The Effect of Using Agronutri-X App on The Academic Achievement of Vocational College Students

Abstract

In this study, the researchers employed the AGRONUTRI-X M-learning application as an intervention tool to assess its impact on the academic performance of participants enrolled in vocational colleges. The AGRONUTRI-X app is a smartphone app designed for Android devices, which has been made available for download on the Google Play Store. AGRONUTRI-X integrates the theories of cognitivism, constructivism, contextualism, and behaviourism as part of its instructional design. The design and development of this app were guided by the ADDIE instructional development model. This study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 63 subjects, divided into a control group (n = 31) and a treatment group (n = 32). The study was conducted at two vocational colleges offering a Crop Agroindustry programme. The effect of using the AGRONUTRI-X M-learning app on the topic of fertigation nutrients mix has been evaluated using theoretical and practical academic achievement test instruments. The validity of three experts using the content validity item index (I-CVI) on both research instruments has demonstrated a high level of validity. The reliability of the academic achievement instrument was measured using the inter-rater reliability (IRR) method using Cohen's Kappa statistic; the kappa value obtained was ≥.75The data from the study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Cohen's effect size. The mean post-test academic achievement for the treatment group (M = 84.41; SD = 2.87) was found to be significantly greater than the mean post-test academic achievement of the control group (M = 61.74; SD = 5.78). The results of the independent sample t-test indicated a statistically significant disparity in the post-test achievement scores between the control group and the treatment group [t(61) = -19.599; p < .005]. with a large Cohen's effect size (d > .8). The results of a paired sample t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between the pre-and post-test scores of the treatment group [t(31) = -29.77, p =<.005]. In addition, the effect size, as measured by Cohen's d, was found to be large. The AGRONUTRI-X M-learning app had a