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EFFECT OF SIMULATION GAMES AND COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON PERFORMANCE IN PRIMARY SCIENCE IN LAGOS STATE NIGERIA

This study examined the comparative effectiveness of Simulation Games and Computer Assisted Instruction for teaching basic science at the lower primary school. The study adopted a pre-test, post-test experimental control group design in which a total of 150 pupils participated. There were two experimental groups and one control group consisting of 50 pupils in each group. A research instrument “Science Achievement Test” (SAT) was also used for the pre-test and the post-test. The pre-test was carried out to determine the entry level of the pupils before they were exposed to the teaching strategies. The first experimental group was exposed to the “Game Tactics Skill Package” (GTSP) which involves pupils playing the Simulation Games. The second experimental group was exposed to the “Computer Interactive Skill Package” (CISP) which involved cluster teaching and individual interaction, while the control group was taught using the conventional teaching strategy. The post-test was conducted at the end of the pupils’ exposure to the strategies. The data collected were analysed using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The hypothesis formulated was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that there was no significant difference in the performance of pupils exposed to simulation games and computer assisted instruction. The study concluded that simulation games can be very useful in improving teaching and active learning or learning by doing especially where there are minimal facilities for computer assisted instruction.