Using computer animations to enhance students’ understanding of acid strength

Abstract

The study aimed at improving students‟ understanding of the concept of acid strength in Kusanaba Senior High School through the use of computer animations. A practical approach to instruction was adopted while using computer animations as a corrective tool to students‟ misunderstanding of the concept under study. The fact that the sample consisted of two different classes taught by the Researcher, each having different subject/time schedules and partly because it was not disclosed to subjects that this particular topic was under study, there was no observable between group interactions that could in any way influence the outcome of the study. One class was taught through computer animations while the other class was taught through the traditional method. Data were collected from the two intact classes comprising 100 third year elective agriculture students during two classroom lessons by means of a pre-intervention test. Intervention activities, computer animated activities were designed and used in teaching the experimental group. The control group received their instructions through teacher illustration. These were followed by a post- intervention test. The results were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics specifically the mean scores and the standard deviations. From the study, it was found that the animation method proved to have enhanced the performance of the students than that of the traditional method. This was indicated by a significant average mean difference of 5.4 in a post- test exercise. The implications of the results for the teaching and learning of acid strength are that teaching through animations helps students to develop conceptual understanding, and promote meaningful learning by creating dynamic mental models of particulate phenomena that students find difficult to understand. It is therefore recommended that more of computer animated activities should be incorporated in teaching subsequent lessons in chemistry to fully ascertain the effectiveness of using animation in the University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh xi teaching and learning of chemistry.