A Senior School Boy Makes Variable Discoveries

VARIABLES                           N1     X       SD     DF     TCAL         T=CRT

MALE SSII STUDENTS TAUGHT

Agricultural science using Power point presentation      24     52.92          1.64   4.3    3.42  2.01

Female Agricultural Science SSII

Students using Power Point Presentation                           21      51.25 1.63

Table 4: Indicates that the calculated t-value of 342 is less than the critical t-value of 3.01 at degree of freedom 43 and 05 level of significance.

The null hypothesis is upheld. This means that there is no significant difference in the academic performance of SSII Power Point presentation and therefore gender did not significantly influence academic performance of students taught using Power Point instructional presentation.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

          Data analysis indicated a significant influence of Power Point instructional package on academic performance of SSII Agricultural science students in schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The reason for this result is obvious. Power Point instructional presentation combines the expressive quality of graphics, texts, and animations. They positively engage the sense organs of the students and attract their attention for learning. This findings is supported by Ekong (2006), who submitted that the use of Power Point instructional packages motivates the learners to learn and increase their learning gains in school subjects. The engagements of these students with graphically developed animated materials become the source of the significant difference in academic performance between the experimental and the control groups of students.

          Equally, the study showed no significant difference in academic performance of male and female students taught using Power Point instructional presentation. The reason for this result is that both male and female students had equal opportunity of learning fast when Power Point instructional delivery was adopted. This findings is supported by Grupa (2010), who asserted that the learning impact of Power Point instructional presentation is not user discriminatory. This user friendly nature of Power Point packages is traceable to the fact that both male and female students were more positively affected when animated chips of Power Point were presented to them.

CONCLUSION

This study concludes that the use of Power Point instructional package significantly affects the academic performance of both male and female students in Agricultural Science lessons. The constant use of Power Point instructional packages and presentation are not discriminatory in engagement of the learners to have learning gains irrespective of the gender of students.

  

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are put forward to enhance the teaching of Agricultural Science.

1.       Power Point instructional delivery should be introduced in all schools to facilitate learning and improve students’ academic performance.

2.      Stakeholders should provide Power Point facilities for use in Agricultural Science lessons and in many subject areas.

3.      Teachers should be taught the development of Power Point instructional packages to promote teaching and learning and subsequently, academic performance of students.

4.      School supervisors should ensure that teachers make use of Power Point and other ICT facilities in the teaching of students in various subject areas including Agricultural Science.