CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Over the years, most schools across Nigeria have joined the technology revolution, and students today have at least some form of technology available to them in school. This trend is unlikely to reverse, which increases the need for teachers who are literate in the use of different types of technology (Sam-Kayode et al., 2023). Digital competence is generally understood to have more than one dimension, combining what a person knows, what a person can do, and the attitudes with which they engage with technology (Vuorikari et al., 2022). In this study, computer literacy is treated as having two distinct components, awareness and competence. Awareness means that a person understands how computers affect their daily life and society at large, while competence means that a person can demonstrate hands-on expertise with a software application. Both components should be assessed when computer literacy is examined in a classroom setting.

In modern classrooms, teachers and students have access to a wide variety of technology. Computers, projectors, handheld devices, television and digital cameras are more accessible now than ever before. Technology of this kind, often called instructional technology, supports a shift from a teacher-centred classroom to a more student-centred one, because teachers who hold student-centred beliefs use technology to promote student choice, collaboration and authentic tasks (Ertmer et al., 2012). Through technology, necessary information can be transmitted widely and within the shortest possible time, and researchers, scholars and professionals can meet, interact and exchange ideas in the field of education (Ode & Torkula, 2024).

Instructional technology also covers a wide range of technologies and systems used to deliver information. Computer-assisted instruction, for example, is an interactive teaching medium that uses the computer to deliver educational content and to monitor learning outcomes, and recent Nigerian evidence shows that it can improve students' achievement in computer studies (Aiyedun et al., 2024). Simulations, another form of instructional technology, have also been shown to produce large positive effects on learning (Chernikova et al., 2020). Many secondary school science classrooms are therefore integrating technology to help students better understand the concepts being taught.

While teachers try to bring new types of instructional technology into their classrooms, many face barriers that hinder their progress. Ertmer et al. (2012) distinguish between first-order barriers, which are external to the teacher, such as equipment, time and support, and second-order barriers, which are internal, such as confidence, attitudes and beliefs. Beyond mere awareness and competence, anxiety, lack of training and inadequate equipment are barriers that teachers confront daily (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024; Ertmer et al., 2012). Studies with Nigerian teachers show that many of them hold positive attitudes towards computers despite these barriers and despite not yet being competent in basic computer operation and in the use of common application software (Obakhume, 2012; Omoniyi & Quadri, 2013). If the problems teachers face are tackled, they will be better able to integrate more technology into the classroom, which would give students wider learning opportunities and prepare them technologically for problem solving in the future. The use of technology in education supports simulation and game-based teaching strategies, computer-based instruction, administrative effectiveness, school discipline, access to research publications, and a more effective teaching and learning process. Teachers also increasingly log on to websites to find information for research and assignments. However, the effective use of technology in schools demands good computer literacy skills and their acquisition.

In this context, computer literacy refers to the ability to understand and use technology for instructional purposes. The study examines the capability of science teachers who may use technology to deliver lessons to students so that teaching and learning are effective.

With the introduction of computer education into the secondary school curriculum, there is an urgent need to examine science teachers' awareness of, and the extent to which they use, various applications of the computer in the instructional process, such as computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The use of computers by science teachers supports delivery of curriculum content. Computers in the school system also help educational researchers to store, display, transmit and analyse data. A simple example is the use of statistical software, which saves administrators, academics, teachers and researchers from the strain of analysing primary data manually.

Computer literacy can be developed in different ways: through self-directed learning, through technology training classes, or through a staged process in which a person moves from awareness, to learning the process, to understanding and applying it, to becoming familiar and confident, to adapting it to other contexts, and finally to applying it creatively in new contexts. In this sense, computer literacy refers to the level of comfort a person has with using computer programs and other applications associated with computers. In the researcher's view, a computer-literate person has basic knowledge of all aspects of the computer, while computer literacy is the ability to understand that basic knowledge and its application in all areas of human endeavour.

As teachers develop computer literacy, they become more likely to use different types of technology to present information in their classes. However, their efforts to develop computer literacy and to use instructional technology may be hindered by several obstacles (Ezeh, 2023; Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024). These barriers include:

1. Obsolete equipment.
2. Lack of time during the day for teachers to learn, practise or plan ways of using computers or the internet.
3. Lack of administrative support.
4. An inadequate number of computers, which can complicate a teacher's plan for instruction involving technology.

Despite all these, teachers still appear to use technology and to look for ways of doing so. However, the relationship between secondary school science teachers' access to technology and their use of it in the classroom depends on the availability of the technologies required for classroom use and on teachers' level of computer literacy, which enables them to use those technologies more efficiently. In a survey of junior secondary school science teachers in Ibadan, for example, 82% of respondents had fewer than five computers with digital tools, even though their ICT competencies were rated high and their utilisation of ICT was moderate (Sam-Kayode et al., 2023). Computer literacy is therefore indispensable for both teachers and principals if schools are to be effective and their academic goals achieved. The National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013) gives weight to the competence of teachers in using innovative materials and ICT, and to the place of computer literacy in teacher education, including exposure to changes in methodology, curriculum reform and innovation in the profession. Computer literacy skills also enable teachers to adopt effective record-keeping strategies, computer-assisted instruction and electronic communication.

Access to technology means the technology that can easily be found in the classroom or readily reached within the school building. For teachers to integrate technology effectively, they must have easy access to a range of it, including television, desktop computers, storage media, the internet, e-mail, printers and video cameras. Access to technology within the school is an important condition for using it in the science classroom (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024; Ezeh, 2023). Without adequate access to technology, including computers, the internet and technical support, teachers cannot provide technology-enriched lessons for their students. Their access to technology during instruction also depends on their awareness and competence in using it.

Studies of Nigerian teachers suggest that competence is uneven. Omoniyi and Quadri (2013) found that most secondary school teachers in Ogun State lacked the required competence in ICT, that teachers in the humanities were more competent than those in the sciences, and that retraining was needed. Ode and Torkula (2024) reported that science teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Benue State had low competency in ICT operations and use, with a significant difference between male and female teachers. Adamu (2020) similarly found that many computer studies teachers did not use computer hardware and internet applications in their lessons because they lacked the necessary skills. These findings show why the extent of computer literacy among science teachers needs to be established locally.

In this study, science is viewed as the intellectual and practical activity that comprises the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. It can also be seen as the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic, evidence-based methodology. A science teacher, in turn, is a person who guides students' understanding and knowledge of natural phenomena through systematic observation and experimentation.

The researcher therefore embarked on this study to investigate the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and how it bears on their teaching.

Statement of the Problem

Although computer science and technology are relatively new in the teaching and learning environment in Nigeria, the use of computers is evident in many areas of human activity, such as medicine, domestic life, engineering, architecture and education. It is important to note that computer use is also reflected in secondary school programmes.

However, the place of computer science and technology in the education sector requires all stakeholders in education to be computer literate if schools are to cope with the challenges of society. Science teachers in particular need to be computer literate so that they can bring a wealth of information into the classroom during instruction (Sam-Kayode et al., 2023).

In Ebonyi State, it is assumed that only a few teachers have the training to use technology such as computers and projectors effectively in the classroom. To the best of the researcher's knowledge, this assumption has not been tested by any study in Ezza South Local Government Area, even though studies elsewhere in Nigeria report low or uneven teacher competence (Omoniyi & Quadri, 2013; Ode & Torkula, 2024). Lack of computer literacy, together with other barriers, can hinder the teaching and understanding of science in Ebonyi State. There is therefore a need to find out the extent to which science teachers have acquired computer literacy, which is why the question that concerns the researcher is: What is the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science teachers?

Purpose of the Study

The main focus of this study is to discover the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Specifically, the study sought to determine the extent of:

1. Computer literacy possessed by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
2. Awareness of computers possessed by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area.
3. Competence in computer knowledge among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area.
4. Computer use in science classrooms by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Significance of the Study

Attempts have been made to determine the level of computer literacy among secondary school teachers and the use of technology in the general classroom, but few studies have looked specifically at secondary school science teachers (Sam-Kayode et al., 2023; Ode & Torkula, 2024). The study will therefore benefit the following groups:

1. The government
2. The parents
3. The students
4. The researchers

The government will find the study useful because it will show the ability and capacity of secondary school science teachers to teach with computers and give a clear picture of the number of computer-literate science teachers in the secondary school system. Employers of labour will also benefit, since the results indicate the preparedness of the teachers who train the future workforce.

Today, computers do much work that people once did, in less time and with greater accuracy. The study will help parents understand the benefits of being computer literate in society, which should motivate them to give their children full support in acquiring computer knowledge, including buying computer textbooks and funding their training.

In institutions of higher learning, the importance of the computer cannot be overstated. Having seen this importance through the study, students will be encouraged and motivated to study computing with full interest, and the findings may also guide them in writing their own projects.

Researchers will also benefit, because the study will give them knowledge of project work, research methods and how to go about them. They will gain ideas and information that can equip them to write books of their own, and they will learn the number and location of secondary schools in Ezza South Local Government Area and the number of science teachers there who are computer literate.

Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Information will be collected from the principals and teachers in the selected government and private schools.

Research Questions

To achieve the purpose of the study, the following research questions were developed to guide it:

1. What is the extent of computer literacy possessed by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area?
2. What is the extent of awareness of computers possessed by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area?
3. What is the extent of competence in computer knowledge among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area?
4. What is the extent of computer use in science classrooms in Ezza South Local Government Area?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated at the 0.05 level of significance:

HO1: There is no significant difference in the extent of computer literacy possessed by male and female science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area.

HO2: There is no significant difference in the extent of awareness of computers possessed by male and female science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

HO3: There is no significant difference in the extent of competence in computer knowledge among male and female secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

HO4: There is no significant difference in the extent of computer use in secondary school science classrooms between male and female science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

References

Adamu, Z. E. (2020). Investigating the utilization of ICT and its applications in teaching computer studies in secondary schools in Niger State educational zone. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 7(6), 84–89.

Aiyedun, E. O., Ogundairo, D. A., & Ajibola, A. S. T. (2024). Assessing the role of computer-assisted instruction and mastery learning strategies in shaping the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in computer studies. Zaria Journal of Educational Studies, 23(2), 27–40.

Bolaji, H. O., & Onikoyi, O. A. (2024). Usability of ICT for class size remediation and learning among secondary schools. Indonesian Journal of Educational Research and Technology, 4(1), 23–28.

Chernikova, O., Heitzmann, N., Stadler, M., Holzberger, D., Seidel, T., & Fischer, F. (2020). Simulation-based learning in higher education: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 90(4), 499–541. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320933544

Ertmer, P. A., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T., Sadik, O., Sendurur, E., & Sendurur, P. (2012). Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship. Computers & Education, 59(2), 423–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.02.001

Ezeh, C. D. G. C. (2023). Challenges facing the use of ICT in teaching computer studies in public secondary schools in Awka South L.G.A. AfricArXiv. https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net

Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2013). National policy on education (6th ed.). NERDC Press.

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Ode, J. O., & Torkula, P. T. (2024). Perceived information and communication technology competency of science teachers in Benue State, Nigeria. BSU Journal of Science, Mathematics and Computer Education, 4(1), 41–.

Omoniyi, T., & Quadri, A. T. (2013). Perceived competence of Nigerian secondary schools teachers in the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Journal of Education and Practice, 4(10), 157–.

Sam-Kayode, C. O., Ojo, S. T., & Aliyu, R. T. (2023). Assessment of level of digital literacy among science teachers at the junior secondary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Papers in Education and Development, 41(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.56279/ped.v41i2.7

Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S., & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The digital competence framework for citizens – With new examples of knowledge, skills and attitudes (EUR 31006 EN). Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/115376