Iroha Kalu and C.O. Ekwueme

Department of Curriculum and Teaching

University of Calabar

PMB115

Calabar, Nigeria

Email: irohakalu@yahoo.com

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the literacy leveland attitude of science teachers towards information and communicationtechnology (ICT) application in science, technology, and mathematics education.151 science teachers (80 males and 71 females) randomly drawn from 9 private and13 public schools randomly selected from the secondary schools in Calabarmetropolis participated in the study. A 41-item Teachers’ ICT Literacy andAttitude Assessment Questionnaire was used in data collection. The datacollected was analysed using simple percentages and t-test. The resultsindicated that 51.0% of the science teachers are computer literate though only90.9% of these literate teachers can operate a computer without assistance; only14.3% of those that have operated a computer have actually accessed the uniquescience apparatus software; 72.7% of the schools have a computer but none islinked to the internet or VSAT; the science teachers’ awareness of andknowledge ability of the educational applications of ICT are respectively farbelow expectation: whereas their attitude towards the applications of ICT in STMeducation is not significant (p>.05) their awareness to the benefits to STMeducation of access to ICT is significantly higher than expectation (p>.01).

The world is fast becoming a global village, as a result ofthe developments in information and communication technology (ICT). The keyinstrument in this globalization is the computer. Computer mediatedcommunication is increasingly becoming the fact of everyday life, particularlyin the developed and some developing countries. "In these countries,information and communication technologies have changed how people live, workand play" (Berenfeld 1999:215). Education is not left out of this wave ofchange. Most of the developed countries have exploited the potentials of ICT totransform their educational landscape at the tertiary, secondary and evenprimary school levels particularly the instructional process (Kosakowski 1998).Generally ICT holds out the opportunity to revolutionise pedagogical methods,expand access to quality education, and improve the management of educationsystems (World Bank 2002:34). This is moreso for science, technolo9gy andmathematics education. Unfortunately in Nigerian classrooms traditional patternsof science education have remained largely unchanged (Adamu 1992). The typicalpedagogical pattern reflects an authoritarian, didactic approach to classroommanagement. At the primary level the natural curiosity of children eager tounderstand their environment is often diminished by instruction that discouragesinquiry/discovery because of a combination of traditional factors and lack ofexpertise in science teaching. In secondary schools, science instruction isessentially textbook-centred due to lack of inadequacy of laboratoryapparatus/material. Laboratory experiences are very few and far between wherethey exist. The library holdings in tertiary intuitions are not only few butalso not current. Obviously this pedagogical pattern does not prepare studentsfor the information age and globalization. In other words, it is not equipping"students to live effectively in our modern age of science andtechnology" as stipulated in the National Policy on Education (FME 1998).There is need to improve the academic training for science, technology andmathematics education in Nigeria and ICT has been identified world wide as a wayout for this. For example, full access to internet is just equivalent to havingaccess to a good library (Edeson 1997).

The traditional methods of teaching still being adopted byscience teachers in Nigeria are based on the objectivist epistemology which hasbeen faulted. Constructivist epistemology which guides current thinking on theprocess of learning demands a shift from the traditional teaching methods whichseek to transmit fixed, well-structured knowledge with a firm external controlof content, sequence and pace of learning to a teaching method which requiresthe teachers and students to work in different ways which include not only theuse of various teaching and learning resources in the pursuit of learning, butalso requires the students to construct their own knowledge, learn moreindependently and in the process acquire the habit of self-reliance (Heinich,Molenda, Russell & Smaldino 2001). This has led to the emergenttransformation of teaching and learning resources which now include the use ofcomputers, compact discs, digital video discs (DVDs), satellite communicationand the internet.

There is need to brace up to the new challenges and systemsof education through the deployment and use of ICT in Nigerian schools. AlreadyNigeria is almost two decades behind in embracing the use of computer in primaryand secondary classrooms (Ezekute 2000). Liverpool (2001) asserts that while ICThas invaded and dominated higher intuitions in the developed world, itsincursion into higher institutions in Africa and Nigeria in particular has beenpainfully slow. Nigeria ranks lowest among five prominent African counties inthe use of ICT (Afolabi 2001). Usman (2002) and Okwo (2000) respectively reportthat current education programmes in Nigerian universities do not provide enoughcomputer training for the teacher to be able to use computer confidently inteaching their subjects. As it is however, when integrated properly into abroader educational program, the most important use of ICT in education is as apedagogical tool (World Bank 2002). How ready are the science teachers to usethis tool? According to the World Bank, "low education and literacy levels,lack of awareness about the capabilities of the technology and absence of skillsto develop and use ICT applications represent significant obstacles to adoption,even when the physical and institutional infrastructure is available" (p34). Determining the readiness of science teachers will therefore involve a needassessment of the teachers to identify their literacy levels, and attitudestoward pedagogical applications of ICT. This was the purpose of the presentstudy.

1. To what extent are science teachers literate in ICT (computer and internet)?

2. To what extent are the necessary infrastructures for ICT (computers, internet) available in secondary schools?

3. To what extent are science teachers aware of the educational applications of the computer and internet?

4. To what extent are science teachers knowledgeable about the educational applications of the computer?

5. What is the nature and extent of science teachers’ attitude towards the applications of ICT in STM education?

6. To what extent are science teachers aware of the benefits to STM education of access to ICT?

 

The sample consisted of 151 science teachers randomly drawnfrom 20 randomly selected secondary schools in Calabar metropolis (Calabarmunicipality and Calabar south LGA). The selected schools are made up of 9private schools and 13 public schools to reflect the 2:3 ratio of privateschools to public schools. 79 and 72 of the sample are in public and privatesecondary schools. There were 80 males and 71 female teachers.

A 41-item Teachers’ ICT Literacy and Attitude AssessmentQuestionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Items 1-5, 6-17, 18-20,21-24, 25-30, 31-41, respectively sought information on the demographicvariables of the teachers, their literacy level in ICT, availability of ICTinfrastructure in schools, awareness and knowledgeability of the educationalapplications of ICT, attitude towards ICT application in STM education andknowledge of the benefits of access to ICT. The items were mainly of thealternative choice variety except the items on attitude and knowledge ofbenefits of ICT and awareness/knowledgeability of educational applications ofICT which were of the modified four-point Likert-type variety. The reliabilityof the instrument using a test-retest method was established to be 0.93.

The instrument was administered to the science teachers inthe sample schools personally by the researchers. The filled questionnaires werecollected back on the spot or a day after, depending on the situation in each ofthe sample schools. Only 151 of the 200 questionnaires distributed werecompleted well enough to be used for analysis.

The data collected were analysed using simple percentages andt-test. The results are shown in Tables 1 – 6 to reflect the six researchquestions.

The results of Table 1 indicate that a total of 51.0% of thescience teachers used for the study are computer literate, with 40 (50.6%) and37 (51.4%) in public and private schools respectively. 40 (50%) of the maleteachers and 37 (52.1%) of the female teachers are literate. Sixty (77.9%) ofthose who are literate had formal training with majority (58.3%) having aDiploma certificate in computer studies. Howbeit only 70 (90.9%) of those whoare literate have ever operated a computer. Out of these number, only a total of10 (14.3%Z) have accessed the unique science apparatus software. The softwareaccessed by majority (47 or 67.1%) is Dbase, followed by historical archives (15or 21.4%).

Only 45 (29.8%) of the teachers can access the Internetwithout assistance and only 55 (35.4) have ever browsed the Internet. Even then,the site browsed by majority (40 or 72.7%) of them is the e-mail. Only 24(43.6%) have browsed for educational purposes. Only a total of 34 (22.5%) of theteachers have attended a workshop/seminar on ICT.

In Table 2, the results show that whereas 16 (72.7%) of theschools used for the study have computers, none is linked to the Internet orVSAT. Only 5 (22.7%) of the schools have more than 3 computers. Even then only17 (11.3%) of the teachers have the opportunity to use the computers inteaching, and only 10 (6.6%) have ever developed computer-based projects forstudents.

* p < .01

** p > .05

* p < .01

** p > .05

In Tables 3 and 4 the results indicate that the extent ofscience teachers’ awareness (X = 4.58, S = 6.54) and knowledge ability (X =2.77, S = 5.23) of (or skills in) the educational applications of ICT arerespectively significantly (p > .01) far less than expectation (m= 12) and there are no significant differences (p > .05) in awareness andknowledgeability respectively between science teachers in public and privateschools.

** p > .05

The results in Table 5 show that science teachers’ attitudetowards the educational applications of ICT in STM education is only marginallymore (X = 15.56, S = 4.65) but not significantly (p > .05) different fromexpectation (m = 15). Also there is no significantdifference (p > .05) in the attitude of public and private school scienceteachers.

* p < .01

** p > .05

In Table 6, the results indicate that science teachers’awareness of the benefits to STM education of access to ICT (X = 31.34, s =10.01) is significantly more (p < .01) than expectation (m= 27.5). However, there is no significant difference in the degree of awarenessby science teachers in public schools (X = 32.61, S = 8.20) and private schools(X = 29.94, S = 11.58).

The results have shown that only a few science teachers arecomputer literate and can access the internet without assistance. Again theextent of their awareness and knowledgeability of educational applications ofICT are low, infact, far less than expectation. Also whereas their attitudetowards the applications of ICT in STM education is marginal and notsignificantly different from expectation their awareness of the benefits to STMeducation of access to ICT is significantly more than expectation. The scienceteachers’ low literacy level, awareness and knowledgeability of theeducational applications of ICT may not be unconnected with the low (infact inmost cases zero) ICT content level of their tertiary education curriculum (cfUsman 2002; Okwo 2000).

Where it exists the ICT component of the curriculum isessentially theoretical without any opportunity for the students to manipulatethe computer. That perhaps explains why only 90.9% of the respondents of whoclaim to be computer literate can operate a computer without assistance. Thiscalls for a review of the tertiary education curriculum to reflect more coursesin ICT for pre-service and in-service science teachers. Such courses shouldprovide opportunity for the teacher trainees to practically use the computer andthe internet. Brewton’s (2000) technique of using internet to enrich scienceeducation wherein her science methods pre-service teachers are required toundertake web search assignments that are performed outside of class time, justlike library work, is quite instructive. Using such technique with pre-serviceor in-service science, technology and mathematics teachers will orient themtowards surfing the internet for educational purposes, particularly locatingscience teaching ideas and activities, especially if the assignments requirethem to access the unique science apparatus software. Obviously the internet hasthe potential to greatly influence the process of learning. Teachers that havean orientation in internet use as part of their teacher education will encouragetheir students to use the web and computer as well.

Apart from pre-service teachers, e-Learning offersopportunities to upgrade the skills of serving teachers (World Bank 2002). Thus,apart from encouraging the serving science teachers to get some formal educationin computer and internet, workshops/seminars organized specifically for thepurpose of facilitating their literacy, awareness and skills in using ICT forteaching will greatly improve their condition.

Adamu, A.U. (1992). Operation, efficiency and desirability of special science schools at the secondary education level: The Nigerian experience. Paris: International Institute of Educational Planning, UNESCO.

 

Afolabi, M. (2001). Internet and internet connectivity, library services and research potentialities. In C.M. Isyaku, A.A. Ankiweze & M.N. Olokun (eds) Teacher Education in the Information Technology Age. Abuja, Nigeria: NCCE.

 

Berenfeld, B. (1999). The Internet in our classrooms: Teaching tomorrow’s skills for tomorrow’s world. In Slyvia A. Ware (ed). Science and Environment Education Views from Developing Countries (pp 215 – 234). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

 

Brewton, C.C. (2000). Using the internet to enrich science education: The case of the Moon Watch Project. Journal of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, 35 (1 & 2), 10 – 15.

 

Edeson, D.C. (1997). Realising authentic science learning through the adaption of Scientific practice in K. Tobin and B. Fraser (eds). International Handbook of Science Education, Kluwer, Dordrecht, NL.

 

Ezekute, O.G. (2000). The use of calculators and computers in Nigerian schools in the 3^rd Millennium. ABACUS: The Journal of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria, 24 (1), 40 – 50. Federal Ministry of Education (1998). National Policy on Education (Revised) Lagos.

 

Heinich, R, Molenda, M., Russell, J.D. & Smaldion, S.F. (2001). Instructional media and technologies for learning (7^th ed) New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

 

Kosakowski, J. (1998). The benefits of information technology. http://www.askeric.org/ithome/digest/edoir9804.html.

 

Liverpool, L.S.O. (2001). Organising and managing campus information and communication technologies. In C.M. Isyaku, A.A. Anikweze and M.M. Olokun (eds). Teacher Education in the Information Technology Age. Abjua, Nigeria: NCCE.

 

Okwo, F.A. (2000). Quality control of computer science courses for trainee-teachers in the university of Nigeria Nsukka. Information Technology and Education. A publication of Institute of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

 

World Bank (2002). Information and Communication Technologies – A World Bank Group Strategy. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank Group.