EFFECT OF COMPUTER GAMES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTER STUDIES

Abstract

The study determined the effect of Computer Games on Senior Secondary School Students’ Achievement in Computer Studies. The design of this study was non-equivalent quasi-experimental research. The population for the study was 4832 SS II students in the 30 secondary schools in Enugu Education zone. The sample size of the study was 236 SS II students with 117 students in control group and 119 students in Experimental group. The Experimental group was taught Computer Studies using Computer Games while the Control Group was taught using Conventional method. Computer Studies Achievement Test (CSAT) was used to collect data, which was validated by the experts in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Education, ESUT and found to be reliable with the Kuder-Richardson (KR-20) coefficient of 0.86. The researchers taught all the Computer Studies teachers that engaged in the study. The Computer Studies teachers taught their respective classes. The experiment lasted for four (4) weeks. Data gathered from the pre- and post-CSAT was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Mean () and standard deviation () were used in answering the research questions while ANCOVA was used to test research hypotheses. The study revealed that students taught Computer Studies using the Computer Games significantly achieved better than their counterparts taught Computer Studies using the Expository method and the female students taught Computer Studies using the Computer Games significantly achieved higher than their male counterparts. Hence, the study recommended that the Computer Studies teachers should adopt the use of Computer Games in teaching Computer Studies and the Federal/State governments and other relevant professional bodies should sponsor and organize seminars, conferences, workshops, refresher courses on the use of Computer Games in teaching Computer Studies.