Khan Academy Application, Traditional Instruction, and Problem-Solving Skills: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This quasi-experimental study examined the effect of integrating Khan Academy with traditional instruction on Grade 10 students’ problem‑solving skills in permutations and combinations. Sixty (N = 60) students from two intact classes: one experimental group received blended instruction with Khan Academy, while the control group received traditional teaching only. The intervention lasted six weeks. Students’ problem‑solving skills—problem understanding, planning strategies, implementation of solution, and justification—were assessed using a validated rubric-aligned performance task administered as pre‑ and posttests. Paired-samples t‑tests indicated significant improvements within both groups (Khan Academy: t(29) = 16.02, p < .001, d = 2.93; Traditional: t(29) = 4.46, p < .001, d = 0.82). However, ANCOVA results controlling for pretest differences showed that the experimental group scored significantly higher in posttest performance than the control group (F(1,57) = 33.36, p < .001, partial η² = .369). The experimental group showed particularly strong gains in problem understanding and solution implementation (mean increase = 40.40 and 56.87 points, respectively), indicating substantial improvements in both conceptual and procedural problem‑solving processes. Findings suggest that integrating Khan Academy into mathematics instruction produces greater improvement in students’ problem‑solving skills than traditional teaching alone, likely due to adaptive feedback, self‑paced practice, and repeated mastery opportunities. Nonetheless, limitations include the use of intact classes, a single-school setting, and restricted generalizability. Future research should consider larger, randomized samples and multiple school contexts to further validate the effectiveness of digital learning platforms in mathematics instruction.