Effects of Computer Based Mastery Learning on Secondary School Students’ Motivation to Learn Biology by Gender

Abstract

The knowledge of biology is applied in many fields including industry, agriculture, biotechnology, medicine and environmental conservation. It has a significant role to play in enhancing the country’s socio-economic development by enabling exploitation of land, animal and other natural and human resources. Inspite of this, the overall achievement in biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) has been low. Approaches used in the instructional process have been identified as among the factors contributing to the problem of low achievement. In this study an attempt was made to overcome this problem by using Computer Based Mastery Learning (CBML) approach as an intervention to investigate its effects on students’ Motivation to learn. A non-equivalent Solomon’s Four Group design (quasi-experimental research design) was used in which four co-educational secondary schools were purposively sampled. The four schools were randomly assigned to four groups. Students in all the groups were taught the same biology content. Teachers of the experimental groups taught using CBML approach while teachers of the control groups taught using the conventional methods. The study focused on the topic Respiration and involved a sample of 167 Form two students in four schools in Bomet District. Students’ Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) was used to collect data. The instrument was validated by five research experts in Science Education and five practising high school biology teachers. Reliability was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. A reliability co-efficient of 0.79 was obtained. t-test was used for data analysis. Hypothesis was tested at an alpha level of 0.05. The findings indicate that there is no gender difference in motivation when CBML is used. It is recommended that CBML teaching strategy be incorporated in teacher education programes. Designers of computer based learning programmes should also be encouraged to include CBML to enhance student learning.

Keywords: Computer Based Mastery Learning, Student’s Motivation, Learning Biology, Gender.