COMPUTER USE AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ( A Study of Trinity College)

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out on computer use and students’ academic performance. The study focused on Trinity College. This study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population of this study is students and teachers of Trinity College. This study employed purposeful sampling method to randomly select 460 participants. The sample size was calculated using Taro Yamane formula to be 210 (179 students and 31 teachers). Data was collected from the secondary school using three sets of questionnaires. The questionnaires were divided into two sections covering demographic information, access and computer usage as well as attitudes and challenges on computer use. Test- retest method was used to determine instrument reliability where two schools were sampled. The coefficient of reliability of the instrument were 0.96 and 0.82 for the teachers and students respectively, the responses from the questionnaires were included in the main study. Frequency distribution and percentages were obtained using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed that a majority of all the school community (teachers and students) reported to have received some computer training. It was further established that most teachers had computer literacy training of between 1-2 weeks duration. The study revealed that 60% of teachers in Trinity College do not use the internet or computers to prepare learning materials. Further, 88.1% of the teachers who use computers or the internet spend less than 5 hours per week in using the internet or computer for teaching and learning purpose. The majority of the students had no access to computers during their learning while most of those accessing the computers for learning purposes spend less than 2 hours per week. This clearly indicates that Trinity College is yet to fully tap on the vast opportunities for learning using computer. The study concluded that it was clear that Trinity College had installed computers and related peripherals. However, they were not adequate for full computer usage in the teaching and learning process due to the fact that some computer equipment was very few for instance desktop and laptops computers and LCD projectors. The study recommended that school authorities need to create more facilitation for more computer usage not only in the school but also in the classrooms.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The integration of computers and related information and communication technology (ICT) tools into teaching and learning has become one of the most widely discussed developments in education over the past two decades. Proponents argue that when properly integrated, computer use can transform the classroom into a more interactive, learner-centred environment, giving students access to a wealth of information, supporting collaboration between learners and educators, and helping to develop the thinking, problem-solving, creativity and digital competencies that are increasingly demanded in the modern economy (Msambwa et al., 2024). A growing body of empirical research has examined the extent to which this promise translates into measurable gains in students' academic performance. Mensah et al. (2023), in a mixed-methods study of Second Cycle Schools in Ghana, found that ICT usage had a positive effect on students' academic performance, though the realization of this benefit was closely tied to the extent and consistency of access to functioning computer facilities. Similarly, Ben Youssef et al. (2022), studying university students in France, found that while ICT use and digital skills were generally associated with better academic outcomes, poor investment in ICT infrastructure and limited effectiveness of institutional ICT training could significantly blunt these gains, a phenomenon they characterized as part of a broader digital divide.

These international findings resonate closely with the challenges frequently reported in secondary schools across many developing countries, where the ambition to integrate computers into teaching and learning is often constrained by inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teacher training, and limited instructional time allocated to computer-based learning. Msambwa et al.'s (2024) systematic review of ICT integration in secondary education identified facilitating conditions, including adequate hardware, technical support and sustained professional development for teachers, as decisive factors determining whether ICT integration translates into genuine improvements in teaching and learning, rather than remaining a largely symbolic or underutilized addition to the school environment.

It is within this broader context that the present study examines computer use and students' academic performance at Trinity College. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, drawing on a target population of students and teachers at the College, from which a purposeful sample of 460 participants was drawn and a sample size of 210 respondents, comprising 179 students and 31 teachers, was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Data were gathered from three sets of questionnaires covering demographic information, access and computer usage, and attitudes and challenges related to computer use, with instrument reliability established through the test-retest method, yielding reliability coefficients of 0.96 for teachers and 0.82 for students. Frequency distribution and percentage analysis were carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

The findings that emerged from this data collection point to a college that, while having made some investment in computer training and equipment, has yet to fully harness computers for teaching and learning. A majority of the school community reported having received some computer training, and most teachers had completed literacy training of between one and two weeks' duration; nonetheless, 60% of teachers reported that they do not use the internet or computers to prepare learning materials, and among the minority who do, 88.1% spend less than five hours per week doing so. Among students, most had no access to computers during their learning, and those who did typically spent less than two hours per week using them for learning purposes. These patterns suggest that, notwithstanding the presence of computers and related peripherals such as desktops, laptops and LCD projectors at Trinity College, the quantity of this equipment remains insufficient to support full computer usage across the teaching and learning process.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite the substantial global investment of attention and resources in integrating computers into secondary education, and despite Trinity College's own efforts to introduce computer training and equipment, there remains a persistent gap between the presence of computer facilities and their meaningful, sustained use in day-to-day teaching and learning. The preliminary evidence available for Trinity College suggests that a majority of teachers do not use computers to prepare learning materials, and that the majority of students lack regular access to computers during their learning, patterns which, if left unaddressed, risk leaving both teachers and students under-prepared for an increasingly digital academic and economic environment. What remains less clear, however, is the precise extent of computer accessibility for teachers and students, the level of expertise they bring to computer integration, the specific ways in which computers are actually being used in the teaching and learning process, and the degree to which the College is meeting the requirements of the Ministry of Education's policy on computer usage. It is this combination of gaps, in access, expertise, integration practice and policy implementation, that this study sets out to investigate.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine computer use and students' academic performance, using Trinity College as the case study. The following are the specific objectives of the study:

• To determine the extent of accessibility of computers to teachers and students in Trinity College.

• To determine the level of teachers' and students' expertise on computer integration in teaching and learning process in Trinity College.

• To determine the ways in which computer is integrated in teaching and learning process by teachers and students.

• To determine the extent of implementation of the Ministry of Education policy on computer usage in Trinity College.

1.4 Research Questions

In line with the objectives above, the study seeks to answer the following research questions:

• What is the extent of accessibility of computers to teachers and students in Trinity College?

• What is the level of teachers' and students' expertise on computer integration in the teaching and learning process in Trinity College?

• In what ways is the computer integrated into the teaching and learning process by teachers and students in Trinity College?

• To what extent has the Ministry of Education policy on computer usage been implemented in Trinity College?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the management of Trinity College, as its findings offer an evidence-based diagnosis of the current state of computer accessibility, teacher and student expertise, and policy implementation, information that can directly inform decisions on infrastructure investment, staff training priorities and instructional planning. To teachers, the study highlights the specific barriers, such as limited time and inadequate equipment, that currently constrain the use of computers in preparing and delivering learning materials, while to students, it draws attention to the extent to which limited computer access may be affecting their opportunities for computer-supported learning.

To education policymakers, including the Ministry of Education, the study provides a concrete, school-level case study of the extent to which national ICT-in-education policy is being realized in practice, complementing broader assessments such as those of Msambwa et al. (2024) and Mensah et al. (2023). For the academic community, the study contributes Kenyan or comparable developing-country secondary-school-level evidence to a growing international literature on ICT integration and academic performance, including the work of Ben Youssef et al. (2022) on the digital divide. Finally, the study will serve as a useful reference for future researchers investigating computer use and academic performance in similar secondary school settings.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is limited to Trinity College and focuses specifically on computer use among its students and teachers and its relationship to students' academic performance. The scope covers the accessibility of computers to teachers and students, their level of expertise in computer integration, the specific ways computers are used in teaching and learning, and the extent to which the Ministry of Education's policy on computer usage has been implemented within the College. The study draws its data from a purposefully selected sample of 210 respondents, comprising 179 students and 31 teachers, and does not extend to other schools or to non-computer-related factors that may also influence academic performance.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

As with most survey-based studies of this nature, this study is subject to a number of limitations. The reliance on self-reported questionnaire data means that responses regarding computer usage, expertise and attitudes may be subject to social-desirability bias, with some respondents potentially over- or under-reporting their actual level of computer use. The sample, while determined using the Taro Yamane formula and subjected to reliability testing, is drawn from a single institution, Trinity College, which may limit the extent to which the findings can be generalized to other secondary schools with different resource levels or policy environments. Time and resource constraints associated with the research also limited the depth of investigation that could be undertaken into some of the underlying causes of the patterns observed. These limitations notwithstanding, the use of a validated, dual-respondent (teacher and student) instrument helps to strengthen the reliability of the findings within the scope of the study.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Computer Use: The application of computers and related digital tools and resources in the process of teaching, learning or academic work.

Academic Performance: The measurable outcomes of a student's learning, typically expressed through grades, test scores or other indicators of achievement in academic tasks.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT): The range of technological tools and resources, including computers, software and the internet, used to create, store, process, transmit and exchange information.

Computer Literacy: The knowledge and skill required to effectively use computers and related software for a range of tasks, including those related to teaching and learning.

ICT Integration: The purposeful incorporation of information and communication technology tools into the teaching and learning process to support instructional and learning goals.

Descriptive Survey Design: A research design in which data are collected from a sample in order to describe the characteristics, attitudes or behaviours of a population as they naturally exist, without manipulation of variables.

Digital Divide: The gap between individuals, groups or institutions that have effective access to digital technologies and those that do not.

REFERENCES

Ben Youssef, A., Dahmani, M., & Ragni, L. (2022). ICT use, digital skills and students' academic performance: Exploring the digital divide. Information, 13(3), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13030129

Mensah, R. O., Quansah, C., Oteng, B., & Nii Akai Nettey, J. (2023). Assessing the effect of information and communication technology usage on high school student's academic performance in a developing country. Cogent Education, 10(1), 2188809. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2188809

Msambwa, M. M., Daniel, K., & Lianyu, C. (2024). Integration of information and communication technology in secondary education for better learning: A systematic literature review. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 101203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101203