Effect of Computer Simulation on Students Academic Achievement and Interest in Educational Technology in Colleges of Education in Niger State

This study was designed to investigate the effect of Computer Simulation on students’ academic achievement and interest in Education Technology in Colleges of Education in Niger State. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. 334 (162 males and 172 females) Educational Technology Students from the two colleges of education in Niger State were involved in the study. Two instruments Educational Technology Achievement Test (EDTAT) and Educational Technology Interest Inventory (EDTII) were used for the study. The two instruments were subjected to face and content validation. The instruments were also trial tested in two schools outside the population using test retest method and from the data collected, the reliability coefficient of the instrument were obtained. The EDTAT had 0.83 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient while EDTAT had 0.80 with Kuder- Richardson 20 (K-R 20) for internal consistency. The Cronbach’s Alpha Technique was used to establish the reliability coefficient of EDTII with the coefficient of 0.90. The validated instruments were administered as both pre-test and post-test while the data obtained were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for the hypotheses. The findings among others showed that teaching Education technology with computer simulation enhanced the students’ acquisition to construct knowledge and career skills and interest in education technology better than conventional teaching method (CTM). The implication of the findings include that technical teachers should use computer simulation so that the students can acquire knowledge for construction and be able to develop in their technological skill. Based on the findings, among others it was recommended that workshops, seminars and conferences should be organized for teachers in order to sensitize them on the need to use efficient learning approach such as Computer Simulation in teaching Education Technology.