Dr. Ede O.S. Iyamu and Dr. S.E. Aduwa Ogiegbaen
University of Benin
eosiyamu@uniben.edu
eosiyamu@yahoo.com

Researches are needed in the developing countries to assess their integration of digital technologies into the curriculum implementation process. This study aimed at investigating the type of educational technology resources used by Social Studies teachers in Western Nigeria; their frequency of use, and the key variables that are related to their use. The survey used a sample of 200 Social Studies teachers who were randomly drawn from the secondary schools in Western Nigeria. The questionnaire used for the data collection had a reliability coefficient of 0.61. Both the descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. The results showed that all the 200 subjects were non-users of educational technology. It was also found that the teachers’ use of educational technology was significantly related to their pre-service and in-service training, availability of computers in classroom, computer laboratory and regular electricity supply. The recommendations made include the need for greater emphasis on skills related to the use of educational technology resources in Social Studies teacher education programmes in Nigerian Universities and Colleges of Education.

At every level of education, educational technology is perceived as a vehicle for curriculum enhancement. Studies including Hadley & Sheingold, 1992; McDaniel, Melnerney & Armstrong, 1993; Hannafin & Saverye, 1993) have indicated that educational technology has the potential for enhancing student learning. Educational technology in this context refers to technology that is employed in the classroom for the purpose of student instruction (Buck, 1994). It is all about computer-based technology including computer hardware, software, CD-Rom, videodisc player and the Internet. These forms of technology provide teachers and students with vast quantities of information in an easily accessible, non-sequential format that can be used as teaching tool.

Extolling the importance of technology in the instructional process, Chapin and Messick (1992) and Imogie (1998) asserted that the role of technology in teaching and learning is rapidly becoming one of the most important and widely discussed issues in contemporary education policy. To this extent, developed countries of Europe and America have made legislative provisions on the imperative use of technology in the instructional process (Brittain, 1988). Consequently, there has been a staggering amount of research and publication related to the use of technology for educational purposes in these advanced industrialized nations. Today, nearly everyone in these countries gains access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the purchases of computers for school use in such countries as the United States of America has been increasing in such a pace that is difficult to keep track of how many computer machines are now in American Schools (Harper, 1987). A survey report by Becker (1986) on the instructional uses of computers in United States public and private schools suggested that over one million computers were in American elementary and secondary schools and that more than fifteen million students used them during 1985. The report also says that more than half-a-million teachers used computers for instructional purposes during the same period and half of American secondary schools owed at least 15 computers each. Considering the fast pace of ICT in the last 20 years in Europe and America, the figures reported by Becker (1986) must have risen astronomically by now. According to Thomas (2003), the story in Britain is basically the same as that of the USA. This country has been able to keep such pace as a result of government funding through the local Education Authorities and the Education Reforms Act of 1988 that compelled the central government to make budgetary provision for education technology.

Although the developing countries including Nigeria have become aware of the invaluable role of technology in effective teaching and learning, they have not been to make significant progress in improving education through this medium. In Africa, concerted efforts have been made by many governments including Nigeria to initiate Internet connectivity and technology training programmes. Such programmes are expected to link schools and libraries around the world to improve education; enhance cultural understanding; develop vital skills of creativity, problem-solving and independent thinking which the youth need for survival in the global setting. Aduwa and Iyamu (2004) reported on the progress made in Uganda, Senegal and Nigeria to institutionalize educational technology. Efforts are gradually being made to provide educational institutions with computers and to encourage ICT as integral component of the educational process so as to meet the demands and challenges of globalization.

The importance of technology in the educational process is quite evident. Computer holds greater promise in the instructional process compared to other media such as book materials, chalkboard, radio/television and film that have dominated instructional practices over the ages. The computer is capable of activating the senses of sight, hearing and touch of the users. It has the capacity to provide higher interactive potential for user to develop their individual intellectual and creative abilities. The computer offers a problem-based learning environment that helps the users to apply themselves in a creative manner and acquire active rather than passive knowledge. Thomas (1987) and Shavinina (1997) share the view that the computer as educational technology provides productive teaching and learning in order to increase people’s creative and intellectual resources especially in today’s information society. Consequently, there is emphasis on the intensive use of ICT for teaching and learning in the developed world as a potent means of equipping students for successful and productive living in a technologically developed world (Thomas, 1987).

At the instructional level, computers are used by pupils to learn Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, Art, Science, Music and so on. Through the simultaneous use of audio, text, multicolour, images, graphics, motion, computers give ample and exceptional opportunities to the students to develop capacities for high quality learning and to increase their ability to innovate. Similarly, the Internet helps to link the students to the schools and libraries around the world thereby making it possible for them to access information on any subject. Apart from enjoying access to large quality of information, Internet facilitates individualized learning, creativity; vital skills of inquiry and problem solving that are useful for productive living.

In the current globalization, Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in using multimedia to raise the intellectual and creative resources of her citizens. According to Shavinina (1997), this is particularly important for children whose adulthood will blossom in a cyber environment entirely different from that of the present. The need for this kind of educational environment for Nigerian children is supported by Savery and Duffy’s (1995) four principles that underlie modern technology-based learning environments. These are, learning is an active and engaged process; learning is a process of constructing knowledge; learning is a function of meta-cognition; and learning involves social negotiation. Learning is therefore more effective when it occurs in an interactive setting that is mostly promoted through the use of educational technology. The focus of this study was to ascertain the type of educational technology resources being used by junior secondary school Social Studies teachers in Western Nigeria, their frequency of use and the key variables that influence their use. The idea behind this focus is that when social studies students embrace the online and digital environment that ensure higher order learning, they will gain a better understanding of their experience greater than those in the classroom waiting to be endowed with knowledge by the teacher. The creative freedom and choice of direction provided by the use of multimedia in the instructional process empower the students to cope with learning problems even without under teacher’s interference. This medium is effective for the promotion and attainment of the objectives of Social Studies in Nigerian secondary schools (Bell-Gam & Iyamu, 2000). Thus, computer-based teaching of Social Studies in Nigerian secondary schools will help to enhance the intellectual and creative potentials of the students. The active involvement of the students in the generation of their own knowledge in this process will certainly produce active rather than inert knowledge characteristic of the teacher-dominated pedagogy. Such students will be better equipped with vital skills of problem solving and living.

Chapin and Messick (1992) distinguished between interactive and non-interactive dimensions of technology for teaching Social Studies. By nature non-interactive media like film, filmstrips, television, radio, videocassettes promote passive learning because viewers cannot easily change the presentation. On the other hand, interactive media like computers and telecommunications facilitate problem-based learning. Accordingly, computers facilitate the storage, editing, retrieval and presentation of data in Social Studies. These could be historical, geographical, cultural, demographical and economic data.

The emphasis on computer-based teaching and learning of Social Studies in Nigerian secondary schools becomes more urgent considering the prevailing teacher-dominated approach to schooling and teaching in the country. Learning is largely passive and products of the schools are rated low in creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving, apparently, because the schools have failed to develop such skills in them through the integration of digital technological into the curriculum implementation process. Because of the potency of educational technology to improve education and ameliorate most of the ineffectiveness in the schooling process in Nigeria, it becomes necessary to assess the use of educational technology by social studies teachers in the secondary schools. This study is therefore aimed at finding out the proportion of social studies teachers who use technology for teaching and the factors that are related to their use of educational technology. Technologies users is hereby defined as teachers who use some form of technologies with their students at least once per week. Technology non-user was defined as a teacher who never or infrequently uses them. The study did not focus on the manner of use of educational technology.

This study was guided by the following research questions.

Procedure

This survey research used a sample of 200 social studies randomly selected from secondary schools in Western Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire contained questions pertaining to the frequency and type of educational technology use. These had five response levels as follows: Never; less than one per month; at least once per month; at least once per week, and daily. The descriptive statistics was used to analyse these.

Section B of the questionnaire had items pertaining to factors/variables that influence the teachers’ educational technology use. The respondents were expected to indicate their assessment of the factors as they relate to their use of educational technology by responding as follows: Significantly related; related; slightly related and not related. These were weighted 4,3,2 and 1 respectively. The mean method was used for the data analysis. For decision making, the mid point of the scale, that is 2.5, was used as the hypothetical cut-off point, obtained by adding the exact upper limit and exact lower limit of the scale and divided by two, that is 4.5 + 0.5 = 5.0 / 2 = 2.5. This section was pilot-tested and a reliability coefficient of 0.61 was established using the split-half method. The instrument was administered with the assistance of the researchers’ postgraduate students who came from this part of the country and the emerging data were analysed using the mean and ranking methods.

Below are the results of this investigation.

This survey study investigated the frequency of use of instructional technology resources including computers, CD-ROM, projectors and laser videodisc and by Social Studies teachers in junior secondary schools in Western Nigeria. From the analysis of data in Table 1, the largest number of respondents (184 of 200 or 92%) said they never use instructional technology at all. Fourteen respondents out of 200 or 7% said they use instructional technology, mainly computers, less than once per month. Those who said they use instructional technology at least once per month were two or 1%. The type of instructional technology used was the computer. None of the respondents said they use instructional technology at least once per week or daily.

Other questions were asked to assess teachers’ attitudes towards the benefits of instructional technology and teachers’ willingness for future technology training. One hundred and seventy-four out of the 200 teachers surveyed or (87%) said they believe technology can improve the clarity of lesson and enhance the content of instruction. Twenty-six (13%) of the respondents said they were not sure or did not believe technology could enhance instruction. The 174 respondents who expressed faith in instructional technology also expressed interest in future technology training.

The descriptive statistics in Table 2 show respondents’ mean scores and standard deviations on the instrument measuring their assessment of factors related to their use of educational technology for teaching. As earlier explained, the hypothetical cut-off point is 2.5. Any item or factor in which the respondents score 2.5 and above is regarded as significantly related to their educational technology use. Accordingly, five of the factors listed (items 3,4,6,7 and 10) were considered significantly related to teachers’ technology use.

In this study the frequency with which Social Studies teachers use technology was investigated. Using the previously defined criterion for users and non-users of educational technology, all the 200 subjects (1000%) fell under the class of non-users. These results differed from most studies, particularly those conducted on American and European schools, with regard to the percentage of teachers using technology (Winnans and Brown, 1992; Zamut, 1992; Buck & Brown, 1996). The present study has shown that only 2 out of 200 or (1%) teachers use technology at least once per month, and 14 out of 200 (7%) use it less than once per month. Those who never use at all were 184 (92%). These results show that digital technologies are yet to be integrated into the curriculum implementation process in Nigeria. This according to Aduwa and Iyamu (2004), poses serious limitation to students’ learning as they continue to look up to the teachers as the ultimate source of knowledge.

The study sought to determine which instructional technology resources were being used by the junior secondary school Social Studies teachers in Western Nigeria. The types of technology resources being investigated included computers, CD-ROM, laser videodisc and projectors. Without regard to the frequency of use, it was found that 16 out of 200 (8%) teachers were using the computers with their students.

In this investigation none of the instructional technology resources was used prevalently. Only two respondents (1%) used computers at least once per month. These results show that the level of the use of instructional technology resources in schools in western Nigeria is still very low compared to the practices in schools in the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the rest developed countries. According to Thomas (2003), a high percentage of elementary school teachers in the USA use computers on a daily basis. These results of this study show that none of the teachers used CD-ROM and Laser Videodisc. This situation is similar to those reported by Furst-Bowe (1992) and Descy (1999) in which over 82% of the respondents stated they never used CD-ROM or Laser Videodisc selected American schools. The computers appear to more prevalent globally.

The study also investigated some factors related to teachers’ use of instructional technology resources. It was found in table 2 that pre-service and in-service training, availability of computers in the classroom, availability of computer laboratory and regular electricity supply was significantly related to technology use. In this study, teacher age, gender, years of teaching experience, class level taught and teacher workload were not significantly related to the teachers’ technology use. Two of the variables (in-service training and computers in the classroom) significantly related to technology use have been reported in the findings of previous studies. Imogie (1998) and Byers (1992) found a relationship between in-service instruction and technology integration. The significance of pre-service training in the present study corroborates the finding of Winnans and Brown (1992) in which teachers who had pre-service credits in instructional technology use are more disposed to using them with their students. It is also possible that availability of computers in the classroom and computer laboratory could stimulate teachers to use them for teaching

The finding on regular electricity supply as significant variable related to teachers’ use of technology resources is not surprising because no part of Nigeria gets an uninterrupted electricity supply for 24 hours. Besides, more than 80% of communities/villages do not have access to electricity supply in the country (Akinbade, 2002). Schoolteachers in such communities cannot contemplate the use of technology.

The results of this study indicate that majority of the teachers (92%) never use any form of technology with their students. Only one percent used computers at least once per month and seven percent use them less than once per month. Majority of the teachers also indicated willingness to learn how to use instructional technology effectively. It was found that pre service and in-service training, availability of computer laboratory and computers in the classroom and regularity of electricity were significant factors influencing instructional technology use by the Social Studies teachers. This study implies that digital technologies are yet to be fully integrated into the curriculum implementation process in Nigerian schools. This points to the nature of schooling and teaching in Nigeria with regard to creating stimulating and varied learning approaches and use of problem-based approaches to teaching. It is hereby recommended that the following be done.

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