Research Article

Effects of Challenge-Based Learning on Academic Performance in Computer Architecture among Polytechnic Computer Students

Sadiq Buhari Bello1*, Sulaiman Abubakar Zubairu2
1 Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi
2 Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
* Corresponding author: sbbello@wufpbk.edu.ng
Published: Oct, 2026
Pages: 168–178
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Abstract

This study examined the effects of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) on the academic performance of Computer Science/Engineering students in Computer Architecture, in relation to the conventional lecture method at Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pre-test post-test control group design. Forty-five (45) Computer Science and Computer Engineering students were assigned to a Challenge-Based Learning group and a Conventional Lecture Method group and both groups were taught Computer Architecture for eight weeks using their respective instructional strategies. Data were collected using the Computer Architecture Achievement Test (CAAT), a 30-item multiple-choice instrument with a test–retest reliability coefficient of 0.86 and analysed using means, standard deviations, paired-sample t-tests and an independent-sample t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in mean scores from pre-test to post-test for both the Challenge-Based Learning group (t = -14.44, df = 19, p < .001) and the Conventional Lecture Method group (t = -14.42, df = 24, p < .001). More importantly, students taught with Challenge-Based Learning performed significantly better on the post-test than those taught with the conventional lecture method (t = 3.18, df = 43, p = .003), even though the two groups did not differ significantly at pre-test. These findings suggest that, while both approaches improve performance, Challenge-Based Learning is a more effective instructional strategy than the conventional lecture method for teaching Computer Architecture. The study recommends that Computer Engineering lecturers in polytechnics adopt Challenge-Based Learning, particularly for abstract and applied topics in Computer Architecture and that curriculum planners provide the institutional support required for its sustained implementation

Keywords

challenge-based learning conventional lecture method academic performance computer architecture

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How to Cite

Bello, S. B., & Zubairu, S. A. (2026). Effects of Challenge-Based Learning on Academic Performance in Computer Architecture among Polytechnic Computer Students. Journal of Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, 6(2), 168–178.

S. B. Bello, and S. A. Zubairu, "Effects of Challenge-Based Learning on Academic Performance in Computer Architecture among Polytechnic Computer Students," Journal of Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 168–178, October 2026.

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