INNOVATIONS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA, Ebele C. Okigbo, Nneka R. Nnorom, Ernest O. Onwukwe [best reads .TXT] 📗

needed. Like technical support specialists, content developers are highly skilled professionals and are not, with the exception of instructional designers, historically employed by primary and secondary schools. Many universities with distance education programs, and those who otherwise make use of ICTs, have dedicated technical support and content development units.

While schools and universities may already have agreements that expressly authorize the use of certain materials for classroom purposes, these agreements may not be broad enough to accommodate telecommunications transmission, videotape recording, or the distribution of course-related materials beyond the classroom setting.

Dutaand Martinez-Rivera (2015) is of the opinion that one of the greatest challenges in ICT use in education is balancing educational goals with economic realities. ICTs in education programs require large capital investments and developing countries need to be prudent in making decisions about what models of ICT use will be introduced and to be conscious of maintaining economies of scale. Ultimately it is an issue of whether the value added of ICT use offsets the cost, relative to the cost of alternatives. Put another way, is ICT-based learning the most effective strategy for achieving the desired educational goals, and if so what is the modality and scale of implementation that can be supported given existing financial, human and other resources?

Statement of the Problem

Students with learning difficulties face challenges such as inability to follow what the teacher is teaching or understand things being taught at a slow pace. In the classroom, little or no consideration is given to them, this in part is due to the fact that most teachers are not fully acquitted with the ways in which they can manage this through the use of ICT. Hence the need to study the way in which we can improve teachers use of ICT among lecturers in Higher institutions.

 

 

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the improvement of educators in ICT as a means of reducing learning difficulties. The study was designed to achieve the following specific objectives to:

1.                Ascertain the extent to which educators have knowledge of the basic ICT operations.

2.                Find out if educators own and use ICT tools

3.                Ascertain the extent to which the use of ICT by educators reduces learning difficulties in learners.

 

Research questions

1.                To what extent do educators have knowledge of the basic ICT operations.

2.                Do the educators own and use ICT tools in the classroom.

3.                To what extent does the use of ICT by educators reduce learning difficulties in learners?

 

Methodology

The design of the study was descriptive survey and data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire called Educators Computer knowledge and use of Technology (ECKUT)  and validated by experts in the field of computer science education.

The population consists of the lecturers in the  Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba. Delta State. One hundred and seventy eight (178) Lecturer were randomly selected from the institution in a random sampling Technique.

 

Results

Research Question 1: To what extent do educators have knowledge of the basic ICT operations.

 

 

Table 1: The extent to which educators have knowledge of the basic ICT operations

 

S/N

Item

X

SD

Decision

1.

Start up a computer system

3.67

0.76

Do very well

2.

Connect a USB flash drive to a USB port and access a specified folder.

2.25

1.35

Can do with help from some one

3.

Rename a file

2.51

1.16

Know what this mean but cannot do it

4.

Down load and save a document from a hyperlink

1.22

0.55

Don’t know what this means

5.

Copy and paste text between documents

3.22

1.10

Can do with help from someone

6.

Attaching specified document to an e-mail

1.76

1.13

Know what this means but cannot do it

 

The information on Table 1 reveals that Lectures do very well in using computer in typing questions, they neither down load and save a document from a hyperlink. They know what renaming a file and attaching specified document to an e-mail means but cannot do it. They can connect a USB flash drive to a USB port and access a specified folder and copy and paste text between documents with the help of someone as indicated in items 2 and 5 respectively.

 

Research Question 2: Do the educators own and use ICT tools in the classroom.

 

 

 

Table 2: the Use of  ICT tools by educators in the classroom

 

S/N

Item

X

SD

Decision

1.

Use computers in giving notes

1.22

0.55

Never

2.

Use of e-mail for submission of assignments

2.25

1.35

Occasionally

3.

Use of powerpoint presentation in the classroom

2.84

1.10

Sometimes

4.

Use of projectors in the classroom

1.76

1.13

Occasionally

 

Table 2 shows that lecturers never use computers in giving not in the classrooms but they occasionally ask students to submit assignments through e-mail or use projectors in delivery of their lectures in the classrooms while they sometimes use powerpoints in the classroom

 

Research Question 3: To what extent does the use of ICT by educator reduce learning difficulties in learners.

 

Table 3: The extent to which the use of ICT by educator reduce learning difficulties in learners.

 

S/N

Items

X

SD

Decision

1.

More student come to me for clarity on lectures

2.81

0.93

Sometimes

2.

The classroom is more interactive

3.27

0.64

Sometimes

3.

Students do better in my tests and exams

3.82

0.39

Always

4.

Assignments are submitted on time

2.31

0.92

Occasionally

 

The information on Table 3: reveals that sometime more students come for clarity on lecture and the classroom in more interactive. Student always do better in tests and exams. They occasionally submit assignment on time.

 

Discussion

From the findings, we can see that the lecturers do not know much about the basic running of a computer system that is they do not have the basic computer appreciation skill which is in line with Adako (2005) who agreed that the problem of information technology illiteracy is a serious one among teachers in the country as it cuts across primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions and also noted that the problem was a hindrance to efforts at achieving the use of ICT in the classroom.

From the study, it can also be seen that most of the lecturers rarely use ICT for giving notes but make use of it in the classroom for different purposes which goes to say that they are gradually embracing ICT because as Abanobi and Abanobi (2016) noted, Capacity building of teachers in ICT is very low and this must be urgently addressed by educational policy makers and school administrators.

We can also see that ICT can be beneficial to the education of children with learning difficulties. This can both improve the students self-esteem by providing a means for them to achieve something worthwhile and by facilitating the acquisition of some basic and useful skills.

Conclusion

A factor to consider is the personal beliefs of the individual teacher, whether their pedagogical view is student-centred or a more traditional teacher-centred one. Different belief systems lead to different ways of using ICT. According to Boekaerts (2007), Pupil-centred teachers are open to all uses, while teacher-centred teachers are less likely to take up technology as an information tool because of the direct relationship between the pupil and the device and the freedom it offers. But they are keen on using it to develop knowledge and skills.

ICT as an educational tools if used prudently, will enable developing countries, like Nigeria to expand access to and raise the quality of education so that those with learning difficulty will benefit in the classrooms. Prudence requires careful consideration of the interacting issues that underpin ICT use in the school—policy and politics, infrastructure development, human capacity, language and content, culture, equity, cost, and not least, curriculum and pedagogy.

Recommendation

Teachers in higher institution should be given the opportunities to go for proper training on the use of ICT/ computer gadget in order to teach or impart the knowledge use of ICT in teaching the student for a better tomorrow. Knowing fully-well that the world is globalized.

Teachers should be encouraged to teach the student how to make use of the computer gadgets such as: giving them assignment to browse on a topic and opening of e-mail, submitting assignment to the teachers e-mail address/box.

Government should provide adequate electricity source for the effective running of ICT centers in schools.

The school authorities should provide well equipped ICT classrooms or laboratories where all subjects can be taught, for example, the biology laboratories should have projectors and full computer systems.

Government/School authority should provide free internet services to both Lecturers and students.

 

Reference

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TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AS AN INNOVATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING PUPILS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS

 

Jennifer C. Oluwatayo

Dr. Doris I. Ugwude

&

Tonia U. Chigbo-Obasi

 

Abstract

This study investigated teachers’ perception of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an innovative instructional strategy for improving pupil’s academic performance in mathematics in Anambra State. Descriptive survey design was adopted. Two research questions guided the study. The population of the study comprised 665 public primary school teachers in Awka-South Local Government Area. A sample size of 200 teachers was selected for the study