23 Comparative Effects Of Electronic And Printed Books On Biology Students’ Achievement In Genetics In Colleges Of Education_Niger State_Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effects of electronic and printed books on Biology students’ achievement in Genetics in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. The influence of gender was also examined. The study adopted a quazi-experimental design in which three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The sample of the study was consists of 120 year one Biology students selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from two Colleges of Education within the study area. The two schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, in which 52 students (24 male and 28 female) and 68 students (33 male and 35) students were respectively exposed to genetics concepts through electronic and printed books. A 50-Multiple Choice Objective Question Items, named Genetics Achievement Test was used for data collection at pretest and posttest after being validated and found reliable. Findings revealed that electronic book significantly improved Biology students’ achievement in Genetics better than printed book. Also gender difference does not exist in students’ achievement after exposure to the two types of book. Based on these findings, it was recommended that instructional contents should be disseminated to students in form of electronic books as these would attract, enhance their independent study and improve their academic achievement.

Keywords: Book, Electronic book, Printed book, Genetics, Biology, Academic achievement

Introduction

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the most effective tools for improving knowledge and skills. Oliver (2002) asserted that the use of ICT in higher education enhances student-centred learning. Hence, ICT tool is necessary for quality education in Nigerian Tertiary schools because it helps to accelerate the learning process, increase teachers’ efficiency and provide remedial instruction and enrichment of materials, thus, improving students’ learning (Osakwe, 2012).

Electronic devices constitute the major ICT tools being used by youths today. The current generation of tertiary students has grown up with electronic devices, a remarkable difference from previous generations. While some have claimed that students’ familiarity with technology surpasses the computer capabilities of their teachers it is increasingly common that teachers have knowledge and computer skills similar to their students. With the advent of e-learning, m-learning, u-learning, technology is gradually creeping its way into the education system.

Education development in Nigeria has faced a lot of setbacks due to cost of purchasing traditional hard cover books, difficulty in gathering information from sources for learning purposes has been problematic for both students and teachers in schools, carrying extra weights in terms of more books to school among others. With the advent of ebooks and its introduction in school learning process, students and teachers that need certain information can get it immediately by downloading an electronic book (e-book) at cheaper rates.

Electronic books have been around since the 1970s; however, their use began to increase with the mass appearance of electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, and tablets. Ebooks are gaining popularity, with more and more people demanding online versions of books be made available. Ebooks can be as short as a few pages or as long as a few hundred pages. They’re typically delivered to the buyer in a pdf file, so the buyer can choose to save it and read it on his or her computer or the buyer can choose to print the document. You can also deliver an ebook as an EXE file (executable file).

The emergence of concepts such as electronic books and electronic learning into the field of education indicates development of education and creation of the possibility to learn for everyone anywhere and anytime. Electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or specifically defined handheld devices such as cell phones and tablets. Ebooks are not the same as print books. According to Richardson and Mahmood (2009), a printed book can be converted electronically to sell online in an electronic document, but a true ebook reads more like a webpage to keep it easy to skim, packed with information and low on fancy graphics (in most cases) so that it can be quick to load. Electronic books can be downloaded from the web, and then read using particular devices, identified as e-readers.  An e-reader allows one to store several books at once, and is portable, just like a conventional book.

In principle, an ebook is quite similar to a printed book only the medium is different either paper or electronic (Vander, 2009). An ebook is an electronic text that constitutes the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book, sometime restricted with a digital rights management system (Adelakun, 2010). However, not all ebooks have a paper version, some ebooks are written as born-digital books, while thousands of existing print works have been digitized, and a small number are published in parallel with the printed books which are been used by students in Colleges of Education.

Colleges of Education is a training institution in Nigeria where students intending to become teachers are equipped with skills and methodologies on specific teaching subjects. Essentially, Colleges of Education are to provide quality courses prior to issuance of teaching certificate to individuals (Sele, 2013). One of such courses being offered in this type of institution is Biology Education. Dinah (2013) stated that books contribute significantly to the academic achievement of students in Biology.  This implies that, without necessary books, students’ academic achievement in the subject will be unsatisfactory. One of the major topics in College of Education Biology curriculum is Genetics. The course is meant to be offered alongside other Education and Biology courses in the first year in College. The achievement of Biology students in Genetics concept when exposed to electronic and printed book is the major focus of this study.

Statement of the Research Problem  

Biology concepts over the years has been taught customarily with lecture method in Nigeria. This method of teaching makes students passive listeners during teaching and learning process instead of them taking active responsibilities for their learning. This probably explains why students’ performance in the subject in tertiary institutions remain unsatisfactory in Niger State, Nigeria. Solving this problem called for an innovative method of instructional dissemination that makes students active in learning process while studying independently. One of such innovative way is through the use of well-structured electronic and printed books.

Electronic books possess interactive features that make them interesting and accessibility on mobile devices and students constitute largest users of mobile devices, probably, if instructional contents are disseminated through such devices, students could be more responsible for their learning and achieve better. Hence this study was carried out to determine whether electronic book and printed book would improve students’ achievement in genetics concept.

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of printed and electronic book on the achievement of Biology students in Genetics in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study was carried out to:

1. Determine the effects electronic book (ebook) and printed book on Biology students’ achievement in Genetics
2. Examine the influence of gender on Biology students’ achievement in Genetics when exposed to electronic book.
3. Examine the influence of gender on Biology students’ achievement in Genetics when exposed to printed book.

The Research Questions

This study was guided by the following research questions:

1. 1. What is the difference in the achievement of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic and printed books?
   2. What is the difference in the mean achievement score of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic book?
   3. What is the difference in the mean achievement score of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to printed book?

Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested in the study:

HO1: There is no significant difference in the achievement of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic and printed book.

HO2: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement score of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic book.

HO3: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement score of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to printed book.

Methodology

Research Design

The research design that was adopted for this study is quasi experimental design. Specifically non-equivalent control and experimental group design was used. The study involved two levels of independent variables (printed book and electronic book) that were arranged in two groups, one level of dependent variable (achievement) and two levels of a moderating variable (gender: male and female).

The research design layout of the study is given as follows:

Table of the Research Design

Where,

O1 = Observation at Pretest

O2 = Observation at Posttest

X1 = Treatment for experimental group (Electronic Book)

X0 = Treatment for Control Group (Printed Group)

Population of the Study

The population for this study comprised of all students offering Biology combination courses in the two Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. There are two Colleges of Education in Niger State (Federal College of Education Kotangora and Niger State College of Education, Minna). Biology students in year one constituted the target population of the study because the Biology topic (Genetics) chosen falls in year two curriculum.

Sample and Sampling Technique

A total of 120 students were selected as sample for the study using a multi-stage sampling procedure. First, purposive sampling technique was used to select the two Colleges of Education in Niger State because they are the only ones within the study area. Thereafter, the two Colleges were randomly assigned to Experimental (Ebook) and Control Group (Printed book). Thereafter, intact classes of year one students in the two Colleges were purposively used for the study. The Experimental Group was made up of 52 students (24 male & 28 female) while the Control Group was made up of 68 students (33 male and 35 female).

Research Instrument

Three research instruments were used for the study. They are Printed Book of Genetics Concept (PBGC), Electronic Book on Genetics Concept (EBGC) and Genetics Achievement Test (GAT). The PBGC was a 32-page well-structured lesson note on Genetics concepts printed in coloured form on paper while the EBGC was the electronic version of the PBGC. Both appeared in colour form but instead of diagrams and pictures in the printed version, the electronic version has short video clips and animations. The GAT was a 50-item multiple-choice objective questions with five options (A-E), out of which there was only one correct answer which attracts two marks each, hence, the total maximum score that a student could obtain was 100Marks.

Validation and Reliability of Research Instruments

The Three research instruments were validated by Educational Technology experts and two Biology experts. Thereafter, a pilot study was conducted on 15 randomly selected year one students offering Biology as a Minor course in College of Education Minna. These students were part of the study population but were not part of the main study. GAT was administered once on them and a reliability coefficient index of 0.82 was obtained using Kuder-Richardson-20 formula. Hence the instrument was considered reliable.

Procedure for Data Collection

After permissions were obtained from appropriate authorities and students have been intimated with the objectives of the study, two research assistants were trained in the administration of the research instruments. The students in the experimental group (ebook) were given the electronic book on Genetics while their counterparts in the Control group received and used their smartphones to access the Genetics concepts. Independent study of the Genetics concepts were ensured for four weeks in between the administration of GAT as pretest and posttest. The data collection process lasted for four weeks.

Method of Data Analysis

Data collected from the administration of GAT were analysed using Mean, Standard Deviation and t-test statistics. Specifically, Mean and standard Deviation were used to answer the three research questions while t-test statistics were used to test the three null hypotheses. Significance of the hypotheses were ascertained at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for the analysis.

Results

Pretest Equivalence of the Two Groups Ascertained

Table 2: t-test comparison of pretest mean scores of students in experimental and control groups

Ns: Not Significant @  p = 0.05

Table 2 shows the t-test comparison of the mean scores of students in both the experimental and control group at pretest. The table reveals that the calculated t-value =2.187, df=118, p>0.05. Since the p-value was greater than alpha level, this implies that the two groups were equivalent at the commencement of the study.

Research Question One and Hypothesis One

Table 3: t-test comparison of posttest mean achievement scores of students in experimental and control groups

*Significant @ p = 0.05

Table 3 shows the t-test comparison of the posttest achievement scores of students in the experimental and control groups. The table reveals that students in the experimental group (electronic book) had higher mean score of 68.75 with standard deviation of 11.34 while those in the control group had mean score of 52.11 with standard deviation of 13.23. The table also reveals that the calculated t- value =7.243, df=118, p<0.05. Hence hypothesis one was rejected. This implies that significant difference exists in the achievement of Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic and printed book in favour of those exposed to electronic book.

Research Question Two and Hypothesis Two

Table 4: t-test comparison of posttest mean achievement scores of male and female students in experimental (electronic book) group

Ns: Not Significant @ p = 0.05

Table 4 shows the t-test comparison of the posttest achievement scores of male and female students in the experimental group. The table reveals that female students in the experimental group (electronic book) had higher mean score of 69.45 with standard deviation of 12.18 while the male students had mean score of 67.32 with standard deviation of 12.45. The table also reveals that the calculated t- value =6.743, df=50, p>0.05. Hence hypothesis two was not rejected. This implies that significant difference does not exist in the achievement of male and female Biology students in Genetics when exposed to electronic book.

Research Question Three and Hypothesis Three

Table 5: t-test comparison of posttest mean achievement scores of male and female students in experimental (printed book) group

NS: Not Significant @ p = 0.05

Table 5 shows the t-test comparison of the posttest achievement scores of male and female students in the control group. The table reveals that female students in the control group (printed book) had higher mean score of 53.60 with standard deviation of 13.53 while the male students had mean score of 53.60 with standard deviation of 12.89. The table also reveals that the calculated t- value =4.512, df=66, p>0.05. Hence hypothesis three was not rejected. This implies that significant difference does not exist in the achievement of male and female Biology students in Genetics when exposed to printed book.

Conclusion

Based on the findings that emanated from this study, it could be observed that both electronic and printed books improved Biology students’ achievement in Genetics. However, the noticeable improvement caused by exposure to electronic book significantly greater than that of printed book. Also, the two types of book were gender-friendly as they improved the achievement of both male and female. The greater improvement caused by exposure to electronic book could be as a result of young people’s preference for performing tasks on digital devices such as smartphones. If adopted in teaching and learning of Biology concepts in Colleges of Education, learners’ achievements would be greatly enhanced.

Recommendations

The following recommendations were made:

1. Since students constitute large number of smartphone and other digital devices, such tools should be used to disseminate of instructional contents to them. This would attract them and enhance their independent study, thereby improving their academic achievement. IN the absence of electronic devices, the printed book can also be considered as an alternative.
2.  For effective utilization of electronic devices for instructional dissemination, classroom discussions should be scheduled periodically after independent study in order for the lecturer to make clarifications, summarize, ask and respond to students’ questions.

References

Dinah, C. (2013). Factors which influence academic performance in biology in Kenya: A perspective for global competitiveness. International Journal of Current Research, 5(12), 4296-4300.

Sele, S. E. (2013). Academic Quality Assurance in the Colleges of Education: Challenges and Ways Forward for Future Development. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 13, 1-9.

Oliver, R. (2002). The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT a change agent for education. Retrieved on 12 February 2103 from http://bhs-ict.pbworks.com/f/role%25200f2520ict.pdf

Osakwe, R. N. (2012). Challenges of information and communication technology (ICT) education in Nigerian public secondary schools. Education Research Journal, 2(12), 388-391. Retrieved on the 15th February, 2015 from http://www.resjournals.com/ERJ

Richardson, J. V, Jr, & Mahmood, K. (2012). E-book readers: User satisfaction and usability issues. Library Hi Tech, 30(1), 170–185.

Correspondence can be directed to:

AJE, Damilola Elizabeth and FALODE, Oluwole Caleb

Department of Educational Technology

Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

+2347033512040/+2348069626979

ajedammylola@gmail.com/oluwole.falode@futminna.edu.ng