Over
the years, most schools across the nation have been joining the technology
revolution. Today, students have at least some form of technology available to
them in school. This trend is not likely to change, so there is an increasing
need for teachers who are literate in the use of the various types of
technology. Manson and McMorow (2006) suggested that there are two distinct
components to computer literacy; “awareness and competence”.
Awareness
requires that a person should have understanding of how computer affect their
daily life or society at large, and competence requires that a person should be
able to exhibit a hands on expertise with a software application. Both of these
components should be evaluated when looking at computer literacy within the
classroom setting.
In
modern classrooms, teachers and students have access to wide variety of
technology. Various types of technology including computers, projectors,
handhelds, television and digital cameras are more accessible now than ever
before. This type of technology also called instructional technology has helped
in moving the classroom from a teacher-centered environment to a more student
centered one (Trotter, 2008). Through the use of technology necessary
information is transmitted widely within the shortest possible time. Through
the use of these technologies researchers, scholars, and professionals are able
to meet, interact and exchange ideas in the field of education.
Lu
and Miller (2012) also stated that instructional technology encompass a wide
variety of technologies as well as systems used to deliver information. Many
secondary schools science classroom are integrating technology to help students
better understand the concepts that are being taught (Croxall and Cumming,
2010).
While teachers are trying to implement
new types of instructional technology into their classrooms, many of them are
faced with barriers that hinder their attempt to advance. Beyond mere awareness
and competence, anxieties, lack of training, and absolute equipment are
barriers faced by the teacher on a daily basis (Redmann and Kotrlik, 2008). Through
various research studies that have been conducted with secondary school science
teachers, researcher has found out that teachers have negative attitude about
technology inspite the role played by technology in the modern classroom
setting. Because of their general wrong perceptions about technology, they face
various barriers when trying to become literate in the functioning of the equipment.
If the problems faced by the teachers are tackled, they will better fully
integrate more technologies into the classroom, thus giving students a wide
learning opportunities and help them to become technologically prepared for
their problem solving in the future. The use of technology in education helps
in the following: Introduction of simulations and games pedagogical strategies,
computer based instructions, administrative effectiveness, school discipline,
research publications facilities, and effective teaching-learning process.
Also, of recent, teachers log into websites to access necessary information for
research and assignments. However, adequate use of technologies in schools
demands effective computer literacy skills and acquisition.
Computer
literacy on this context deals with the ability to understand and use
technology for instructional purposes. It tries to examine the capability of
science teachers who may use the technology for delivering of lesson to student
to ensure effective teaching-learning.
With
the introduction of computer education into secondary school curricula, there
is an urgent need to examine the science teachers’ awareness of the extent of
utilization of various uses of computer such as an instructional delivery
process (e.g) the use of computer Assisted Instruction (CAI). The uses of
computers by the science teachers however assist in the curriculum contact
delivery. Computers in the school system assist in the academic environment to
store, display, transmit, and analyze data by the educational researchers.
A
couple of examples of these uses are helpful. For instance Kpolovie (2006)
observed that the use statistics helps administrator, academicians, teachers,
and researchers by overcoming the rigor of manual analysis of primary data.
Computer literacy can be accomplished in
different ways: through self-directed learning, technology training classes or
following a six-phase model developed by Russell (2015), which involves
awareness, learning the process, understanding and application of the process,
familiarity and confidence, adaptation to other contexts and creative
application to new contexts. He perceived the term “computer literacy” as
comfort levels someone has with using computer programs and other applications that
are associated with computers.
The
researcher in his opinion viewed computer literate individual as someone who
has basic knowledge in all aspects of computer while computer literacy is the
ability to understand the basic knowledge of computer and its application in
all the areas of human endeavors.
As teachers develop computer literacy,
they will be more likely to use various types of technology to present
information in their classes. However, the teacher’s efforts towards developing
computer literacy and using various instructional technologies may be hindered
by a variety of obstacles (Croxall and Wright 2010). The barriers according to
them include:
i. Obsolete equipment
ii. Lack
of time during the day for teachers to learn, practice, or plan ways to use computers or the internet
iii. Lack
of administrative support and
iv.
Inadequate number of computers can
complicate a teacher’s plan for instruction involving technology. Despite all
these, teachers still appear to use technology and are trying to find the means
of doing so. However, the relationship between the secondary school science
teachers’ access to technology and their use of technology in the classroom is
determined by the availability of those technologies that are required for use
in the classroom and their levels of computer literacy which enables them
utilize those technologies more efficiently. Computer literacy is therefore,
inevitable for both the teachers and principles, if schools are to be effective
and if their academic goals are to be achieved. Federal Republic of Nigeria
(2004) cited the importance of computer literacy in teacher education programs,
exposure to changes in the methodologies, curriculum reform, and that
innovation in the profession is very important. It noted that computer literacy
skills enable teachers to implement effective record keeping strategies, and
computer assisted instruction and communication.
Access
to various types of technology means the various technology that can easily be
located within the classroom or easily accessible within the building. For
teachers to effectively integrate technology into the classroom, they must have
easy access to various types of technology. These include videotape,
television, desktop computers, CD-Rom, internet, e-mail, laser printer and
video camera. Access to technology within the school is an important component
when implementing its use into the science classroom (Alston, Miller &
Williams 2013). Without adequate access to various types of technology
including computers, internet, and technology experts, teachers are unable to
provide technology-enriched classroom lessons to their students. However, their
access to various types of technology during instructional delivery depends on
their awareness and competence of the technology.
The researcher viewed science as the
intellectual and practical activity which comprises the systemic study of the
structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation
and experiment. It could also be seen as the pursuit and application of
knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a
systematic methodology based on evidence, while science teacher is the person
who guides the students understanding and knowledge of the natural phenomenon
through systematic observation and experimentation.
The researcher embarked on this study to
investigate the influence of computer literacy skills as it impact science
teachers’ teaching in secondary schools especially in Ezza South Local
Government area of Ebonyi State.
Even though computer science and technology
is a relatively new phenomenon in the teaching and learning environment in Nigeria, the
use of computer is reflected in many areas of human activities such as
medicine, domestic activities, engineering, architecture, and education. It is
imperative to not that the use of computer is reflected in the secondary school
programs.
However, computer science and technology
in the educational sector calls for all the stake holders in education to be
computer literate, if the schools are to cope with the challenges in the
society. It is important to note that the need for science teachers to be
computer literate is to enable them bring a wealth of information into the
classroom during instructional delivery.
In Ebonyi state, it is assumed that only
few of the teaching population has the training to effectively use technology
in the classroom such as computers and projectors. This has not been
ascertained by any known research. Lack of computer literacy in line with other
barriers can hinder the understanding of science in Ebonyi state. There is need
therefore to find out the extent science teachers have acquired computer
literacy that is why the question that agitates the mind of the researcher is:
What is the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science
teachers?
The main focus of this study is to discover
the extent of computer literacy among secondary school science teachers in Ezza
South local government areas 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 Ebony state
2. Awareness
of computer possessed by secondary school science teachers in Ezza South local
government area.
3. Competence
of 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 Ebony state.
While
attempts have been made to determine the level of computer literacy possessed
by secondary school science teachers and the use of technology in the general
classroom setting, few studies have looked specifically at the secondary school
science teachers. Therefore, the research shall benefit the following groups:
i.
The government
ii.
The parents
iii.
The students
iv.
The researchers
It
is very important to briefly explain how the above mentioned groups should
benefit this research work.
The
employers of labour shall benefit from this project work in the sense that it
will enable them to know the ability/capacity of secondary school science
teachers for teaching computer. Government will find this study very useful to
enable them picture the exact number of computer literate science teachers in
our secondary school system.
Today,
computer does a lot of work that should been done by man in lesser time with
accuracy. Therefore, this project work will help the parents to know the
benefits of being computer literate in the society and hence motivate them to
give their children full support in acquiring the knowledge of computer. It
will help in buying computer text for them and as well fund their training.
In
our institutions of higher learning, the importance of computer cannot be over
emphasized. Having known the importance from this project work, it encourages
the students and give them the motivation to study computer with full interest.
The students will equally writing their project.
Researchers
as well as will benefit much from this work because it will give them the
knowledge about project work, research method and how to go about it. There are
so much ideas and pieces of information the researcher will gain from this work
that will help to equip them even to write books/novels on their own. They will
know the number of secondary schools and their locations in Ezza South Local
Government in Ebonyi
State. They will also
know the number of science teachers that are computer literate in Ezza South
local government area.
The
study will focus on the extent of computer literacy among secondary school
science teachers in Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi state. The
people to collect information from will be the principals and teachers in the
various government and private schools selected.
In
order to achieve the purpose of this study, the following research questions
were developed to guide the study;
1. What
are the extents of computer literacy possessed by secondary school science
teachers in Ezza South local government are?
2. What
are the extents of awareness of computer possessed by secondary school science
teacher knowledge among science teachers in Ezza South Local Government Area?
3. What
are the extents of competence of computer knowledge among science teachers?
4. What
are the extents of computer use in science classrooms?
The
following hypotheses were formulated at 0.05 level of significance.
HO1: There
is no significant difference on the extent of computer literacy possessed by
male and female science teachers in Ezza South local government area
HO2: There is no significant
difference on the extent of awareness of computer possessed by science teachers
in Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi state.
HO3:
There is no significant difference on the extent of competence computer
knowledge among secondary school science teachers in Ezza South Local
Government area of Ebonyi
State.
Ho4: There
is no significant difference on the extent of computer use in secondary school
science classrooms.
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