EFFECT OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE ON INTEREST OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN TARABA STATE

Abstract

This study examined the effect of computer software on interest of secondary school students in English language in Taraba State. The study was guided by 3 objectives with corresponding research questions and hypotheses. It was a quasi-experimental research design that involved 377 sample size selected from 19,510 total population. Multistage sampling method as well as Krejcie and Morgan sample size table of determination was used to 377 SSII students as respondents for the study. A researcher-developed instrument titled Computer Software in relation to Students’ Interest Rate Scale- CSSIRS was used for data collection. The respondents were randomly divided into experimental (188) and control (189) groups, while 167 respondents from rural area and 210 respondents from urban area participated in the study. Also, 177 male and 200 female participated in the study. Following adequate procedures for face and content validity of the instruments, reliability coefficient for the instrument stood at .85 using Cronbach’s Alpha analysis. The data collected from field were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviations to answer research questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings from the study revealed no significant difference between the mean interest rate of students taught with computer software; there is significant difference in the mean interest rates of male and female students taught English language with computer software; and there is significant difference between the mean interest rates of students taught English language with computer software in urban and rural areas. Based on the of findings of this study, it was therefore concluded that there is significant effect of computer software on interest rates of secondary school students in English language. It was recommended, among others that, head-teachers in public secondary schools should seek intervention of necessary agencies include Non-Governmental Organizations and Community-Based Organizations to provide computer software across public secondary schools in the study area so as to arouse students interest in English language class. This will go in long way to attract students to English class and boost their interest in classroom activities.