Computer-Assisted Instruction in the Teaching and Learning of History: A Systematic Review in Africa

More than a decade has passed since the introduction of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) within schools in Africa. Computer-assisted instruction has enhanced teaching and learning at all levels of education in Africa. However, many aspects of the issues facing CAI implementation, as well as its effects on students’ performance in the history classroom are unclear. This necessitated the systematic review into two aspects. Firstly, the effects of CAI on students’ performance in the teaching and learning of history in Africa, and secondly, the various challenges facing CAI’s implementation in Africa. Furthermore, to facilitate future research, the researchers summarised several research methodologies used in the studies reviewed. The results from a systematic review of 11 studies revealed that CAI has a positive effect on students’ academic performance in history. The challenges to CAI implementation that were identified included: a lack of funding, training of teachers, and of motivation on the part of teachers; inadequate technological infrastructure; a lack of Internet; an unstable power supply; a lack of technological support; the poor information communication technology (ICT) skills of history and social studies teachers; a lack of school-based policies; and a digital divide between male and female students. Moreover, a quantitative approach was the preferred design with both descriptive and inferential statistics as the main statistical tools used for the data analysis. Additionally, there is a scarcity in research studies that employ an experimental design to test for the effect of CAI upon academic performance in history teaching. Lastly, the studies that use a questionnaire tool for data analysis can take a progressive step further by conducting structural equation modelling, which is an advanced quantitative analysis.