The Effect of Physics Software on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Physics in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64321/jcr.v3i2.01Keywords:
Physics Software, Academic Performance, Secondary School Students, Physics Instruction, GenderAbstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of physics software in enhancing the academic performance of secondary school students in Physics in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative research approach. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study, alongside two corresponding null hypotheses. A sample of one hundred and twenty (120) senior secondary school students—comprising 60 males and 60 females—was randomly selected from four public secondary schools in the study area.
Data were collected using a Physics Achievement Test (PAT) and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and independent samples t-test. The findings revealed that students exposed to physics instructional software demonstrated significantly higher academic performance, particularly in physics concepts such as mechanics and electricity, compared to those taught using conventional teaching methods. Consequently, the null hypothesis on the effect of physics software on students’ academic performance was rejected.
The study further showed that gender had no significant influence on the academic performance of students taught Physics using software-based instruction. Thus, the hypothesis which stated that there would be no significant difference between the performance of male and female students taught Physics using software was retained. The study concludes that integrating physics software into classroom instruction enhances students’ understanding and performance and recommends its adoption in secondary school Physics teaching.
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