SOURCE:

Faculty: Education
Department: Vocational Education

CONTRIBUTORS:

Nwaokwa, O.E;
Eze, T.I;

ABSTRACT:

This study determined the effect of online instruction on keyboarding speed and accuracy achievement among office technology and management students in Nasarawa State. Six research questions guided the study and six null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was 184 National Diploma (ND) II OTM students in polytechnics in Nasarawa State. The convenience sampling technique was used to arrive at a sample of 95 students for the study. Pre-test Post-test non-equivalent group quasi-experimental research design was used for the study and the instrument for data collection was OTM Speed Test Instrument (OTMSTI) which was validated by three experts. A reliability correlation coefficient of 0.87 was obtained for the test items using the Spearman’s Correlation Co-efficient. Mean was used to analyze data relating to the research questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students taught keyboarding speed and accuracy using online instruction performed relatively better with higher post-test mean achievement score than those taught using conventional teaching method. Findings also indicated that female students taught keyboarding speed using online instruction had greater post-test mean achievement score than their male counter-part taught with the conventional method. The interaction effect of teaching methods and gender was not significant on students’ achievement in keyboarding speed and accuracy. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that online instruction has the potential to improve Office Technology and Management students’ speed and accuracy achievement in keyboarding. It was recommended among others that lecturers should use online instruction in teaching keyboarding to enhance students’ speed and accuracy achievement. National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) should restructure the keyboarding curriculum at the national diploma level to eliminate the use of manual typewriters for teaching.