Secondary school teacher and student internet
access and usage patterns in Ikwerre Local
Government area of Rivers State
J. A. AJINWO*; O. R. ONOMAKE+ AND D. N. NANWIN*
*Department of Computer Science Department, School Of Science,
Rivers State University of Education, Rumuolumeni. Port Harcourt. Nigeria
+
Institute Of Education, University of Port Harcourt. Nigeria
Abstract
An investigation into the secondary school teacher and student internet
access and usage in Ikwerre local Government Area of Rivers State was
carried out. Ten secondary schools were randomly selected in the Local
Government Area on the basis of location of school and type of school.
Two sets of questionnaire copies were administered to students and
teachers. The study revealed that the presence of the internet is lacking in
schools. Internet services located around the schools were also found
inadequate. The computer studies curriculum has no provision for
assignments involving the use of the internet. The main use of the internet
by students and teachers is for sending email and entertainment. Based,
on these findings, the following recommendations were made (1)
Government and wealthy individuals should help to subsidize the cost of
installation of internet services in schools to enable the schools to acquire
the facility. (2) The curriculum on computer studies should be redesigned to incorporate the use of the internet (3) The employment of
unqualified computer studies teachers should be discouraged. (4)
Teachers should be made to attend biannual workshops to update their
knowledge base and encourage the use of the internet.
Keyword: Internet access, secondary school teachers
J. Vocational Education & Technology (2009) Vol. 6 Nos. 1 & 2
ISSN: 1596-9606
35
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
Introduction
Eyitayo, A.,Eyitayo, O. and Akeju, M.(1999) define computer as “any
machine or device which under the control of a stored program, can
accept data in a prescribed form, process the data, and supply the results
as information in a specified form”.
The advent of the computer marked the turning point for both
industrial and economic reforms with a significant change in the way
things were done. Today with the introduction of the internet, an
innovation in computer electronic age that is used in accessing
information in the global computer network that supports internet
services, the world has been reduced to a global village.
In response to this trend, a computer studies is one of the
numerous new curricular experiences ushered into the Nigerian education
system as innovations that would enhance science and technological
advancement.
The place of the internet in the teaching of computer studies
Due to the convergence of computer and communication technologies,
the internet and its world wide web (www) emerged. Since the merger,
the way things were done in very many spheres of human activities has
been altered globally. Today the major uses of the internet can be grouped
into 12. Brian K.W. and Stacey C.S. (2001)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
Email and discussion groups:
Research and information
News
Entertainment
Download files
E-shopping
Financial matters
Auctions
Telephony and conferencing
Career advancement
Distance learning
E-business
It could be seen that virtually all aspects of life are involved in these 12
major uses of the internet.
36 J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
Mett (1990), noted that the numerous applications of the computer
in all aspects of human endeavour have placed most people who are
computer illiterates in very disadvantaged position as every new
invention in information technology (IT) requires computer literacy.
Considering the place of the internet in the teaching of computer
studies in secondary schools, it is clear that the research and information
role of the internet is most needful. This is because the teachers are
expected to obtain information from the internet for use in their class
lessons. Also, the students on the other hand, should find the internet a
resource place for obtaining vital information which will be useful in
doing their take home assignments. Dike (1996), remarked that computer
is used in producing instructional programmes for learners. E.g. computer
assisted instruction (CAI) is one of the benefits of the use of computer
instruction.
Thus, the internet if accessible can be a source of motivation for
learning. Such learning is diversified and would require time for skills to
be developed.
Another irksome dimension is the main use of the internet where
present. Could it really be said that the teachers and students are gaining
the requisite knowledge expected of them or that the internet is being put
into other uses that do not contribute significantly to the teaching/learning
of computer studies. According to a study conducted by Orhun, E. (2000)
on secondary schools in Izmir, Turkey, the extent of the implementation
of IT innovation in secondary schools in Izmir was rather limited three
years after its initiation.
Moreover, internet access is a reflection of the globalization trend,
and it’s proximity or availability to students could offer learning
opportunities to students. However, the cost of installation and sustenance
of internet infrastructure is prohibitive at present, with the end result that
only a few individuals can afford it. Many have to make do with the few
internet cafes around where it is a common sight to see a lot of people
queuing to have a chance to use the internet.
The situation is worst in places where there are no nearby internet cafes.
The study therefore is to investigate the secondary school teacher
and student internet access and usage patterns in Ikwerre Local
Government Area of Rivers State.
Research question
The following research questions were generated to guide the study.
1.
To what extent are internet facilities provided in schools and in
J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
37
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
2.
3.
4.
the homes?
Are internet services adequately provided around the location of
the schools?
To what extent are the teachers and students versatile in the use of
the internet?
To what use is the internet put to?
Method
The random sampling technique was used to select to teachers from 10
secondary schools in Ikwerre local Government Area of Rivers State.
The schools were chosen on the basis of location of school and type of
school. The selected schools consisted of urban (i.e. schools in Aluu,
Igwuruta and Environ), semi-urban (i.e. schools in Omagwa, Isiokpo,
Ubima, Elele and Environ) and rural (i.e. schools in Omerelu,
Apani,Egbeda and Environ) schools. Also, the schools were made up of
2 boys’ schools, 2 girls’ schools and 6 co-educational schools.
Computer studies teachers in these schools participated in the study.
The research instruments used for this study were two sets of
questionnaire copies and an observation schedule. One set of the
questionnaire copies was distributed to the 30 computer studies
teachers, while the other set was distributed to 100 students. The same
number was returned for data analysis. The data was analyzed using
simple percentages.
Results and Discussion
The results in table 1 showed that the provision of internet facilities in the
homes and schools was grossly inadequate.
This could be blamed on the high cost of installation of internet
facilities. Omotola (2007) remarked that internet services are scarcely
found within short distances of school and most of the public secondary
schools are not yet connected to the global network.
The results presented in table 2 shows that internet facilities are
situated mainly in the distant towns/cities than around the schools. This is
likely because the cost of using the facilities is exorbitant and as such the
owners of these facilities are attracted to the town/cities where they can
secure high patronage. Unlike around the schools where the students may
not be able to afford the services and thus, resulting in a low patronage.
38 J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
Again, Omotola (2007), pointed out that internet services are mostly
available in the cities, which may be quite far away from the school
environment.
He further urged that internet services should be readily available
and charges should be affordable by students for maximum utility.
Table1Responses on the extent of provision of internet facilities
Responses N = 130
Categories
Home
T
S
Yes
3
7
school
T
S
1
10
(%)
(10)
(7)
No
27
93
(3.3%)
(10)
29
90
(%)
(90)
(93)
(96.7%)
(90)
Table 2 Responses on the extent of provision of internet facilities
around the schools
Categories
Close to the school
Distant town/city
Responses N = 130
T
S
T
S
Yes
10
20
20
50
(%)
(33.3)
(20%)
(66.7)
(50)
No
20
80
10
50
(%)
(66.7)
(80)
(33.3)
(50)
The results obtained, revealed that most teachers and students are
conversant with the use to the email and the opening of websites. But in
the use of the search engines 50% of the teachers are very versatile in it
while only 20% of the students can operation the search engines
effectively. This could be attributed to lack of practice arising from the
unavailability of internet facilities with which to practice and also the lack
of qualified teachers
39
J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
This is in agreement with the view of Odili (2006), who observed
that the greatest pedagogic benefit of teaching aids and manipulation of
operational equipment is that it allows the students to acquire mental
experiences at their own pace, outside the authority of the teacher.
Table 3 Responses on the frequency with which teachers and students
use the internet for the following purposes
Categories
The use o f Email
The act of down loading
The use of search engines
The opening of websites
Response
(N = 130)
T
Yes
30
(%)
(100)
No
0
(%)
(0)
S
T
S
T
S
T
S
65
15
30
15
20
30
50
(65)
(50)
(30)
(50)
(20)
(100)
(60)
65
15
30
15
80
0
40
(65)
(50)
(30)
(50)
(80)
(100)
(40)
He further noted that learning is hampered when the relevant special
physical facilities for use as concrete illustration of ideas are lacking. He
remarked that the situation demands a good deal of relearning and
adjustment through organization of workshops, conferences and seminars
to update teachers’ knowledge of skills and attendant new approaches to
instructional delivery.
According to Omotola (2007), the usefulness of the computer to a
student is to gain access to information in a global network which may be
useful for obtaining information for assignments and explorative studies.
It is observed from the table that the internet is predominantly
used for Email activities and retrieval of news by the teachers while the
students use the internet mostly for Email, and entertainment purposes.
This situation is not unexpected as some of the teachers of computer
studies in the secondary schools are not qualified teachers. Also, if the
curriculum is taken into consideration, it is observed that it has very little
internet related activities in its content.
Moreover, since the teachers are not motivated due to lack of or barely
adequate internet facilities, they will find it difficult updating their lesson
40 J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
notes with recent findings. In considering the students, even although it is
a well known fact that students find it easy to engage in leisure activities
than in serious studies, this finding could have arisen from nonincorporation of internet based learning activities in the
computer
studies curriculum. According to Ihejieto (1996), the curricular content of
mathematics and computer science education does not suit the realities of
the senior secondary mathematics and computer studies programme.
Table 4 Responses on the uses to which the internet is put to.
Response
N = 130
Yes
(%)
No
Categories
Dominant
Response
(%)
Email
T
S
20
55
(66.7)
(55)
10
45
(33.3)
(45)
T
S
Yes
No
News
T
S
T
S
T
T
S
T
S
15
35
12
40
(50)
(35)
(40)
40
15
65
18
40
(50)
(65)
(60)
(40)
T
S
T
S
Balanced
No
No
No
10
10
15
15
(33.3)
(10)
(50)
(15)
20
10
15
85
(66.7)
(10)
50
(85)
T
S
T
S
No
No
Balanced
No
Entertainment
Information
Others
The table moreover, revealed that more than 50% of the teachers
use the internet for other purposes. This is likely because they know more
on how to use the internet than the students.
Conclusion
This study established the fact that the secondary schools in Ikwerre
Local Government Area lack internet facilities without which the dream
of being a part of the globalization trend cannot be achieved. Also, the
study has shown that as a result of the lack of provision of accessible
internet facilities for teachers and students alike, the level of competence
in key internet operations such as in the use of the search engines is
J. of Vocational Education & Technology, Vol. 6 Nos. 1&2, Dec 2009
41
Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
seriously hampered. In addition, the use of teachers of other disciplines
in the teaching of computer studies may also be a contributory factor to
this lack of competence in internet usage. The study further revealed that
the internet is predominantly used for email, news and entertainment
purposes as against its use in information and research which is highly
beneficial to the teaching of computer studies. This situation could be
linked to the absence of internet-related activities in the computer studies
curriculum.
Moreover, the lack of teacher motivation on the part of
the government could be blamed for this situation.
Recommendations
It is recommended that:1.
Government and wealthy individuals should subsidize the cost of
installation of internet facilities in schools.
2.
The curriculum on computer studies should be re-designed to
incorporate the use of the internet.
3.
The employment of unqualified computer studies teachers should
be discouraged.
4.
Teachers should be made to attend biannual workshops to update
their knowledge base and encourage the use of the internet.
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Secondary school teacher and student internet access…………..J. A. AJINWO;
O. R. ONOMAKE & D. N. NANWIN
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