CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A strong scientific and technological base is a precondition for any nation's human and material development. Nigeria is classified as a developing nation and has continued to make progress by placing strong emphasis on science and technology, which is why Computer Studies has been included in the curriculum of the junior and senior secondary schools (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013).

Over the years, most schools across the country have joined the technology revolution, and students today have access to at least some form of technology in school. This trend is unlikely to reverse, so the need for teachers who are literate in the use of different technologies keeps growing. Digital competence is commonly understood as having two connected parts: awareness, meaning knowledge and attitudes about how digital technologies affect daily life and society, and competence, meaning the practical skill to use software and devices effectively (Vuorikari et al., 2022). Both parts should be considered when computer literacy is examined in the classroom.

The world is advancing rapidly, and most human activities now take place electronically with the computer at the centre. This development has brought many innovations into teaching and learning. The 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic), which formed the core of the older system of education, have been reshaped by successive reforms in what it means to be literate. The world is now in the age of technology, and education must keep pace with it (UNESCO, 2018). One of the main ways of doing so is to introduce the computer into institutions of learning.

A computer is an electronic machine that can solve different kinds of problems, process data, store and retrieve information, and perform calculations faster and more accurately than human beings (Brookshear & Brylow, 2020). Such a machine helps to address problems that include wasted time, errors in calculation, difficulty in storing and retrieving information, and limited access to new information. Put another way, a computer is an electronic machine that carries out tasks such as calculation or electronic communication under the control of a set of instructions called a program. The program is held within the computer and retrieved as it is processed, and the machine can accept data, process it, and give out the result as information (Brookshear & Brylow, 2020). More generally, the term describes an electronic device that accepts data as input, processes it according to a set of instructions, and produces the desired output or information.

In simple terms, a computer is an electronic device that accepts data through an input device, processes it through the central processing unit (CPU), and presents the result as information through an output device. In education, the computer is used to enhance teaching and learning. Learning itself is understood as a relatively lasting change in behaviour or in the capacity to behave in a certain way, brought about by experience (Schunk, 2020). It therefore involves the processing of many kinds of information.

Computer Studies is very important to national development, and it was on this premise that the Federal Government of Nigeria sought to introduce the subject into the education system from the primary and secondary levels through to the tertiary level. Education systems around the world face formidable challenges that strain conventional approaches (UNESCO, 2023). Fresh approaches are needed to address persistent problems, such as the time wasted searching for information in libraries and the money spent obtaining materials and resources, and to give students an education suited to the needs of a modern, information-based global economy. In any education system, the level of available resources limits how far a new subject can be introduced into the school curriculum, especially where only the most basic facilities have so far been provided. An ICT-based curriculum should rank high among government priorities, and curriculum planners must take these resource issues into account and specify the minimum requirements for effective delivery in different circumstances (UNESCO, 2018).

The situation in Nigerian secondary schools shows how far these requirements are from being met. Recent studies report that many schools have not been fully integrated into the digital world, and that inadequate ICT infrastructure, inconsistent power supply, limited computer proficiency, and the high cost of ICT facilities are among the main reasons (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024). Studies of Computer Studies specifically have identified lack of internet access among the challenges facing the use of ICT in teaching the subject in public secondary schools (Ezeh, 2023). Adamu (2020) found that many Computer Studies teachers did not use computer hardware and internet applications in their lessons because they lacked the skills to operate them. Computer-student ratios are low, government funding has been discouraging, and teachers are inadequate in number and competence, which means the subject is often implemented only partially (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024; Okekeokosisi, 2022). Teachers need access to ICT infrastructure for several reasons: they live as citizens in a world transformed by ICT, they need to embed ICT in their teaching and administrative duties, and they increasingly need it for their own professional development (UNESCO, 2018).

During the ministerial council meeting of the National Council on Education in 1987, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to introduce Computer Studies into the nation's secondary school system. The National Committee on Computer Education was inaugurated the same year. Its functions included planning a dynamic policy on Computer Studies and computer literacy in Nigeria and devising clear strategies and terminology for use by the federal and state governments in introducing the subject.

The general objectives of the policy are:

1. To bring about a computer-literate society in Nigeria.
2. To enable present school children to appreciate and use the computer in various aspects of life and in future employment.

The modalities for achieving these objectives include:

1. Training of teachers and associated personnel.
2. Provision of hardware facilities.
3. Curriculum development.
4. Software development and evaluation.
5. Maintenance of hardware.

These strategies can either promote or impede the learning of Computer Studies. Where they function properly, learning is promoted, while deficiencies in their implementation become impediments. Evidence suggests that policies on the subject are poorly implemented partly because teachers, who are the key implementers, receive inadequate training and orientation (Ezeh, 2023; Adamu, 2020). Through regular practice, workshops and seminars, teachers can acquire the knowledge needed for effective teaching and learning of Computer Studies, a subject that requires practice and is best taught by teachers who have practised it themselves (Okekeokosisi, 2022).

One impediment to these strategies is the non-availability of hardware facilities for learning Computer Studies. Teaching that exposes students to no practical experience lowers standards, because practical work is central to learning in the sciences and in technology-based subjects (de Jong et al., 2013). Learning Computer Studies without hardware is like going to school without pens and books. The 1990 National Conference on Curriculum Development did not include Computer Studies among the issues discussed, so the subject was not built into the curriculum early, which has made its learning in secondary schools more difficult.

Teaching and learning of Computer Studies in the state's secondary schools have suffered setbacks arising from certain conditions, namely:

1. Inadequate provision of facilities.
2. Lack of trained personnel.
3. Financial constraints.
4. Organizational constraints (the time allowed for teaching computing in school and the periods allocated to it).

On the inadequate provision of facilities, learners who have no facilities for acquiring knowledge face confusion and difficulty instead of experiencing positive change in their lives (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024). The computer laboratory is a room in which hardware and software are configured, programmed, tested, organised and reconfigured, among many other activities. The question is how well equipped such a room really is, because without adequate facilities the learning of computing cannot be effective (Ezeh, 2023).

Lack of trained personnel is another impediment to the effective learning of computing. A well-known maxim of computing, "garbage in, garbage out", applies here: if computer teachers are not well trained, they will pass wrong content on to their students, who will in turn reproduce it. Teachers therefore need to be well trained and kept up to date through regular workshops and seminars so that they are equipped with the knowledge and methods suited to effective teaching of the subject (UNESCO, 2018; Ezeh, 2023). Poor training and orientation of key implementers is also a major reason why many well-designed curricula are poorly implemented (Adamu, 2020).

On financial constraints, governments need to finance education adequately, and Computer Studies needs more financial support than most other school subjects because of the cost of equipment, software, maintenance and electricity (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024; UNESCO, 2023). If the subject is not supported financially, its learning is seriously impeded.

On organizational constraints, many people still believe that computer knowledge is acquired in computer training centres and not in school, which draws less attention to the periods allocated to the subject. Where Computer Studies is not properly placed on the school timetable, its learning remains limited, and little attention is paid to the lessons that are scheduled.

Statement of the Problem

Computer knowledge acquisition concerns the knowledge and ability to use computers and related technology efficiently, across a range of skills from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving. In Abakaliki Local Government Area, there is a scarcity of Computer Studies teachers, and many people in the area regard learning about computers as something done in a computer centre and not in the school system. Several problems are associated with the learning of Computer Studies in secondary schools: inadequate provision of facilities, lack of trained personnel, financial constraints, organizational constraints, and lack of electricity or inadequate power supply (Bolaji & Onikoyi, 2024; Ezeh, 2023). Students' performance in the subject also remains a concern, as examination results show that fewer than half of candidates consistently obtain a credit-level pass (Aiyedun et al., 2024). It was on this ground that the researcher chose to investigate the impediments to the learning of Computer Studies by secondary school students in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to find out the impediments to the effective learning of Computer Studies. Specifically, the researcher aims to:

1. Find out the extent to which inadequate facilities impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools.
2. Find out the extent to which lack of trained personnel impedes the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools.
3. Find out the extent to which financial constraints impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools.
4. Find out the extent to which organizational constraints impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools.
5. Find out whether lack of electricity or inadequate power supply hampers the effective learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools.

Significance of the Study

The study is important because it will benefit the following groups:

1. The students: The study will help students understand that Computer Studies is not a subject for play but one for the real application of understanding, knowledge and social improvement.
2. The teachers: The study will help teachers understand that there are factors that work against the learning of Computer Studies in secondary schools.
3. Government: The study will disclose the impediments to the learning of Computer Studies in secondary schools, which will enable government to provide solutions to them and improve the learning of the subject.

Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the impediments to the learning of Computer Studies by secondary school students in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. The impediments examined are lack of adequate facilities, lack of trained personnel, financial constraints, organizational constraints, and lack of electricity or inadequate power supply.

Research Questions

1. To what extent does lack of adequate facilities impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools?
2. To what extent do financial constraints impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools?
3. To what extent does lack of trained personnel impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools?
4. To what extent do organizational constraints impede the learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools?
5. To what extent does lack of electricity or inadequate power supply impede the effective learning of Computer Studies in junior secondary schools?

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.

Brookshear, J. G., & Brylow, D. (2020). Computer science: An overview (13th ed.). Pearson.

de Jong, T., Linn, M. C., & Zacharia, Z. C. (2013). Physical and virtual laboratories in science and engineering education. Science, 340(6130), 305–308.

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.

Okekeokosisi, J. B. O. C. (2022). Enhancing students' academic achievement in computer studies through the use of reinforcement strategy. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 9(1), 250–256.

Schunk, D. H. (2020). Learning theories: An educational perspective (8th ed.). Pearson.

UNESCO. (2018). UNESCO ICT competency framework for teachers (Version 3). UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education – A tool on whose terms? UNESCO.

Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S., & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The digital competence framework for citizens. Publications Office of the European Union.