Effect of Interactive Multimedia on the Achievement of 10th-Grade Biology

Students
Method
Participants

Participants for this study will be 10th-grade biology students in an upper-middle-class, all-girl Catholic
high school in Miami, Florida. Forty students will be selected and divided into two groups.

Instrument

The effectiveness of interactive multimedia (IMM) will be determined by comparing the biology
achievement of the two groups as measured by a standardized test if there is an acceptable test
available. Otherwise, one will be developed.

Design

There will be two groups of 20 students each. Students in both groups will be post-tested in May using a
test of biology achievement.

Procedure

At the beginning of the school year, 40 10th-grade biology students will be selected from a population of
approximately 200. Selected students will be divided into two groups, and one group will be designated
to be the experimental group. The same teacher will teach both classes.

During the school year, the nonexperimental group of students will be taught biology using traditional
lecture and discussion methods. The students in the experimental group will be taught using IMM. Both
groups will cover the same subject matter and use the same text. The groups will receive biology
instruction for the same amount of time and in the same room, but not at the same time, as they will be
taught by the same teacher.

Academic objectives will be the same for each class and all tests measuring achievement will be
identical. Both classes will have the same homework reading assignments. In May, a biology
achievement test will be administered to both classes at the same time.

Data Analysis

The scores of the two groups will be compared statistically.