The effect of computer assisted instruction in teaching ionic compounds on pre-service elemantary science teachers' academic achievement and permanent learning

Abstract

In this study, the effect of the use of computer assisted teaching method for ionic compounds included in content of General Chemistry course in science education undergraduate programme on academic achievement and permanance have been researched. This study was carried out with 70 pre-service elemantary science teachers studying their first year at Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Education, Science Education Department. While the traditional teaching method was applied to the first group, the computer assisted teaching method was applied to the second group. As a means of data collection, 50-item-multiple choice achievement test whose Kuder Richardson-20 (KR-20) was 0.868, was applied as a pretest for pre-study, posttest at the end of the study and 12 weeks later it was applied as a permanance test at the end of the study. Also 5 open-ended questions related to the subject were applied to each of 2 groups both before teaching the subject and after teaching the subject. The data was analysed with SPSS statistical package programme. The data was evaluated using t test, Mann Whitney-U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and percentage (%) distribution. According to the results obtained from the statistical analyses, the experimental group applied computer assisted teaching method was significantly observed to be more successful than the control group applied traditional teaching method (t((68)) = 21.318; p < .05). It was concluded that the use of computer affected permanance in a positive way. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.