Comparative effects of electronic and printed books on biology students’ achievement and attitude towards genetics concepts in colleges of education in Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effects of electronic and printed books on Biology students’ achievement in Genetics in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. The influence of gender was also examined. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design in which three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The sample of the study consists of 120 year one Biology students selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from two Colleges of Education within the study area. The two schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, in which 52 students (24 males and 28 females) and 68 students (33 male and 35) students were respectively exposed to genetics concepts through electronic and printed books. A 50-Multiple Choice Objective Question Items, named Genetics Achievement Test was used for data collection at pretest and posttest after being validated and found reliable. Findings revealed that electronic book significantly improved Biology students’ achievement in Genetics better than printed book. Also gender difference does not exist in students’ achievement after exposure to the two types of books. Similarly, attitude of students towards Biology was better improved with electronic book than printed book. Based on these findings, it was recommended that instructional contents should be disseminated to students in form of electronic books as these would attract, enhance their independent study and improve their academic achievement.