Enhancing Computer Animation on the Interest of Technical College Students in Basic Electricity in Nigeria

Abstract

The effect of 3D computer animation and 2D vector-based animation on the interest of technical college students in basic electricity is the main concern of the study. Quasi- experimental research design was adopted for this study, precisely, pre-test, post-test non equivalent group design which involved groups of students in their intact classes. The population for the study was 195 year II Basic electricity (BE) students in the Technical Colleges in Niger State. Two research questions and three null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The instruments used for data collection was the Basic electricity Interest Inventory (BEII). The BEII, training manual, 3D computer animation and 2D vector-based animation lesson plans were all subjected to face and content validation by three experts. The trial test for determining the coefficient of internal consistency of the BEII items was carried out using Cronbach Alpha. The reliability coefficient computed for the BEII was 1.85 Mean was used to answer the research questions, while ANCOVA was employed to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that both 3D computer animation and 2D vector-based animation enhanced students’ interest but that the 3D computer animation instructional technique was more effective in stimulating students’ interest than the 2D vector-based animation technique in basic electricity. The study also revealed that there was effect of gender on students’ interest in basic electricity favouring boys. There were no interaction effects of treatments and gender on interest of technical college students in basic electricity. Thus the effectiveness of 3D computer animation instructional technique on students’ interest in basic electricity was independent of gender. It was thereafter recommended that Ministries of Education, National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) and NBTE should organize workshops, seminars and conferences for technical teachers on regular basis to enlighten and improve their knowledge and skills on the use of the guided computer animation instructional techniques among others.