Applying Gagne’s Nine Events in Designing a Multimedia Programme for Teaching Elements and Principles of Design in Secondary School

Abstract

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Multimedia Programme for teaching elements and principles of design in Demonstration Secondary School, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Multimedia elements were employed to create the student–centred learning environment and were designed using Gagne’s Nine Events of Instructions, which provide an appropriate theoretical framework of a good instructional design. The study also compared the effects of using multimedia teaching instruction versus conventional classroom instruction on students’ Elements and Principles of Design achievement test scores. The duration of this study covered six weeks and experimental design (pretest/post-test) were used. The samples consisted of 20 students from JSS 2 classes, ten students as the control group, and the other ten students as the experimental group. Independent Sample T-test results showed that the students who were taught using multimedia teaching instruction demonstrated significantly higher achievement than that of the conventional classroom instruction. The findings revealed that a multimedia programme that is designed with Gagne’s nine events of instruction is capable of improving learning by managing cognitive load in working memory, and supporting transfer of learning. It is recommended that the use of multimedia instruction must be given adequate priority in the Nigerian school system. Government and relevant private stakeholders need to be encouraged to supply all the essential multimedia equipment and facilities needed for training to improve teaching and learning of creative arts. More resource and media production centres should be established and the existing ones rejuvenated. Training and retraining of teachers on the selection and appropriate use of multimedia for teaching should be encouraged.

Keywords: Design, Elements and Principles of design, Multimedia Programme, Gagne’s nine events of instruction, JSS 2 (Junior Secondary School, Class 2).