The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender

Saidatul Maizura Sahimi; Farah M. Zain; Nabila A. N. Kamar; Noorizdayantie Samar; Zuraidah A. Rahman; Omar Majid; Hanafi Atan; Fong Soon Fook; Wong Su Luan

doi:10.30935/cedtech/5973

Saidatul Maizura Sahimi ¹, Farah M. Zain ¹, Nabila A. N. Kamar ¹, Noorizdayantie Samar ¹, Zuraidah A. Rahman ¹, Omar Majid ¹, Hanafi Atan ¹ ^*, Fong Soon Fook ¹, Wong Su Luan ²

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 175-185

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

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Abstract

This paper describes the impact of the degrees of realism (unrealistic, moderately realistic and highly realistic) of the pedagogical agent on student’s achievement during online learning in terms of gender. Three modes of the e-learning portal with appropriate degrees of realism, namely, Online Learning with a Cartoon Pedagogical Agent (OLCPA), Online Learning with a Moderately Realistic Pedagogical Agent (OLMRPA) and Online Learning with a Highly Realistic Pedagogical Agent (OLHRPA) were developed and implemented. A quasi-experimental 3x2 factorial design was employed; independent variables were three degrees of realism, the dependent variable was achievement scores, and the moderator variable was gender of students. The subjects were 130 Form Four students (16 years old) from Malaysian secondary schools who were randomly assigned to groups. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyze data. The findings of the study suggest that there was no significant difference in the students’ achievement among the three degrees of realism in terms of their genders; both genders achieved almost the same across different degrees of realism. The reasons for the observed results are discussed and elaborated.

Keywords: Online learning, Pedagogical agent, Degree of realism, Gender issues

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Citation

Sahimi, S. M., Zain, F. M., Kamar, N. A. N., Samar, N., Rahman, Z. A., Majid, O., Atan, H., Fook, F. S., & Luan, W. S. (2010). The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender. Contemporary Educational Technology, 1(2), 175-185. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

Sahimi, S. M., Zain, F. M., Kamar, N. A. N., Samar, N., Rahman, Z. A., Majid, O., . . . Luan, W. S. (2010). The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender. Contemporary Educational Technology, 1(2), pp. 175-185. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

Sahimi SM, Zain FM, Kamar NAN, et al. The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2010;1(2), 175-185. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

Sahimi, Saidatul Maizura, Farah M. Zain, Nabila A. N. Kamar, Noorizdayantie Samar, Zuraidah A. Rahman, Omar Majid, Hanafi Atan, Fong Soon Fook, and Wong Su Luan. "The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender". Contemporary Educational Technology 2010 1 no. 2 (2010): 175-185. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

Sahimi, Saidatul Maizura et al. "The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 1, no. 2, 2010, pp. 175-185. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973

Sahimi SM, Zain FM, Kamar NAN, Samar N, Rahman ZA, Majid O, et al. The Pedagogical Agent in Online Learning: Effects of the Degree of Realism on Achievement in Terms of Gender. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2010;1(2):175-85. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/5973