IMPACT OF COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: A NORMATIVE STUDY

In the present paper the investigator has tried to investigate the computer effectiveness of computer assisted instruction and conventional teaching method in teaching of biology to secondary school students. A science class of ninth was selected in each of the six randomly selected schools. The pretest and post-test equivalent quasi experimental design was used. The students in the experimental group learned science concepts on the chosen topic of circulatory system through computer assisted instruction whereas the students in the control group were taught the same concepts and on the same topic by the conventional approach. The conventional approach consisted of teaching, discussions and question and answer teaching methods. The students' pre-test and post-test scores were subjected to statistical techniques of ‘t' test, analysis of variance. The results indicated that students that were provided instruction by the computer assisted instruction performed better on the post-test than those who are being taught through by the conventional approach. The results also showed that there is a significant impact of type of schools, gender and locality on the academic achievement of secondary school students when they were subjected to teaching through computer assisted instruction method. This instructional approach through computer assisted instruction may also help teachers to organize meaningful teaching learning experiences and thereby motivates them to adopt more innovative methods and approaches in teaching. Computer assisted instruction is a supplementary strategy in effective teaching. In this paper, the author has elaborated the use, utility and importance of computer assisted instruction in teaching and learning so as to create new approaches, techniques and appropriate digital learning environment in education both for present as well as for future generation. In the end of his study, the investigator has made some recommendations which are mainly based on the present study findings and analysis of the results so as to develop relevant computer assisted instruction packages for teaching and learning biology in secondary schools. Further, the results of this study can be applied to the preparation of computer assisted instruction packages in other subjects such as chemistry, physics, agriculture and microbiology, which may help the students studying in higher classes.