Direct Research Journal of Engineering and Information Technology

Abstract

Electronics works are one of the key subjects in technical colleges that enable students to perform repairs, maintenance, and construction of basic electronic systems. This study was centered on the appropriate method of carrying out the best teaching that will yield better learning retention of students on electronics works in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study also ascertained the influence of gender on students’ learning retention in electronics works. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The design of the study was a pre-test, post-test non-equivalent quasi-experimental study. A sample size of 112 students drawn from a population of 267 students in Rivers State technical colleges was used. To obtain the sample, two technical colleges were purposively selected and two intact classes were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The Transistor Amplifier Retention Test (TART) of 30 question items was the instrument developed for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts in technology and vocational education. A reliability coefficient of 0.67 was obtained using Kuder-Richardson 20. Data collected were analyzed using mean with standard deviation to answer the research questions, while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed among others that students taught with constructed method retained better than those taught with the conventional method in electronics works. Based on the findings, it was recommended that electronics works teachers should be encouraged to be exposed to practical intricacies associated with the constructed method. This will expose the gray areas that need attention and hence give room for improvement in students’ learning retention in electronics works.

Keywords: Construction, transistor, amplifier, students, learning, retention, electronics, works, technical, colleges