The Experience of Addis Ababa And A W Assa Non-Governmentsecond-Cycleprimary Schools In Using Computers For Supplementing Instruction
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Date
2004-06
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
This study aimed at evaluating the experiences of Addis Ababa and Awassa non-gow:mment second-cycle primary schools in
using computers for supplementing instruction. To realize this, data were collected using series of interviews and an
obsen'ation coding- sheet. Accordingly, 15 CAl and 15 non-CAl teachers" principals, and 32 studellls (i.e. with a focus group
of size 8) in each of the" schools were chosen all based all al'ailability samplillg technique except the students who were
chosen using purposil'e sampling. The researcher too participated in responding in some form .
The inten'iew items III/denvellt a tesl for face validil)' and trial all representative sample sllldellts, and the rating scale too was
thoroughly lested for item correlation and for its illtemal consistency using Pearson's product- momellt correlation coejJiciellt
formula. Then the actual data from the illterviews were allalyzed using a strategy called matrix analysis. The quantitative data
were allalyzed using the F test alld its further technique of allalysis- the Tukey test for comparing the difference among the
group means.
It was found that the Iiule practice of offering CA I in the target schools began in a haphazard way where the schools had made
no or little needs-assessment as to the use of CAl in their scenario. In fact, the schools attempted to manage costprohibitiveness
usillg the available computers alld the resource persons for their secondary school students. These appeared to
have somehow deluded the schools and hindered them from considering other low-cost but higlrly effective instructional
mediullls, such as audiocasseUes combined with print materials. Of course, the educational software showed big irrelevance to
the target curricululll in that for example, they failed to take the maturity level of our students into consideration. Even then, all
the students and almost all the teachers had an amazingly positive view to CAl.
Thus. it was recommended that the schools make needs assessment first and provide teachers with advallced computer use.
MOE should work on a policy directed toward the trainillg of competent CAl instructional designers in the teacher education
institutes of the country. Finally, these bodies should not get late in making advantage of the amazingly big interest of
Ethiopian primary school leamers and teachers to CAl. for improving the quality of education through introducing the
technology
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Keywords
Governmentsecond-Cycleprimary