work. The findings of the research revealed that the student who were taught using ICT method of teaching showed significant improvement in their performance in mathematics than the students who received instruction through the traditional method. Reason being that the calculated p value of 0.001 is lower than the 0.05 alpha level of significance while the t-calculated value of 9.62 is higher than the t- critical value of 1.96, at df 126. The calculated mean performance of students taught mathematics using lecture method and those taught mathematics using the ICT method were 36.85 and 46.20 respectively, indicating a mean difference of 9.35which suggested that ICT used i n t h e teaching contributed towards raising the performance of the students in mathematics and their achievement since the calculated mean achievement of students taught using the lecture method and those taught using the ICT method were also 36.00 and 40.89 respectively particularly when their respective p-values were less than equal to 0.05. The research also revealed that male and female taught using ICT method did not differ significantly both in performance and retention in mathematics.
Conclusions
- ICT used teaching strategy significantly improved students‘ performance on the performance test and their retention level also proved that learning through ICT proves more meaningful and effective than the traditional classrooms
- Using ICT was computer literate friendly in that male and female taught using ICT did not differ significantly both in performance and retention in
- Although significant differences have been found within the two groups, it is noteworthy to point out that the retention and performance of the students taught using ICT outweighed those taught using conventional method, hence ICT be used to teach mathematics particularly
The fundamental variables of the study included: (1) The learning strategy, especially ICT used strategy; (2) the learning outcomes in terms of performance; (3) the retention level measured by the post post-test questions were all significantly in favour of ICT use.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are therefore made:
- Relevant curriculum should be developed or upgraded periodically where in existence by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to accommodate dynamism of ICT applications in all levels of mathematics teaching in secondary schools
- The government of Lagos state should seek partnership with private and non- governmental organizations to provide the ICT facilities like LCD projectors, slide screens, laptops and improvise for alternative source of power supply like solar panels for consistent power supply in schools since the use of ICT depends largely on power. The government should fast-track efforts to procure and provide necessary ICT materials.
- Lagos state ministry of education should organize mathematics teachers‘ forum and workshop periodically (during long vacation or at the end of each term) to share updates and development on this strategy to enhance teaching
- The ministry of education, in Lagos state should train teachers on the use of ICT to teach other science based subjects such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics among others in secondary
- Textbook writers should include ICT as formal, convenient and not a supplement approach for teaching mathematics (mensuration) in their
- Challenge Your Disabilities Programme (CYDP) unit established in Lagos, might find the method more interactive for better performance in mathematics to the hearing-impaired students such as dump and deaf but with sight.
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