Effect of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Motivation of Senior Secondary School Agricultural Science Student in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) on the motivation of senior secondary school Agricultural Science students in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by the persistent use of conventional lecture methods, which are largely teacher-centered and have been associated with low student motivation and poor academic engagement in Agricultural Science. Grounded in Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the study emphasized the role of interactive and multimedia-based instruction in enhancing students’ learning experiences and motivation. A non-equivalent quasi-experimental research design was adopted, involving a sample of 130 SSII students drawn from two public secondary schools in Zaria Educational Zone. One group (68 students) was exposed to CAI (experimental group), while the other (62 students) was taught using the conventional lecture method (control group). Data were collected using a validated Student Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) with a reliability coefficient of 0.79. Mean, standard deviation, and t-test statistics were used for data analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed no significant difference in the baseline mean motivation of students in both experimental and control groups prior to the treatment, indicating initial equivalence. However, after the intervention, a significant difference was observed in the post-treatment motivation scores, with students in the experimental group demonstrating substantially higher motivation than their counterparts in the control group. The results confirmed that CAI had a significant positive effect on students’ motivation. The study concluded that Computer-Assisted Instruction is an effective strategy for enhancing students’ motivation in Agricultural Science. It was recommended, among others, that CAI should be integrated into the teaching of Agricultural Science, teachers should be trained in the use of ICT tools, and government should provide adequate technological infrastructure to support its implementation