Influence of Tablet Use on Cognitive and Critical Thinking Skill Attainment of Learners in Kalawa Primary School, Kitui County

Abstract

The use of e-learning is increasingly continuing to grow in the current education system due to the increase of technology influence on our day to day activities. A tablet PC-Based learning approaches are also gaining popularity, particularly during routine classes. Yet, there are few studies assessing the effect of tablet devices on learners’ learning attainment. This study's primary objective was to know the influence of tablet use on cognitive and critical thinking skill attainment of learners in Kalawa primary school, Kitui county. The specific objectives were; to measure the effect of learner competence in tablet use on cognitive skill attainment; determine the effect of attitude towards tablet use on cognitive skill attainment; determine the extent to which access to tablet use influences cognitive skill attainment; determine the effect of the method of teaching with tablet on critical thinking skill attainment; and establish the effect of perceived benefits of tablet use on critical thinking skill attainment. The descriptive survey design was adopted during the study. Questionnaires was developed and used to collect the data. Collected data were analyzed by use of the descriptive test, test of correlation and tests of regression presented in tables. Results of correlation analysis indicated that learner competence in tablet use, attitude towards tablet use, access to tablet use, method of teaching with tablet and perceived benefits of tablet use had a strong and positive association with the overall learning attainment. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The results of multiple regression confirmed that there was a strong relationship between; learner competence in tablet use for learning and cognitive skill attainment, attitude towards tablet use and cognitive skill attainment, access to tablet use and cognitive skill attainment, method of teaching with tablet and critical skill thinking attainment, and lastly perceived benefits of tablet use and critical thinking skill attainment. It can therefore be concluded that use of tablet for e-learning has a huge role in improving both learners’ performance and the education quality. The study recommends that various stakeholders’ should pay attention to instructors’ suggestions and comments. This will provide ways of improving the programme. Keywords: Tablet, E-learning, Cognitive skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Education, ICT.