ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN ADDRESSING EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY DURING ECONOMIC TURMOIL IN UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA
OKORO, PERPETUAL KOSISOCHUKWU
+2348160854713 okorokosi2@gmail.com Unizik
NGWU, CHIKAMSO OLUOMACHUKWU
+2348069243938 ngwu_oluomachukwu@yahoo.com Unizik
The study ascertained the roles of information and communication technology in addressing educational inequality during economic turmoil in universities in South East, Nigeria. Two research questions guided this study and two hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study was 3946 respondents which comprised 744 lecturers and 3202 postgraduate students among the public universities in South East, Nigeria. A sample size of 395 respondents was determined using stratified proportionate random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was an18-item structured questionnaire titled “Role of ICT in addressing Educational Inequality Questionnaire (RICTEIQ)”. To ascertain the validity of the instrument, the questionnaire was given to two experts in Educational Management and one expert in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Education, all from Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. Reliability of the instrument was tested at using Cronbach Alpha reliability estimate. The computation yielded .81 and .79 for clusters 1 and 2 respectively with an overall reliability estimate of .80. Mean with standard deviation was used to answer the research questions while t-test statistic was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that ICT has significant roles in facilitating remote learning and fostering digital literacy during economic turmoil. Based on the findings, the study recommended that education stakeholders should advocate for increased investment in ICT infrastructure, ensuring that educational institutions have access to reliable internet connectivity, devices (laptops, tablets, etc.), and necessary software for effective remote learning.
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Bozkurt, A. (2019a). Intellectual roots of distance education: A progressive knowledge domain analysis. Distance Education, 40(4), 497-514.
Bozkurt, A. (2019b). From distance education to open and distance learning: A holistic evaluation of history, definitions, and theories. In S. Sisman-Ugur, & G. Kurubacak (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Learning in the Age of Transhumanism (252-273).
Bozkurt, A., & Sharma, R. C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to Corona Virus pandemic. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 1-6.
Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2014). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106.
Johnson, O.A. (2017). Enhancing quality in higher education through Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria. In J. B. Babalola, G. O. Akpa, A. O. Ayeni& S. O. Adedeji (eds.). Access, Equity and Quality in Higher Education. NAEAP Publication.
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review. Retrieved from: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning
Nworgu, B.G. (2015). Educational research, basic issues and methodology. University Trust Publishers Nsukka, Nigeria.
Okechukwu, O. & Ukeh, B.O. (2022). Awareness of cloud computing services in Tertiary Institutions in Enugu State. International Technology Research Journal, 8(1): 27-34.
Owan, V.J. (2012). Some causes of poor performance of pupils in primary school mathematics. A case study in Akamkpa L.G.A. Cross River State. Retrieved from https:goo.gl/NTTxqc
Reardon, S.F. (2013). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations.
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine Elements All Students Should Know. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Singha, R.K., & Varma, K. (2021). Co-relational study between organizational climate and job performance of private school teachers. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 12(5), 1673-1675.
Smith, J. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and access to Information and communication technology. Journal of Educational Technology, 45(3), 123-136.
Umeagukwu, E.O. & Etuh B.N. (2014). An analysis of ICT impact on the curricular of major Nigerian universities in the last ten years 2003-2013. International Journal of Science and Technology, 3(1), 61.
UNESCO. (2019). Global Education Monitoring Report 2019: Gender Report: Building bridges for gender equality. This report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) explores gender-based educational inequality around the world.