V3I6P60

Effects of Multimedia Technology Instruction on Students’ Retention of Mechanics Concepts in Physics in Kwali Area Council, Abuja

Dada Ayodele, PhD^1*, Suleiman Dogonyaro Gulee, Ph.D²

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of Multimedia Technology (MMT) instruction on the retention of mechanics concepts among senior secondary school Physics students in the Kwali Area Council of Abuja, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The target population comprised 3,005 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) Physics students, from which a sample of 59 students (36 males and 23 females) was drawn using simple random sampling across two intact classes. The experimental group (n = 36) was taught using MMT, while the control group (n = 23) was taught using the conventional lecture method.

Data were collected using a 40-item Physics Retention Test (PRT) with a pilot-tested reliability coefficient of r = 0.90. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while the null hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a 0.05 level of significance.

The results revealed that students taught with MMT demonstrated significantly higher retention mean scores than those in the conventional group. Regarding gender, while male students achieved higher descriptive mean scores within the experimental group, ANCOVA results indicated no statistically significant difference in the retention capacities of male and female students exposed to MMT. The study concludes that MMT is an effective, gender-equitable instructional tool for enhancing long-term conceptual retention in physics mechanics. It is recommended that the Federal and State Ministries of Education systematically integrate multimedia tools into the secondary school physics curriculum and provide corresponding ICT training for educators.

Keywords:

Multimedia Technology, Retention, Mechanics. Physics