Design, development and summative evaluation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) modules on selected topics in high school physics

This study develops, validates and tests the effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) modules on selected topics in high school physics entitled Work, Power, Energy and Simple Machines.The research and development cycle and the pretest-posttest experimental design was used in the development and testing of the effectiveness of the CAI modules. Authorware was the main authoring system used in developing the modules. Five (5) physics professors and physics teachers, two (2) computer experts and fifteen (15) fourth year students from various high schools evaluated the CAI modules before their effectiveness was tested. The CAI Evaluation Guide made by Ong (1990) was modified by the researcher and was used by the evaluators in rating the CAI modules. The effectiveness of the CAI modules was verified in two public high schools: the Sarrat National High School (SNHS) and the Mariano Marcos State University, Laboratory High School (MMSU-LHS), Batac Campus. Thirty (30) students each were randomly chosen from the first and third sections of the fourth year students of SNHS and MMSU-LHS to constitute the experimental group and the control group, respectively. The research instruments used were all pilot tested and validated to ensure their reliability. The gathering of data was conducted from January to March, SY 1998-1999. The t-test for independent samples, Two-Way Analysis of Variance, and stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study revealed the following findings: 1) The student evaluators, physics professors, physics teachers and computer expert evaluators unanimously rated each CAI module as highly favorable. 2) No significant difference was observed between the physics knowledge gained and science process skills developed by the students who were under the CAI method and those in the traditional method. 3) Students under the CAI method developed a better concept mapping ability than those who were exposed to the traditional method. 4) There was significant difference between the attitude towards physics developed by the students who were exposed to CAI method and those exposed to the traditional method. 5) There was no significant difference between the concept mapping ability, attitude towards physics and physics performance of students when grouped according to sex in the experimental group and control group. 6) For the experimental group, physics achievement and concept mapping ability were moderately correlated and for the control group they were positively and significantly correlated. The science process skills developed and the concept mapping ability of the control group were highly correlated. 7) The method of teaching and the average grade in science subjects were the best predictors of concept mapping ability, while the pretest score on the attitudinnaire and the method of teaching for the attitude towards physics. The pretest score on the physics achievement test and the average grade in mathematics subjects were the best predictors of physics achievement, while the pretest score on the science process skills test and the average grade in science subjects for the science process skills