A Quasi-Experimental Study of Multimedia-Assisted Discussions Among First-Year College Students at Malapatan College of Science and Technology

This study investigated the effectiveness of multimedia-assisted discussions in enhancing the learning outcomes of first-year college students at Malapatan College of Science and Technology in Sarangani Province, Philippines. Employing a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent-groups pretest–posttest design, the study involved 81 first-year college students selected through intact class grouping, with 42 students assigned to the experimental group and 39 to the control group. The use of intact sections justified the absence of random assignment, as institutional class arrangements prevented the reorganization of students while preserving ecological validity in authentic classroom settings. The experimental group received multimedia-assisted discussions, whereas the control group underwent traditional discussion-based instruction. Data were gathered using a validated 30-item researcher-made test instrument, which demonstrated acceptable reliability indices (KR-20 = .804 for the pretest and .825 for the posttest). Baseline findings revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups prior to the intervention, indicating comparable entry-level performance. Post-intervention results showed significant improvement in both groups; however, students exposed to multimedia-assisted discussions demonstrated substantially higher learning outcomes than those receiving conventional instruction. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) confirmed a statistically significant and large effect of multimedia-assisted discussions on student performance, F(1, 78) = 42.09, p < .001, ηp² = .35, after controlling for pretest scores. Findings suggest that multimedia-integrated discussions significantly enhance academic achievement and support the integration of technology-enhanced pedagogies in higher education instruction.