DEVELOPMENT AND EFFICACY OF INFOGRAPHICS AND E-BOOK INSTRUCTIONAL PACKAGES IN BUSINESS STUDIES AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Business Studies is a vocational subject at Junior Secondary School (JSS) aimed to equip students with knowledge and skills required for self-reliance upon school completion. But evidence has shown that learning outcomes in Business Studies is not satisfactory among many JSS students in Ibadan, Nigeria. Previous studies focused largely on factors influencing learning outcomes in Business Studies, with little attention paid to interventions involving development and efficacy of instructional packages. Therefore, this study developed infographics and e-book instructional packages and determined their efficacy on JSS students’ learning outcomes (achievement, attitude, and entrepreneurial intention) in Business Studies in Ibadan, Nigeria. The moderating effects of Computer Skills (CS) and Computer Anxiety (CA) were also examined. The Constructivist Learning and Cognitive Multimedia Learning theories formed the framework, while the study adopted the pretest-posttest control group quasi experimental design with a 3x3x2 factorial matrix. Three public junior secondary schools with functional computer laboratories and standby generators were purposively selected in Ibadan. Three intact classes of Junior School II students were randomly assigned to infographics (50), e-book (42) and control (90) groups. The development of the packages followed ADDIE rubrics and were trial-tested among students outside the Ibadan before used. The instruments used were Business Studies Achievement Test (r=0.80), Students’ Attitude to Business Studies (r=0.75), Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention (r=0.70), CA (r=0.79), CS Rating (r=0.78) scales and instructional guides. The treatment lasted 15 weeks. Data were analysed using Analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. There were significant main effects of treatment on achievement (F(2;181)=86.67; partial η2=0.51), attitude (F(2;181)=49.15; partial η2=0.37) and EI (F(2;181)=41.68; partial η2=0.33). The students exposed to e-book had the highest post-achievement mean score (39.66), followed by infographics (38.34) and control (24.60) groups. The students in e-book had highest adjusted post-attitude mean score (70.33), followed by infographics (69.19) and control (60.61) groups. The e-book group had highest adjusted post-EI (68.61), followed by infographics (66.02) and control (61.36) groups. There were no significant main effects of CS and CA on achievement, attitude and EI. There were no significant interaction effect of treatment and CS on achievement, attitude and EI. There was a significant interaction effect of treatment and CA on students’ EI (F(2;181)=9.78; partial η2=0.11) in favour of high CA students from e-book group, but none on achievement and attitude. There were significant interaction effects of CS and CA on achievement (F(2;181)=3.57; partial η2=0.04) and attitude (F(2;181)=3.81; partial η2=0.04) in favour of high CS and CA students, but none on EI. There was significant interaction effect of treatment, CS and CA on EI (F(4;179)=4.27; partial η2=0.005) in favour of high CS and CA students from e-book group, but none on achievement and attitude. Infographics and e-book instructional packages improved students’ achievement in, attitude to and entrepreneurial intention in Business studies among Junior Secondary School students in Ibadan, Nigeria. Teachers should adopt these packages to teach Business Studies.