The effect of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on students’ attitude and cognitive achievement in chemical bonding

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) on the attitude and cognitive achievement of students in chemical bonding. The study compared the effect of CAI and a Traditional Method of Teaching (TMT) on the cognitive achievement of students in chemical bonding. The study was conducted in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Schools that offered chemistry as an elective subject were the target population. The total accessible population for the study comprised of forty-six (46) students; twenty-two (22) in the experimental group and twenty-four (24) in the control group. A researcher designed Chemical Bonding Achievement Test (CBAT) containing twenty (20) multiple choice questions and Chemical Bonding Attitude Scale (CBAS) containing thirty (30) questions were used in the collection of data. The experimental and control groups were taught with CAI and TMT respectively and the data collected analysed descriptively and inferentially. The results of the study revealed that CAI materials significantly enhanced the achievement of students taught chemical bonding than those taught with TMT. The results also showed that CAI improved the achievement of low cognitive students in a chemical bonding class. A t-test conducted gave a p = 0.00, which showed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test CBAT scores of the experimental group. Additionally, the study showed that integrating animation with text and narration in the learning environment of students changed their attitude due to its motivational effect.