Impact of Digital Learning Tools on Student Performance in Science: A Comparative Study in Two High Schools in Yaounde

ABSTRACT: The use of digital learning tools in the Cameroonian education system has become a major issue in education policy in recent years, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed the fragility of African education systems in the face of pedagogical disruptions (OECD, 2022). The Education Orientation Law N° 98/004 of April 14, 1998, the conceptual framework for this policy commitment, states that “teaching in schools should take into account the evolution of science and technology”. It is in this context that we propose, in this study, to observe the results of a classroom practice in a biology course conducted with a digital tool in a 9th-grade secondary school class. Our sample for this mixed-methods study consists of 196 students from two high schools in the city of Yaoundé. In a performance assessment test, students in the experimental group at the first high school achieved an overall average of 13.8, compared to 11.20 for the control group. At the second high school, students in the experimental group achieved an overall average of 13.65, while the control group achieved 10.8. We conclude that the use of this digital learning tool contributed to improved student performance in the biology course at both secondary schools, and that its use warrants wider implementation, provided that adequate infrastructure and teacher training are available.