Abstract:
Tremendous advances in Information Communications Technology (ICT) and the evolution of Multimedia have led to new approach in learning and teaching. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of multimedia technique on technical college students’ achievement in auto-mechanics in Benue State, Nigeria. The Quasi-experimental design specifically, the pre-test-post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The population for the study consisted of 150 Part One students of auto-mechanics in the five technical colleges where auto-mechanics technology trade is offered in Benue State, Nigeria. Four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The Auto-Mechanics Achievement Test (AMAT) was used for data collection and analyses were made using the mean, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test hypotheses of no significant difference at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that; the students taught with multimedia technique had higher mean post-test achievement and retention scores in the AMAT than their counterparts taught with lecture method. However, ability level and gender did not show any significant difference in post-test mean achievement scores of students of auto-mechanics in technical colleges exposed to multimedia technique. To this end it was recommended that: auto-mechanics teachers should be encouraged to employ multimedia technique in delivering their lessons since it enhances academic achievement and retention, curriculum planners should integrate the use of multimedia technique in the curriculum of motor vehicle considering its benefits in the teaching and learning of auto-mechanics trade, workshops, seminars and conferences should be organized for technical teachers by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in Nigeria, on how to plan, develop and use multimedia technique for the purpose of promoting increased interest and achievement among students, and computer laboratories should be provided in all technical colleges for enhanced multimedia application.
