Effect of Java Intelligent Tutor System (JITS) on students’ Interest in Learning Java programming language in federal Universities in Nigeria.

Abstract

This study focused on the effect of Java Intelligent Tutor System on the interest of students in learning Java programming language in universities in Nigeria. The population for the study is 136 third year undergraduate students of computer science education from the three federal universities offering computer science education in south-eastern Nigeria. Total population sampling technique was used. Instrument for data collection was a structured Java Programming Interest Inventory Questionnaire (JPIIQ). The entire population was subjected to the JPIIQ before any treatment. After the initial interest survey, the students were taught using the JITS for ten weeks after which the JPIIQ was again administered to them. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypothesis formulated at 0.05 level of significance with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science. Data analyzed reveal that there was an increase in students’ interest level in Java programming language when taught using Java Intelligent Tutor System, furthermore, findings show that the Intelligent Tutor System increased the mean interest gain in male students more than it does in their female counterparts. Also, it was identified that there is a significant difference between the mean interest scores of male and female students taught Java programming language using the Intelligent Tutor System.