Effectiveness of Plasma Television Integration in Teaching Secondary School Biology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of Plasma TV (PTV) integration in teaching secondary school Biology at Haramaya University Secondary Model School Ethiopia. The sample consisted of 48 students from Grade 9 and were randomly split into control [non-plasma TV] and experimental [plasma TV] groups. A chapter on “Cell Biology” was taught to the two groups by two teachers having similar qualifications for a month's time. After the treatment, post-test was administered to the subjects. Independent-sample t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of the two groups. The analysis of data indicated that there were no significant differences in the mean scores between the two groups on pre and post- tests. Similarly, high achievers in the control and experimental groups didn't significantly differ either. Furthermore, there was no significant mean scores difference between low achievers of control and experimental groups. The results generally implied that teaching students through PTV didn't significantly contribute to better understanding of the lesson compared to the conventional method of teaching. Finally, the present study provides an opportunity to be replicated to make a comprehensive conclusion about the effectiveness of PTV to teach secondary school Biology.