Article Preview
Top1. Introduction
Strong desire for achieving quality in all arena of life, man has introduced new innovations in all spheres of life (Kaur, Sharma, & Singh, 2015). The inevitable innovations in technology cause some opportunities and at the same time, challenges for educational institutions which take into consideration the adaptability of the learners. These opportunities are easy access to multimedia content, proper utilization of e-learning resources, expansion of smart phones and tablets that can connect to the internet anytime, the role of social networks for educational development, and the accelerating interest of using technological tools in the classroom that aids learning among the students. Access to smart technologies helps to develop digital literacy skills from the young age (Liubinienė & Kasperavičienė, 2018). On the other hand, rapid technological advances have brought multiple challenges in the education arena. Universities, colleges, and even schools continuously adapt to these innovations which enforce updating of their technological infrastructure and facilities, upgrading the curricula and creating faculty and staff development programs (Glomo-Narzoles, 2013). Enjoyable learning environment is not only crucial to effective education but also makes students able to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes (Dick & Reiser, 1989) To ensure effective learning, teachers need to create an enjoyable and lively learning scenario for which multimedia teaching method is more applicable. Digital technologies like multimodal composition facilitate effective communication, teaching and learning (Kauppinen, Kiili, & Coiro, 2018). Nowadays multimedia tools as teaching aids are very common around the globe (Ghee & Heng, 2008). Keeping pace with the modern globe, the Bangladesh government has taken different steps so far since 2011 to introduce a technology-based digitized education system. As part of the programme, digital education equipment, including laptops, tripods, and projectors, were distributed in local schools, colleges, and madrasahs. To make the education system more enjoyable and effective, Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister's Officer in its bid to remodel education had launched this venture. As the multimedia concept is new in our country, school teachers, especially in rural areas of our country, are not interested to use this technology due to inadequate IT knowledge, skills and lack of awareness about the benefits of modern technology for both the teachers and the students. In this study, attempts are therefore made to focus on the effectiveness of multimedia teaching tools on academic performance of secondary and higher secondary school students of Bangladesh and providing some suggestions for making the multimedia instruction more effective for the students. The next section of this paper provides the related literature review following theoretical framework, research methodology, empirical analysis, discussion, and findings. This study concludes with theoretical, practical implications and further research directions.