THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IPAD USE IN PROMOTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SAUDI ARABIA

Authors

  • Badi Aldossry PhD, Research Student, University of Glasgow, 11 Eldon St, Glasgow G3 6NH, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v5i1.3262

Keywords:

iPad, tablet, technology, mathematics, achievement, quasi-experimental

Abstract

The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia has used technology to support teaching and learning in Saudi's school system to meet the requirements of the National Transformation Program under Vision 2030. There are different kinds of technology which can enhance the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of mathematics, such as the iPad. This paper presents results of primary research investigating the effect of using iPads in enhancing student achievement in a Saudi secondary school. A quasi-experimental design was used to determine the effect of using an iPad on students' achievement in mathematics across two tenth grade classes (A and B) for two months. In the first month, students of group A used the iPad as a learning tool (treatment group), while students of group B used traditional methods as learning tools (control group). In the second month of the quasi-experimental period, group A became the control group using traditional methods, while group B became the treatment group using the iPad to learn mathematics. At the start of the experiment, a pre-test was completed, and the first post-test occurred one month later, then the treatment was switched. After two months at the end of the quasi-experimental period, both groups had taken the second post-test. Cronbach's alpha coefficient measured the reliability of these tests, with the first test at 0.784 and the second test at 0.792, regarded as very high (close to 1.00). Thus, the tests' reliability and credibility were confirmed. Nine comparisons of the means were used to see if a significant statistical difference between the mean of the two groups or within a group existed, by using the SPSS t-test. After comparing the mean of ‘within-group A’, ‘within group B’, and ‘group A and group B’, it was seen that using the iPad made a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in students' achievements compared to traditional methods. The study summarises the main results and specific recommendations are provided.

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Published

2020-08-18

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2020)

Section

Articles

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