EZENWAKA,, MICHAEL CHINEDU (2026) EFFECT OF VIRTUAL CODING SIMULATIONS ON THE PROGRAMMING SKILLS OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA. Other thesis, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu Nigeria.
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Abstract
This study investigated the effect of virtual coding simulations on the programming skills of senior secondary school students in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. The study was prompted by the persistent poor academic performance and low practical proficiency of secondary school graduates in terminal computing examinations, a challenge attributed to the dominant institutional reliance on obsolete, non-interactive "syntax-on-board" instructional methods. Three specific objectives, matching three research questions, guided the study to evaluate overall performance variations and gender-specific achievement metrics. The study adopted a Quasi-Experimental Pre-test, Post-test Control Group Research Design utilizing intact classes to preserve the natural learning setup. The target population comprised all Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) Computer Studies students in the area, from which a sample of 160 students was selected using a purposive sampling technique to filter schools based on laboratory infrastructure, followed by a random assignment of the institutions into experimental and control cohorts (80 students per group). Data collection was executed using a 30-item multiple-choice Programming Skills Achievement Test (PSAT), face and content validated by two measurement and evaluation experts, yielding a high reliability coefficient of 0.86 established via the Kuder- Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20). Collected quantitative data were systematically analyzed strictly using descriptive statistics, specifically the Mean () and Standard Deviation (SD), to trace baseline parameters and terminal performance gains, entirely omitting inferential hypotheses and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) frameworks. The descriptive findings revealed that students exposed to Virtual Coding Simulations achieved a remarkably high post-test mean score () and a substantial mean achievement gain of , whereas their counterparts in the conventional control group recorded a low post-test mean score () and a minor mean gain of . Gender-isolated evaluations showed that male students in the simulation group attained a post-test mean score of (Mean Gain = ) while female students in the same group achieved a post-test mean score of (Mean Gain = ). A cross-gender analysis demonstrated that the software intervention benefited both cohorts almost equally, compressing the terminal performance gap to a minimal difference of just points. Based on these definitive outcomes, it was concluded that interactive virtual coding simulations successfully demystify programming logic, minimize student cognitive load, and serve as powerful instructional equalizers across gender lines. Consequently, it was recommended among others that Computer Studies instructors completely phase out passive whiteboard lecturing paradigms for practical software topics and that the Enugu State Ministry of Education organize intensive digital capacity-building workshops to equip computer teachers with competencies to deploy lightweight, open-source virtual simulation sandboxes in secondary classrooms.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Faculty of Law > Faculty of Management and Social Sciences > Faculty of Education |
| Depositing User: | Cynthia Ugwuoti |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jul 2026 15:23 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jul 2026 15:23 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/6105 |
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