Environmental Sciences Students' Achievements via Conventional and Technology-Based Instructions

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages: 437-441

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185

Journal web link: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

Environmental Sciences Students' Achievements via

Conventional and Technology-Based Instructions

Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi*

English Language Department, Nizwa College of Technology, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman

Received: 26/08/2019

Accepted: 25/09/2019

Published: 20/02/2020

Abstract

This study is about the roles of instruction through technologies on the students’ academic performance in Environmental Sciences

subject. Totally, 60 sophomore of a Malaysian public university were selected based on convenience sampling. For data collection,

students with close pre-test scores were chosen to be in the same group. For data analysis, SPSS assisted to calculate the mean,

standard deviation and independent sample t-test. Based on statistical analysis, technology-based instruction affects students’ academic

achievement positively and they find it more effective in teaching Environmental Sciences compared to conventional approaches. It is

highly suggested that teachers put more efforts into teaching by means of technologies to Environmental Science students to help them

improve their academic success.

Keywords: Environmental Science, Conventional Instruction, Technology-Based Instruction, Academic Achievement

Introduction¹

system has to shift from conventional methods of teaching to

modern technological methods. The efficient fact about

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) is that it is not limited to

time and place. In fact, it helps learners to study at any time

any place with any gadgets accessible to them. This helps

interactivity, which personalizes the learning process for

students based on each person's needs and learning rate. CAI

offers the opportunity for the learners to adjust the learning

rate based on the speed that they learn, which is impossible to

do so in the traditional style. Therefore, ICT can help to bound

low academic performance and on the other hand facilitate

instruction.

The results of this study verify the helpfulness of using

ICT in teaching environmental sciences. Results also prove

that instruction through ICT is more fruitful than the

conventional method. Moreover, results confirm the effective

use of ICT in achieving higher scores and performance while

motivating the students in environmental sciences. Based on

above-mentioned advantages of ICT rich instruction, the

objective of the study is to investigate the role of ICT on

environmental science university students’ academic

achievement.

Today many schools use technologies in instruction to

help students cope easier with the digital era we live in [1].

This approach to use instructional technologies can enhance

the full-time availability, inclusion and standard of education.

Therefore, the path of success in education passes through the

use of modern technological facilities. Information and

Communication Technologies (ICT) develop the educational

standards by focusing on learning through discussion, delayed

time discussion, directed instruction, self-learning, critical

thinking, data seeking and analysis [2]. ICT can also improve

output, results, administration, instruction, research skills and

make significant abilities in students [3].

ICT use is necessary in instruction since it lets both

teachers and students use, save or manipulate, data to develop

their self-regulatory and active learning skills [4]. Instruction

with technologies includes a huge tendency to collaborative

learning among both teachers and students. Such

collaboration is not in line with the conventional instructional

method. Distance learning gives motivation to both students

and teachers to study more even when the class is over [5].

ICT can also help teachers to develop teaching materials and

lesson plans [6]. As a result, ICT super-fast development

revolutionized education and learning.

2 Review of Literature

In fact, ICT is the tool that lets students learn more

effectively through using various sources of information and

communication technologies. Such facilities assist students to

have a bird's eye view and in depth insight towards different

issues. ICT transforms complexity to simplicity and hence

comprehensible materials for an easier learning process by

simulations of difficult to understandable contexts. Therefore,

ICT is a catalyst in fast learning and higher quality of

instructional improvements, which by its turn leads to critical

thinking and full-fledged understanding [7]. In order to

improve the learners' academic achievements, the educational

Since ICT develops rapidly in every aspect of life,

educators and researchers also thought of utilizing such

devices in order to assist learners to learn more effectively.

Technologies used for instructional purposes provide a more

effective learning situation for the students, motivate them and

develop more interest in them and as a result help to build up

the student centered approach [8]. Since learners are the most

important factor in the process of learning, technologies have

to be used in the most proper way to construct meaning and

understanding for learners [9]. ICT offers chances to the

students to learn concepts more smoothly and develop their

faculty more diligently with a higher quality. The question

raised when researchers wondered if appropriate learning

technologies are useful in teaching as well and if such

technologies can be based on both teaching and learning

Corresponding author: Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi, English

Language Department, Nizwa College of Technology, Nizwa,

Sultanate of Oman. E-mail: shirin.shafiei@gmail.com.

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages: 437-441

theories. The best learning outcomes are drawn if

assisted project-based learning in STEM (Science,

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes and found

that since educationists decided to use ICT in their

classrooms, students showed a higher performance and could

understand scientific concepts easier and deeper. Additionally,

Subramaniam, [22] proved that ICT and especially computers

are helpful tools in teaching and learning science and helps

students to get better outcomes. Moreover, students' attitude

towards learning through computer assisted project-based

learning was positive in learning science subjects [23].

In case of technology use on environmental studies also

studies affirmed the same results. For example, [24] and [25]

confirmed that technological game-based teaching of

environmental sciences is an effective approach to teach and

learn the concepts. Lane, [26] also showed the drastically high

satisfactory level of most teachers and environmental science

students using new technologies.

combination of conventional and technology enhanced

approaches merge together to build an integrated multi-

dimensional principle based on learning theories of

technology and constructivism [10]. It was then that

researchers poised the computer assisted learning and

teaching. In such a context, students are able to design and

make their own decisions as an autonomous learner and

therefore develop their creative, collaborative, and problem

solving skills. In technology based instructional context,

learners can evaluate themselves, assess their own progress,

criticize their own flaws and enjoy their progress by self-

identification of their own performance and achievements [8].

The quality of education can improve by using

technologies since technologies provide many opportunities

for the students to stimulate them to learn what they are

interested in more [11]. Students learn and understand better

and more confidently when they are exposed to use

technologies in their process of learning [12]. This can help

students to be successful and achieve higher performance.

For an effective ICT integration to instruction, some

points should be taken into consideration by teachers such as

teachers’ experience, their education and attitudes, their ICT

literacy, computer self-efficacy, professional development,

leadership support, technical support, availability, pressure to

use technology, government policies about ICT education and

technological characteristics [13]. Buabeng-Andoh, [14]

studied about factors that affect ICT use and its integration to

performance improvement and categorized three different

types of barriers in ICT use including teacher level, school

level, and system level. The first level of obstacle is related to

teachers. They mostly have a low level of competency in ICT

use. Teachers are not confidant enough about using ICT. The

number of professional teachers who are able to use ICT is

limited and there are not many programs that train qualified

teachers to learn more about ICT use in classrooms. The

second level of difficulty is related to schools. Many schools

lack effectively enough infrastructures for administrating ICT

at school, even those facilities that they may have, need

maintenance or updating. Many schools still need

instructional programs or softwares. ICT is not available in

many schools and line accessibility is still like a dream to

many places. Many schools lack enough projects that are

related to learning and understanding. The other important

factor is at the system level, which still follows traditional

educational systems, curricula and organizational structures.

Any of these drawbacks are solvable if we can estimate which

factor is the most impeding one to be able to handle it

correctly.

Methodology

Pre-test Post-test Equivalent Group Design was used for

this experimental study. Participants in this study were

categorized to equivalent experimental and control groups

according to their pre-test scores.

.1 Sample

Since a similar study was done on Malaysian high school

students [27] , the researcher decided to choose the population

for this study among environmental engineering

undergraduate students in a public university in Malaysia.

This study used few units of environmental sciences such as

water treatment, soil enhancement, and air pollution in order

to evaluate respondents' performance. The top sixty students

including 33 females and 27 males were selected as samples

among 95 students who were tested initially. Pre-test

comprised of 50 multiple choice questions to evaluate

students' knowledge at the pre-test before treatment.

Participants were categorized in two equivalent groups of 30

students in each of experimental and control groups.

The students participating in this study were normally

distributed, because they were from the same university,

studying for their second year of environmental sciences on

undergraduate level. In addition, to enter this course, students

had to sit for a pre-test to be chosen to participate in this

study. They were the ones with higher marks in the pre-test,

who could succeed to participate in this course. Therefore,

they were normally at the same level of knowledge before the

course. The students were carefully arranged to be at the two

classes based on their marks in a way that the classes were

homogeneous in terms of the normality and similarity of

students' level.

Genlott and Grönlund, [15] identified how ICT can be

effective in Mathematics instruction at the secondary level.

The result was that ICT is an effective factor in teaching

Mathematics, while it was compared to traditional way of

teaching. Skryabin, et al., [16] also found out that ICT has a

positive contribution to student academic performance in

science. Carrillo, et al., [17] did a similar study and found that

ICT helps students to perform better and achieve higher marks

in Mathematics but it is not as effective in language exams.

However, Ebrahimi, [18] found that ICT can help in reading

English texts. Ghavifekr and Rosdy, [19] came to the

conclusion that teaching through ICT is mostly more effective

and successful than the traditional teaching approaches and it

helps students to achieve higher marks. Krause, et al. [20]

found that using ICT is helpful in getting higher scores of

chemistry and students and teachers also perceive its

effectiveness.

.2 Instrument

The pre- and post-tests were constructed to measure the

prior knowledge of the students and compare it with their

knowledge after the treatment. Three experts in the

environmental science department confirmed the validity of

the test. Moreover, Spearman-Brown Prophecy which was

.88 showed the reliability of the research tool. The level

shows the reliability of the test and that it was in the statistical

ranges.

.3 Procedure

To control secondary variables, the same lecturer was

selected meticulously among the lecturers of the

environmental department with the high qualification and

experience to teach both the treatment and control groups. The

lecturer was an associate professor with about fifteen years of

Jamali, et al. [21] reviewed the use of ICT in computer

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages: 437-441

teaching experience at a public university. In addition, she

graduated at the same university and has been working at

different research groups on different environmental projects

for years. Moreover, she was marked as an excellent teacher

by the students of the previous semester through the

university online evaluation system for the lecturers.

done after class to make sure that they are not using internet

sources or other technologies to solve them.

On the other hand, in the experimental group the lecturer

was asked to teach the course by using ICT. The ICT for

teaching involved using emails, social media and Whatsapp

group to be connected together 24/7. Moreover, students were

provided with tablets to use in the classroom for their in-class

activities and tasks. The same assignments that were used in

the other group were being sent through email and students

could discuss in the social media and Whatsapp group with

peers and the lecturer. The lecturer used projector and slides in

class to teach the content. After 8 weeks of the above

instructions, the same post-test was organized for both groups

at the same time.

Before the experiment, the researcher arranged a meeting

with the lecturer to let her know the purpose and the

procedure of this study. The lecturer was told that it was

essential for the validity of the study that she could not be

biased or influential in the results by providing different

information, exercises, or assignments to the two groups. In

fact, in that session the content of the course was elaborated to

the lecturer and she was asked to teach the same topics such

as water treatment, soil enhancement, and air pollution on the

same order to the students of the two classes. The goal of the

classes was to teach environmental sciences to undergraduate

students. So learning the content knowledge was priority in

this classes. By having the same topics, the same timing, the

same lecturer, similar students, and the same pre – and post-

tests, the researcher was able to measure which method is

more effective in teaching: conventional or ICT-based

instruction. Figure 1 shows the procedure of this study in

details.

Results

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of ICT

on the performance of university students in environmental

sciences. This study was an experimental study in nature that

was conducted and analyzed based on the results from

descriptive and inferential statistics. Table 1 shows that the t-

value of independent sample t-test was -0.412, which in

p>0.05 is not significant because it is less than t-value at

p=0.05. In addition, the statistical results show that there is

not any pivotal similarity between the achievement of the two

groups. The results in the pre-test reveals that in the control

group, the mean was 69.39 and the standard deviation was

Experimental Group

Control Group

.67, while in the experimental group, the mean was 69.17

and the standard deviation was 3.21. Therefore, the two

groups' performance went on the normal curve distribution.

Table 2 shows that the t-value of independent sample t-test

was 15.628, which in p<0.05 is significant because it is more

than t-value at p=0.05. Moreover, the statistical results show

that there is not any pivotal similarity between the

achievement of the two groups. The results in the post-test

reveals that in the control group, the mean was 70.18 and the

standard deviation was 3.56, while in the experimental group,

the mean was 89.37 and the standard deviation was 3.24.

Additionally, the results show that the experimental group

students achieved higher marks compared to the control group

students.

Pre-test

-week Technology-

Based Teaching

8-week Conventional

Teaching

Discussion

Technologies and therefore instructional approaches to

teaching and learning is evolving day after day. The role of

technological improvements and their assistance in teaching

and learning lead to positive outcomes in societies where

chose to use them as facilitators in the process of learning and

teaching. The aim of this study was to understand the role of

ICT on undergraduate environmental sciences students’

academic achievement. Students’ results on the pre-test shows

that both groups performed similarly before the experimental

treatment. In case of the students' performance after the

treatment, it is inferred that those who went through the ICT

instruction received higher marks and achievements in

comparison with those who studied under the conventional

teaching approach. These results are the same as what [16]

found out that ICT can improve students' achievements.

Post-test

Figure 1: Procedure of the Study

In the control group, the traditional method was applied.

In this class, the lecturer mainly used the textbook and the

board to explain the materials. She provided students with

some assignments to be done in the classroom as their class

activities and tasks. Students had to discuss in class with each

other in person to find some answers for the assignments.

They were not allowed to google anything or use their gadgets

to search for answers. There was no extra assignment to be

Table 1: Difference between the pretest achievement scores of experimental and control groups

Groups

Control

Mean

69.39

69.17

St. Dev.

Mean Diff

t-value

p-value

3.67

.98

-0.22

-0.412

0.632

Experimental

3.21

Insignificant

df = 58

t value at 0.05 = 2.0106

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages: 437-441

Table 2: Difference between the posttest achievement scores of experimental and control groups

Groups

Mean

70.18

89.37

St. Dev.

3.56

Mean Diff

t-value

p-value

Control

.97

-19. 19

-15.628

0.000

Experimental

3.24

*significant

df = 58

t value at 0.05 = 2.0106

Similarly [28] found that ICT use in instruction helps

students’ performance and scores in science. Similarly, [29]

affirmed that ICT can improve students' performance and

scores. Hussain and Suleman, [30] concluded that students

achieved better results when they went under instruction

through ICT compared to students who went through

conventional method of instruction. Likewise, [31] concluded

that ICT helps students to process data better and understand

the subject deeper, also he continued that their comprehension

and memory improved by using technologies in their

instruction. Chao, et al. [32] found that teaching and learning

via ICT can lead to more compelling and effective results and

achievements compared to traditional methods. On the other

hand, few researchers reported that ICT had no effect on the

scores or achievements of their participants and that there is

no significant relationship between ICT use and students’

academic achievement [33].

All in all, based on the findings one can easily infer that

technology based instruction can be an essential method in

improving our today's educational systems. Nowadays,

students prefer to even learn through ICT and we as teachers

cannot resist to their preferred way of learning. Specialized

university students are not exceptions and this study proves

that the young generation is so much interested in technology

and its usage in their educational environment. In case of this

study, which is contributing to environmental sciences

teaching, it is proven that university students doing their

major in environmental sciences are keen to use technological

devices in and out of their classes to enjoy and learn their

lessons more efficiently.

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Conclusion

In the twenty-first century, the fast ICT development has

brought a revolution into societies and has affected people's

needs. Accordingly, ICT significantly influences education

and instruction. Findings of this study show that in case of

environmental sciences students, ICT integrated classes assist

students to achieve better results and improve drastically in

their studies. Using ICT approach turned to be more

promising in teaching environmental sciences students.

As a result, it is recommended that lecturers are better to

use ICT in teaching environmental sciences. It is even more

rewarding in case lecturers in environmental sciences get

more trainings to familiarize them with ICT use in instruction.

In this regard, universities can be great helps in assisting their

lecturers to get proper ICT skills, programs, and devices. In

short, universities and the educational systems are

recommended to improve their infrastructures so that both

students and lecturers can benefit from the technology-based

instructions.

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[16] Skryabin M, Zhang J, Liu L, Zhang D. How the ICT

development level and usage influence student achievement in

reading, mathematics, and science. Computers & Education.

015;85:49-58.

[

17] Carrillo PE, Onofa M, Ponce J. Information technology and

student achievement: Evidence from a randomized experiment in

Ecuador. 2011:1-15.

18] Ebrahimi SS. Effect of digital reading on comprehension of

English prose texts in EFL/ESL contexts. International Journal of

English Language and Literature Studies. 2016;5(2):111-7.

[19] Ghavifekr S, Rosdy WA. Teaching and learning with technology:

Effectiveness of ICT integration in schools. International Journal

of Research in Education and Science. 2015;1(2):175-91.

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developments in attitudes and self-efficacy of prospective

chemistry teachers concerning the use of ICT in education.

Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology

Education. 2017;13(8):4405-17.

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Structures for Teaching Science with Computer Technology.

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