CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Lifelong education and making Nigeria an
education hub in Africa had always been the plan of any government in power
since Nigeria got her independence in 1960. In conjunction to this, various stakeholders
have held various educational programs, conferences and symposia are held in
order to compete with other western countries. Nevertheless, the Nigerian
government is doing its best in achieving this educational objective. The state
governments of Nigeria have assisted various secondary schools by supplying
them with modern assisted learning in the area of Information and Technology
Communication (ICT). This clearly shows that information and communication
technology is part of the education system.
The distribution of computer systems by
the state governments to various secondary schools in the country and internet
services to help them surf the net has helped equip the schools. Therefore, the
teachers have to prepare themselves to cater the needs of pupils and the
government policies. The use of technology alone will not suffice the
significant changes in school. The teachers are the main ingredient in
fostering the changes. A research carried out by Davies (1997) revealed that effective
learning can be enhanced through the integration of ICT in teaching. Bransford
(1994) corroborated this by revealing that ICT helps the critical thinking
skills, information handling skills, the level of conceptualization as well as
the problem solving capacity.
Information and communication technology
is a crucial tool that is mostly and widely integrated in the teaching and
learning process, especially in the science subjects like Chemistry. As ICT is generally
designed to be used by students, teachers must as well use it in their teaching
routine for effective teaching and learning. Several researchers revealed the ability
of computers to support and enhance teaching and learning process in education (Loveless
& Dore, 2002). However, there are questions pertaining the effectiveness of
computers as studies reveal that although the number of computer users is
constantly increasing, few individuals still refuse to accept the value of
computer technology.
Currently in Nigeria, most secondary schools
are equipped with computer labs and internet services for effective learning. Having
these infrastructures in schools is a good start in a way. The tendency in
teachers left behind in the IT environment could be lessened. However there are
fewer teachers who really use these facilities due to some reasons, i.e. skill,
knowledge, motivation, attitude and practice. If this situation persists then,
obviously the Ministry of Education’s aim will be a waste and moreover, the
pupils will be affected too. Findings from researchers had the phenomena is
still persisting in various secondary schools in Nigeria. The need to look at
more findings and conclusive recommendations are needed to uphold the
ministry’s agenda.
Findings from Robertson (1996) indicated
that teachers’ resistance to computer is in various broad divisions like the
resistance to organizational change and outside intervention, the problem of
time management, inadequate support from administration, teachers’ attitude
toward effective teaching and learning as well as personal and psychological
factors. The study was carried out on the skills acquired by staff and Year 8
students in a secondary school prior to receiving personal palmtop computers.
Access to palmtop computers increased the staffs’ use of generic applications
in their work. A minority of staff remained unconvinced about the potential of the
computer and dissatisfied with the amount and quality of professional
development in the use of palmtop and in ICT in general. The study in general
concluded that there is a need for adequate teachers training and retraining
training in order for them to become aware of the range of uses and possible benefits
of ICT.
There has been a significant improvement
in the use of information and communication technology for effective teaching
and learning which has been having great influence on the academic performance
of students and effective teaching on teachers. It is not surprising to find
increasing interest, attention and investment put into the use of ICT in the
education world. In addition to efforts made to employ ICT in education for
effective teaching and learning, the emergence of knowledge economy has also
brought about a much greater emphasis on education (Felix, 2007). Educational
innovations on ICT have been embedded to improve teachers’ skill, knowledge and
as well increase the use of ICT in teaching and learning particularly in
secondary schools in Nigeria. It is on these premises that this study seeks to
investigate teachers’ attitude towards the use
of ICT in teaching chemistry in senior secondary school in Gwale Local
Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
For
more than a decade in Nigeria, the federal and state governments through the
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training with the inputs of educational
stakeholders and other partners has been conceptualizing and implementing
various ICT policies and initiatives related to help students and teachers in
the use of ICT in learning and teaching. With such initiatives in place, one
would expect a fully-fledged integration of ICT in Nigerian schools today.
However, in spite of the availability of ICT tools in various secondary schools
in Nigeria, previous studies conducted show that few teachers and students are
using ICT as an effective and efficient teaching and learning tool. Very
interestingly, many studies stress that in many schools ICTs are mostly confined
to administration, and personal use. Although different ICT programmes and
Governmental policies have already been put in place to integrate ICT in the
educational sector, there are still challenges and gaps in the implementation
of these policies. According to Swarts & Washira (2010) the challenges can
be categorized into access, equity, quality and ICT relevance. This points to
the fact that, careful investigation of the current teaching and learning
practices, readiness, skills, competence, knowledge and attitude of various
educational stakeholders, specifically on student’s perspectives regarding the
use of ICTs in schools is needed so as to understand the pedagogical value of
ICT in secondary schools in Nigeria today.
1.3 Research Objectives
The main
objective of this study is to investigate teachers’
attitude towards the use of ICT in teaching chemistry in senior secondary
school in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State. Specifically, the
objectives are:
i)
To
understand the reasons for the use of ICT for effective and efficient teaching
and learning of Chemistry
ii)
To
investigate the prevalence in the use of ICT for effective and efficient
teaching and learning of Chemistry by Chemistry teachers in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State
iii)
To
determine the attitudes of Chemistry teachers in Gwale Local Government Area towards the use of ICT for effective and efficient teaching and
learning of Chemistry
1.4 Research
Questions
The following are
some of the questions which this study intends to answer:
i)
What
are the reasons for the use of ICT for effective and efficient teaching and
learning of Chemistry?
ii)
What
is the prevalence in the use of ICT for effective and efficient teaching and
learning of Chemistry by Chemistry teachers in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State?
iii)
What
are the attitudes of Chemistry teachers in Gwale Local Government Area towards the use of ICT for effective and efficient teaching
and learning of Chemistry?
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
The followings are the research hypotheses to
be tested in this study:
i)
There
is a significant influence of the use of ICT in teaching and learning on
academic performance
ii)
There
is a significant relationship between the use ICT in teaching Chemistry and
teachers’ performance
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study informs educational
stakeholders such as parents, government, curriculum developers, and school
administrators on teachers’ attitudes towards ICT usage in teaching process,
the extent of ICT integration into the teaching process and factors influencing
the rate of ICT integration into the teaching process in secondary schools. If,
as Eccles (1987) has argued, ‘task value’ beliefs are central to explaining the
nature of students and teachers’ attitudes teaching and learning particular
subjects, then this study helps in identifying those tasks which are viewed
positively, such factors as teachers’ attitudes towards ICT and the former’s
effects on the extent of integration in the teaching process. This study
therefore documents findings on teachers’ attitude
towards the use of ICT in teaching chemistry in senior secondary school in
Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study was limited to the views of
secondary school teachers of Gwale Local
Government Area of Kano State in studying their attitudes towards
the use of Information and Communication Technology in the Teaching
process. Furthermore, the study was confined to ICT variables such as: use of
computers, overhead projector for PowerPoint presentation, and use of internet
to process data for the teaching process. Therefore, five senior
secondary schools in Gwale Local Government Area
shall be selected for this study.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
There
are two main limitations to this study. First, the sample was limited to
chemistry teachers and chemistry students. This limits the generalization of
the research findings to other populations. Second, the survey information is
self-reported data. Therefore, the results might be affected by the teachers’
social desirability to provide desired information rather than accurate
information.
1.9 Definition of
Terms
The following
terms were used during the cause of the study.
Computer Attitudes: An
attitude is "the predisposition of an individual to evaluate some symbol
or object or aspect of his world in a favourable or unfavourable manner.
Information
and Communication Technology (ICT): Mary and Cox
(2007) defined ICT as electronic and computerized devices associated with human
interactive materials that enable the user to use them for wider range of
service delivery and in addition to personal use. ICT involves the use of
electronic devices such as web portals, internet, inters witch, telnet and
telecommunication for sending and receiving messages and used for tax
administration.
Technology integration: The
practice of using new and emerging technology in ways that is both
curriculum-based and future-oriented to create meaningful learning experiences
and to increase technology literacy.