The Effect of Teaching Using Multimedia Program on Academic Performance of Second Grade Students of Secondary Schools in Empirical Sciences Textbook and Its Comparison with Traditional Method

Background Multimedia programs as a powerful tool to be used to improve the quality of education. This study investigated the effect of education using multimedia programs on academic performance of students. Methods This research was semi-experimental and pre-test, post-test type with control group. In the present research, 40 students in second grade in 2013 - 2014 in Isfahan city were selected using multistage cluster sampling and random methods in two groups, such as control and experimental. Pre-test was performed for both experimental and control groups before the experiment. Students in the experimental group were trained for three units of empirical sciences lesson for 3 months using training multimedia program for an academic semester and control group were totally taught using the traditional method. At the end of the teaching period, educational performance test was administered simultaneously to the experimental and control groups. At the last phase, re-test was conducted on the studied groups in order to examine the rate of memorization of the taught contents using multimedia program after 3 months. The data collection tools were teacher made tests that its validity and reliability were confirmed. Both descriptive and inferential statistics (mean, standard deviation, and T-test) were analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS19) software. Results The results showed an increase as compared to the pre-test (18.18) and post-test scores (16.35) of the two groups; the experimental group obtained significantly higher achievement test than the control group. Also, the retention test scores of the students in the experimental group showed significant difference (P < 0.001) than the control group. Conclusions Multimedia as a new tool in teaching has new skills for change in education and improve teaching and learning and it can promote with appropriate and correct application the quality of education in educational systems.