Effects of Computer Tutor on Children’s Academic Performance in the Concept of Subtraction of Mathematics Activities in Preschools of Ildamat Ward in Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of computer tutor on performance of subtraction among pre-school children on Ildamat ward in Kajiado central, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to determine the effects of teacher’s computer literacy on children’s performance of subtraction concepts in early childhood education, to assess the effects of access to computer tutor on child’s performance of subtraction concepts in early childhood education, to examine the effect of gender difference on how computer tutor affect their performance in subtraction among pre-school children on Ildamat ward in Kajiado Central, Kenya. This study employed a quasi-experimental approach of the pre-test – posttest type. The target population for this study was 16 preschool teachers and 316 preschool children. There were 10 pre-school centers in Ildamat ward. Multi-stage cluster sampling and purposive sampling were used to select the sample. The sample size for this study was drawn from two schools and it consisted of 44 pupils and 4 teachers drawn from the target population of 316 preschool children. The sample of schools selected represented 20%, pupils 14% and teachers 25%. Questionnaires and pupils competence test were used to collect data and analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics like analysis of variance (ANCOVA) and student t-test. Data on the teachers’ computer literacy was used to categorize the pupils into two groups; control and experimental. The results indicated that the teacher’s computer literacy had a significant effect on the child’s performance in subtraction. Those children who were taught by teachers who were computer literate performed better in the posttest than those children who were taught by teachers were not computer literate. To establish the effects of using computer tutor on child’s performance in subtraction the researcher subjected the data on pretest and posttest. The findings revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean score of the two groups; control and experimental. The pupils who were taught using computer tutor (experimental group) performed better in subtraction than the control group. From the findings, the use of computer tutor in teaching mathematics enhanced learning outcomes. The following were the conclusions of the study. Teachers with insufficient computer skills find it difficult to integrate computer technology in their instructional approaches, a factor that negatively affects lesson delivery leading to dismal learning outcomes. The use of computer technology helps teachers to improve instruction. The technology assists the children to develop mathematical ideas that broaden their thinking and knowledge. It was revealed that the difference was not statistically significant between genders in mathematics performance for pupils who were taught using computer tutor. The following recommendations were made that the national government should come up with a policy that guide ECDE training colleges on how to incorporate computer studies in training teachers. The following were recommended for further research; a similar study should be carried out in the entire Kajiado County to find out if the use of computer tutor improves learning outcomes to enhance the generalizability of the study.