GAMIFIED INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY: MEDIATING ENGAGEMENT AND MODERATING SCHOOL OWNERSHIP IN A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL ANCOVA DESIGN

Abstract

Improving students’ learning outcomes in Basic Technology is very important to the development of the technical knowledge, problem solving skills and competencies needed to participate in a society that is becoming increasingly technology oriented. However, the traditional lecture method of instruction in Nigerian secondary schools may not be engaging enough for learners and may not be effective in teaching the conceptual and practical aspects of Basic Technology. This study examined the effect of gamified instruction on students’ academic achievement in Basic Technology with special reference to the mediating role of student engagement and the moderating role of school ownership and gender. A quasi-experimental 2x2x2x2 factorial design with pre-test and post-test measures and non-equivalent control groups was used. The study comprised 157 Junior Secondary II students randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling from eight secondary schools in Oyo Educational Zone of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study involved 91 students who received gamified instruction and 66 students who received conventional instruction, 82 students from public schools and 75 students from private schools, 95 male students and 62 female students. Data were collected through the Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTAT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.84 (KR-20) and Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ) with a reliability coefficient of 0.88. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance controlling for pre-test scores. The results revealed a significant and large main effect (F_(1,151)=145.04, p<0.001, partial η²=0.49) for instructional strategy on students’ achievement. The adjusted mean achievement score of students exposed to gamified instruction was 67.17 as against 46.52 for students taught conventionally. This difference of 20.65 points in favor of the gamified group. When controlling for the other variables, however, engagement did not significantly (F_(1,151)=0.57, p=0.45) predict achievement. Achievement was not significantly affected by school ownership (F_(1,151)=0.38, p=0.54), or gender (F_(1,151)=1.33, p=0.25). The result of the study concludes that gamified instruction is an effective strategy to improve Basic Technology achievement and can result in substantial learning gains in public and private schools and among male and female learners. Therefore, it is recommended that Basic Technology teachers should incorporate relevant gamification features into classroom instructions, school administrators should provide the necessary resources and support for implementation, policymakers should encourage evidence-based gamified instruction, and curriculum developers should include relevant gamification principles into the Basic Technology curriculum