Gender and Entry Background Differences in Postgraduate Distance Learners’ Achievement in the Field of Educational Technology

Adeyemi Adedapo

doi:10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.8n.3p.98

Abstract

Several factors have been attributed to learners’ underachievement in postgraduate programmes. Two of such factors are gender and entry background of postgraduate distance learners which previous studies have identified in isolation of one another. No previous studies have been reported to have investigated a combination of gender and entry background differences in educational technology. The present study, therefore, investigated the influence of gender and entry background of postgraduate distance learners’ achievement in educational technology. The ex-post facto research design was adopted. Three hundred and twenty-three postgraduate distance learners who registered and sat for examinations of Master of Education in Educational Technology of National Open University of Nigeria, during the first semester of 2019_1 of 2018/2019 academic session were purposively selected from 74 study centres. The participants were made up of 215 males and 108 females. Three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and tested at .05 level of significance. The results of participants in 2019_1 first semester were analysed using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). There was a significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female postgraduate distance learners in educational technology in favour of male distance learners while no significant difference was established in respect of postgraduate distance learners’ entry background. The implications of this study are that gender difference is a factor of prediction to academic achievement in educational technology but entry background does not influence postgraduate distance learners’ achievement in courses. Recommendations were made among others that there is need to create co-operative learning activities sensitive to preferences of female distance learners.

Highlights

Distance education has been recognised as another possibility mode of educational provision and standard component of education
The following null hypotheses were formulated to be tested at 0.05 level of significance: 1. There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores in educational technology between male and female postgraduate distance learners
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores in educational technology between male and female postgraduate distance learners

Summary

Introduction

Distance education has been recognised as another possibility mode of educational provision and standard component of education. One of the shortcomings of the conventional education is that it makes use of the concept of learning and teaching that have kept the old methods and maintained space-time obstacles to learning. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) complements the conventional education system with the advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) providing the driving force. The development of distance learning seems to have been influenced by increasing need for continued skill improvement and retraining and technological advances that have made it possible to teach as many subjects as possible through virtual learning. UNESCO (2002), opines that the term open and distance learning reflect both the fact that all or most of teaching is conducted by someone removed in time and space from the learner, and that the mission aims to include greater dimensions of openness and flexibility, whether in terms of access, curriculum or other elements of the structure.

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Conclusion