Pixel International Conferences

Tanzania was the first country in the East African region to propose universal primary education in the early eighties under the Nyerere regime. The educational system was based around the extended family (or ujumaa), found in traditional African cultures. After the introduction of school fees in 1984, there has been a steady decline in primary school participation to around 60%  although numbers of children with access to basic education in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have steadily increased again over the last two decades. Concerns about the decline in science education are not exclusive to the sub-Saharan region. The lack of uptake of science in secondary schools (high schools, in the USA and post-primary schools in Ireland) has been a cause for concern for governments worldwide. Therefore, in response to this, the overall objective of the research sought to identify if by the use of datalogging, secondary students can develop greater enthusiasm for and understanding of science, than students who have been taught without datalogging using the same curriculum. The pilot study adopted a mixed methods approach of quantitative data collected from pre- and post-examination results with teacher and student questionnaires, followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews with two teachers. The study looked at two schools in the Mwtara and Lindi regions of Tanzania, and sought to establish if through the use of datalogging:

·         students could achieve a better understanding and knowledge of concepts of motion and motion graphs and problem solving than a control group taught using inquiry methods but without the technology;

·         there would be a measurable increased level of enthusiasm about science and hence a greater desire to continue studies in science to tertiary level education;

·         the performance of students in post-test examinations was higher as compared to the control group.

The main findings of the research demonstrated that using data logging had a small positive influence on the understanding of scientific concepts, which in turn led to higher achievement in the post–study examination. Additionally, students also demonstrated a higher propensity to consider taking a career in a scientific discipline, although only two schools in the same region of Tanzania participated. The study showed that data logging can underpin the development of scientific enquiry skills in rural Tanzania. Students who used data-logging equipment generally performed up to 8% higher in the end of study examination in both enquiry skills and ability to interpret graphs than those that did use the technology.