Technology in the Era of Functional Creativity: Achieving A's while Having Fun in the Learning of English Language with Digital Instructional Materials

Creativity is functional when it targets at developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills within the creative persons. Functional creativity assures quality for any worthwhile education. The researcher studied the use of technology, as instructional materials, in the developing of functional creativity among students in their English Language classrooms. The researcher used mixed methods that incorporated Action research model. Two school types, namely private (N = 240) and public (N = 240), were used for demonstration over a period of two consecutive months in the 1st Term.16 English Language classroom teachers of Junior Secondary School Two (JSS II) were selected through simple ballot from Aguata, Njikoka and Ogidi Education Zones in Anambra State. These teachers were trained as research assistants. All the students in the selected classes participated (N = 482). Class registers, in alphabetical sequence, were used to compute 480 participants data. PowerPoint (PPT) animations, recording devices, Ipad, visual organizers and soft-materials such as programming and investments were used in instruction deliveries. Controlling for possible confounding variables such as cognitive ability, use of English language at homes and pre-existing knowledge of technology, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) report revealed that use of digital instructional materials had significant effect on the achieved scores of participants F (1, 477) = 104.24; p less than.0005; partial 2 =.18 The researcher observed that students were eager to tackle difficult reading problems as long as they were being aided by animations and audio-visual recording devices. Bi-weekly reports of participants vocabulary-banking revealed significant increase in the sixth week with a mean score of 4.042vocabs = private, and 4.583vocabs = public. Among other things, the researcher recommended that technology based instructional materials be used, in order to engage students interest and tap into developing their functional creativity.