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Volume 1 Number 1 August 2015

Gender Dimensions in the Use of Mobile Phone SMS on Note-Taking and Comprehension of Audio-Taped Lecture Materials in Kogi State of Nigeria


Authors: Jacob Omede ; Emmanuel E. Achor
Pages: 8-14
Abstract
This paper examined gender influence in the use of Mobile Phone Short Message Service (SMS) on note-taking and comprehension of materials presented through an audio system. Two research questions and hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study was quasi-experimental non-equivalent pretest and posttest. A sample of 400 subjects was drawn from the research population of 800 using stratified simple random sampling procedure. Two instruments were used for data collection. One of the instruments was the Audio- Taped Lecture (ATL) and the second was the Test for Assessing Comprehension (TAC). These instruments designed by the researcher were subjected to validate. Reliability coefficients of 0.88 and 0.81 were obtained for ATL and TAC respectively. Data for the study were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results of the study included that SMS style of writing improved students’ note-taking competence as well as comprehension of the notes for both the male and female students and that there was no significant  difference in performance based on gender. Recommendations included that students be encouraged to use SMS writing styles for note-taking during lectures and that the use of SMS for note-taking could be tailored towards correcting gender differences in achievement.

The Effect of Computer Games on the Proficiency of the B.Ed. Teacher Trainees in Using the Conventional Expressions in Conversations


Authors: Rajendran Muthiah
Pages: 1-7
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to assess the effect of computer games on the proficiency of the  B.Ed teacher trainees in using the conventional expressions in conversations. The role of technology in language learning has made outdated, drills, grammatical explanations and translation of texts, and the focus is shifted to communication based contexts. Recreational Computer Games make a positive impact on children’s subsequent performance after instructional tasks. Playing the games, children live in both physical and virtual spaces such as chat rooms, email, and communication. The tool to test their proficiency has thirty items. The achievement test has ten dialogues with three blanks in each for the students to fill them up. This is an experimental study with a single group design. After a stratified sample of 70 female and 34 male teacher trainees were exposed to some computer games involving fun and conversations for a week, they were tested for their proficiency. The tool was a standardized one. The levels of proficiency of the male and female teacher trainees were found to be average and above average. The‘t’test was applied. The proficiency of the female teacher trainees was found to be significantly higher than that of the male teacher trainees. The computer games have the potential to improve the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills of the student-teachers.