The study was undertaken to develop and validate a courseware on introductory solid state, a topic included in Chem 110 – Inorganic Chemistry. Student’s attitude toward computer-aided instruction and the use of Introductory Solid State Chemistry (ISSC) courseware and computer in chemistry education were also considered.
Thirteen professionals evaluated the proposed ISSC courseware in terms of its content and computer attributes, while 35 students served as user-respondents in this research.
The study used the evaluation instrument developed and used by the Department of Informatics of the Temple University. Questionnaire for attitude was patterned after the instrument prepared and developed by Trochim and Fitzelle (1996). A researcher-made performance test was administered to the students as pre and post-tests.
The ISSC courseware was evaluated in terms of six attributes: (1) pedagogical design, (2) subject matter, (3) language and grammar, (4) surface features, (5) questioning and answering attributes, and (6) feedback quality.
Contents and computer attributes of the ISSC courseware were above average. Findings showed that all the evaluators favored the use of the courseware as a stand alone teaching material for introductory solid state chemistry.
The attributes of the courseware which were evaluated excellent by the experts included language and grammar attributes, questioning and answering attributes, and feedback qualities. The evaluation suggested that the ISSC courseware had appropriate reading level, relevant placement and skills emphasis, and exceptional motivational features.
Significant improvement was obtained in the performance of students who used the chemistry courseware. This indicated that a higher level of learning could be attained with the use of the courseware.
No significant correlation was found between student’s performance in chemistry and their attitude toward the use of computer-aided instruction, the use of the ISSC courseware, and the use of computer in chemistry education. This means that student’s attitude did not affect their performance in chemistry using the ISSC courseware.
