Effectiveness of Digital Textbook (Kognity) on the Performance in Calculus of Grade 12 Students in Shanghai China

The study was undertaken to explore whether utilizing digital textbook (Kognity) helps enhance Calculus performance among Grade-12 students at Shanghai, China. Conducted among International Baccalaureate Degree Program Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches – Higher Level Class students 44 individuals who joined the Calculus class and completed an online survey. To measure how effective Kognity is the researcher utilized pretest & posttest assessments that compared results between two groups, control group (traditional way of instruction) and the treatment group (using Kognity). The test questions stemmed from an extensive question bank within Kognity itself which ensured an alignment with International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) course syllabus. Control group had 11(52.38%) had attained a grade 7, 6(28.57%) had secured a grade 4, 2(9.52%) had achieved a grade 5; whereas one 1(4.76%) were able to achieve grades 6 and three respectively. A comparison between groups shows that those who received treatment yielded significantly higher grades than their peers in the control group; specifically most subjects from this group achieved Grade 7 or 6 and half secured Grade 5 or above; seven out of twenty three students reached Grade 5 which accounts for thirty point four three percent; six students earned an 7 comprising (26.9%) each for Grades 7 and 6 respectively while 4 subjects achieved grade 4 representing (17.39%). Following intervention however highest attainment was observed among subjects within control group went for Grades 7 almost exclusively and very few achieved Grades 6, five or four. Surprisingly only 1 out of 21 attained grade 5 while the majority bagged grade 7, 15 achieved Grade 7 representing (71.43%), secured Grade 4 which accounted for (14.29%), two earned grade 6 which is (9.52%) and one student earned a Grade 5 accounting for (4.76%). In terms of pretest and post test scores on standardized tests administered in both groups it was perceived indeed there was a significant difference between mean scores of both the control and the treatment. The treatment group averaged at 86.23 with a standard deviation of 10.84 while the control groups pretest mean score came in at 75.40 with a standard deviation of 18.42. These results were significant with a t-value (2.40) and p-value (.02) supporting the rejection of the null hypothesis and reinforcing the importance of technology integration in education for optimal learning outcomes.