Original Research Article

The utilization of information and communication technology and its effectiveness in learning empirical science among fourth-grade elementary school students

Zohreh Zebarjadian

Ph.D. student of educational sciences, lecturer in Farhangian University, Amir Kabir, Karaj, Iran/ Lecturer in Payam-e Nour University, Karaj, Iran/ Lecturer in Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: Zohreh_zebarjadian@yahoo.com

Accepted March 16, 2015

Abstract

The research aimed to explore the necessity for the utilization of information and communication technology and its effectiveness in learning empirical science among fourth-grade elementary school students and it has also drawn a comparison with the traditional method. The research sample comprised 184 fourth graders under the program of descriptive assessment who were randomly selected and assigned into the experimental and control groups. First, both groups underwent the traditional method and then, the pre-test was administered. The experimental group used new technology at home for reviewing and revising the lessons while the control group reviewed the lessons using the traditional method. The results of post-test and its comparison with the pre-test scores indicated that, the experimental group scored higher on learning as compared to the control group. Moreover, the increasing scores of the experimental group obtained a higher mean as compared to the control group. The statistical analysis indicated that, the value of F was significant for the experimental and control group in the post-test at the level of .0001.

Keywords: Active learning, descriptive assessment, Information and communication technology, Learning-teaching process