Influence of Computer Simulations on Learners’ Acquisition of Selected Science Process Skills in Public Mixed Secondary Schools in Rachuonyo South Sub-County
Abstract
Students’ performance in biology in Rachuonyo South Sub-County and nationally in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education has been low. This study, therefore, sought to examine the influence of computer simulations in developing learners’ science process skills, evaluate the academic performance of biology students when taught using computer simulations against conventional teaching/learning methods, and determine the influence of students’ gender in the acquisition of science process skills in public mixed secondary schools in Rachuonyo South sub-county, Homa-Bay County. The social constructivist theory of learning by Lev Vygotsky (1978) served as the foundation for this study. The study employed the Solomon 4-group design. The data was derived from a sample of 200 Form 3 students and 4 teachers. Purposive sampling was used to pick 4 mixed public secondary schools. ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to test if the mean differences between the groups were statistically significant. The results indicated a statistically significant influence of computer simulations on SPS acquisition, F(3, 196) = 69.83, p < 0.001. The analysis showed that even after the adjustment of the pre-test, there was a positive association between academic achievement and the use of computer simulations, with a mean between the groups, F(1, 97) = 60.90, p < 0.001. Gender did not present any statistically significant influence on SPS acquisition, F(1, 192) = 0.05, p = 0.83. The interaction between gender and instructional group was also found to be statistically insignificant, F(3, 192) = 1.24, p = 0.30. The study concluded that computer simulation has a significant influence on how students acquire science process skills (SPS), engagement in simulations yielded improved academic performance in biology, and there was no significant effect on gender and SPSAT scores. The study recommended that the current education system should shift from traditional teacher-centred approaches to student-centred and integration of technology-supported models that encourage active learning.
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