Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the effect of technology on educational achievement in secondary schools in the Buea Municipality. The study employs a correlational research approach. The targeted population for this study includes students and teachers of all secondary schools operating in the Buea Municipality. The sample of this study included 20 teachers and 40 students of both private and government secondary schools in the Buea municipality.

The simple sampling technique was used in this study to select secondary schools where the research was carried out because it created equal chance for all participants to participate. The four-point likert scale questionnaire was used to obtain information from respondents with response options being; strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree.

Frequencies were used to present the various schools and numbers of respondents in this study while percentages were used to represent the portion of respondents in each question. The study concluded that, technology enables students’ collaboration in schools by providing platforms that aid communication, creating new opportunity for students to learn new opportunities with peers; Students have more flexibility in how they help their peers and provide a chance for students to comment on their own and classmates’ works.

To continue, it can be concluded that technology effect knowledge retention by increasing students’ engagement; create a path way for creativity and motivation among students, and enables teachers to involve students in intense environment of learning and as such increases student academic achievements.

The study recommended that school should provide adequate technological resources such as computers, internets connectivity and accessories such as uninterrupted power supply and rules and regulations that guide the usage of all these technologies.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Historical background

Historically, the use of technology in education can be traced back to the emergence of very early tools, such as paintings cave walls, various types of abacus, writing slates and blackboards. Early in the twentieth century, duplicating machines such as mimeograph and Gestetner stencil devices came into existence. The use of media for instructional purposes according to Wikipedia link is traced back to the first decade of the 20th century with the introduction of educational films (1900) and Sidney Pressey’s Mechanical teaching machines (1920s). Further, technology was largely used in training soldiers during and after world war two using firms and other mediated materials such overhead projectors. Slide projectors were widely used during the 1950s in educational institutional settings.

From the mid-1960s, Stanford university professors, experimented the usage of technology in education especially computers to teach arithmetic’s and spellings through teletypes to elementary school students in the Palo Alto unified school district in California. This gave birth to the Stanford’s educational program for gifted youth.

Furthermore, based on these technological trends in education, online education sprawl in the University of Illinois in 1960.Though with the absence of the internet at the time students were able to access class information with linked computer terminals. But never the less, effective online learning with internet emerge in the 1980s when the Western Behavioral Sciences institute La Jala in California opened it school of management and strategic studies.

The school, used computers for conferencing, made available courses for students and by 2002 they began providing online classes free of charge. As of 2009 approximately 5.5 million students were taken at one class online. Also in 2014 2.85 million students out of 5.8 million that took all their courses online. In Cameroon, educational technology was officially introduced in education in 2001 with the introduction of ICT in Cameroon education system.

Conceptually, technology is defined as the organization of knowledge for the achievement of practical purposes (Emmanuel G. Mesthene, 1970). John Kenneth G. (1967) defines technology as the systematic application of scientific or other organizes knowledge to practical task. This means that when knowledge is organized using a particular tool to solve practical task we term it technology.

Technology could also be seen as science or knowledge put into practical use to solve problems or invent useful tools. For instance the internet is a technology which has made up-to-date information available to anyone with access in a matter of moments and provides real time information about events around the world.

Education is the sum total of all the processes by means of which people develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and other forms of behaviors that are of positive value to themselves and the society in which they live (Good, 1973).

It is important to notes that the definitions see education as a major force in the life of the individual and his or her society; as a process that begins from birth and goes on throughout life. In this light, there will hardly be a time in the life of man when he or she can safely say we are sufficiently educated. This is because; life is constantly presenting us with new and challenging problems that require us to modify our behavior in other to find solutions to them.

Wikipedia link define educational technology as the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. According to Tambo (2012) educational technology has consisted of devices and processes that enhance the teaching and learning process. It seems to be a device or a virus teaching material that are capable of: Assisting the teacher to be more effectively, help learners to learn more, aided by these media. Educational technology encompasses e-learning, instructional technology, information and communication technology, multimedia learning, computer based instructions, which are all important parts of the society as it involves the process of integrating technology into education in a positive manner that promote a more diverse learning environment and the way for schools to collaborate, improve knowledge retention, individual learning and different forms of communication.

The theoretical works framing this study are Connectionism by Edward Thorndike (1910) that emphasizes on the fact that learning comes about through the association between stimulus and an impulse to act.

Lev Vygotsky Social Constructivism (1934) that stresses the relationship between the individual and the society. He believes that an individual’s thinking patterns are not due to innate factors but are the products of cultural institutions and social activities.

Social cognitive theory of Albert Bandura (1977) that suggested that the significant part of what the person learns occurs through modeling or imitation. Hence some educational technology can save as models.

Contextually Cameroon is among the sub Saharan African countries that are making enormous progress in the use of technology in various development sectors, including education. Currently, the information and communication technology sector of Cameroon includes service providers such as MTN, Orange, Nextel and CAMTEL which provide internet services to their users. Some current technological initiatives include; Strategic plan for a digital Cameroon by 2020 aligned with Cameroon vision 2035 for sustainable socio-economic development and 2020-2024 National digital health strategic Plan.

Statement of problem

While on practicum 2 at GHS Bokwoango, it was discovered that despite the availability of ICT tools in the school, teachers still neglect the use of these tools in the teaching-learning process. As a result, the aims of these educational technologies have not been meet.

The researcher came to discover that, it is as a result of lack of knowledge or awareness of the effect these educational technologies has on education especially in areas such as students’ knowledge retention, collaboration and individual learning. The purpose of this study is to find out how technology affects education.

Objectives of the study

General objective

The general objective of the study is to find out how technology affects educational accomplishments of secondary school students in the Buea municipality.

Specific objectives

The specific objectives of the study are as follows

1. To determine how technology affects knowledge retention of secondary school students.
2. To investigate how technology enables students’ collaboration in secondary schools.
3. To determine how technology affects students’ individual learning in secondary schools.

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