THE EFFECT OF
COMPUTER USAGE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
During
the last two decades education institutions have invested heavily in
information and communication technologies (ICT) particularly computers. The
use of computers has had a major impact in the secondary school context, and in
teaching and learning methods (Ema and Ajayi, 2006).
One
puzzling question is the effective impact of these computers usage on student
achievement and on the returns of education. Many academic researchers have
tried to answer this question at the theoretical and empirical levels. According
to Anyanwu (2003), they have faced two main difficulties. On one hand, student performance
is hard to observe and there is still confusion about its definition. On the
other hand, computer is evolving technologies and their effects are difficult
to isolate from their environment.
There
is no standard definition for student achievement. The standard approach
focuses on achievement and curricula, how students understand the subjects and
obtain their certificate or their marks. However, a more extensive definition
deals with competencies, skills and attitudes learned through the education
experience (Kamba, 2009). The narrow definition allows the observation of the
outcomes of any change in secondary education, while the more extensive
definition needs a more complex strategy of observation and a focus on the
labour market. The outcomes of education are mainly validated in the higher
institutions.
The
effect of computer usage on learning is currently in relation to the internet
to facilitate teaching and learning. Computers are the technologies used in
conveying, manipulation and storage of data by electronic means, they provide
an array of powerful tools that may help in transforming the present isolated
teacher-centered and text-bound classrooms into rich, student-focused,
interactive knowledge environments (Ogunsola, 2005).
To
meet these challenges, secondary schools must embrace the new technologies and
appropriate computer use for learning. The relationship between the use of computer
and student performance in secondary schools is not clear, and there are
contradictory results in the literature. Earlier economic research has failed
to provide a clear consensus concerning the effect on students’ achievement
(Kamba, 2009).
Since
student performance is mainly explained by a student’s characteristics,
educational environment and teachers’ characteristics, the use of computers may
have an impact on these determinants and consequently the outcome of education.
The differences observed in the performances of students are thus more related
to the differentiated impact of computer usage on the standard determinants.
The
direct link between computer use and students’ achievement has been the focus
of extensive literature during the last two decades. Several studies have tried
to explain the role and the added value of the computer technologies in classrooms
and on student’s achievement. The first body of literature explored the impact
of computer uses. Since the Internet revolution, there has been a shift in the
literature that focuses more on the impact of online activities: use of
Internet, use of educative online platforms, digital devices, use of blogs and
wikis, etc.
Looking
at the link between computer usage and student achievement seems nowadays a
misunderstanding of the role and nature of these technologies. In fact, since computer
is general purpose technology (GPT), it needs to be specified in order to meet
the needs expressed by students and to be adapted to the local context and
constraints (Antonelli, 2003; Youssef, 2008). A variety of models of usages can
be identified leading to the same outcome. Computer usage brings widened
possibilities for the learning processes that are independent from place and
space. Computer usage also allows more flexible (asynchronous) and more personalized
learning. It offers new methods of delivering subject at secondary education
level. Taking advantage of these opportunities needs a profound change in the organization
of the secondary education system.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
For
many years, educational researchers have maintained an interest in the effective
prediction of students’ academic achievement at school. The prediction and
explanation of academic achievement and the examination of the factors relating
to the academic achievement are topics of greatest importance in different
educational levels. Studies have shown that prior academic achievement is an
important predictor of performance at other levels of education. Similarly,
cognitive ability was found as the strongest predictor of academic achievement.
However, some studies confirm that the correlation between cognitive ability
and academic achievement tends to decline as students progress in the
educational system.
The
direct link between computer usage and students’ academic achievement has been
the focus of extensive literature during the last two decades. Some of them
help students with their learning by improving the communication between them
and the instructors (Valasidou and Bousiou, 2005). Leuven et al. (2004) stated
that there is no evidence for a relationship between increased educational use
of computer and students’ academic achievement. In fact, they find a
consistently negative and marginally significant relationship between computer
usage and some student achievement measures. In support to these, some students
may use computer usage to increase their leisure time and have less time to
study. Online gaming and increased communication channels do not necessarily
mean increased achievement. Based on all these, the researcher is examining the
effect of computer usage on academic achievement of secondary school students
in Nigeria.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
examine the relationship between computer usage and academic achievement of
secondary school students in Nigeria.
2. To
examine the effectiveness of computer usage in teaching and learning process in
secondary schools in Nigeria.
3. To
identify the disadvantages of computer usage in secondary schools in Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What
is the relationship between computer usage and academic achievement of
secondary school students in Nigeria?
2. What
is the effectiveness of computer usage in teaching and learning process in
secondary schools in Nigeria?
3. What
are the demerits of computer usage in secondary schools in Nigeria?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
HO:
There is no significant relationship between computer usage and academic
achievement of secondary school students in Nigeria.
HA:
There is significant relationship between computer usage and academic
achievement of secondary school students in Nigeria
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
outcome of this study aims at determining whether or not the use of computers
has any significant influence on the academic achievement of students in
secondary schools in Nigeria.
More
over education is the bedrock of any society. Nigeria as a developing nation
needs a standard secondary schools that has available learning resources, that
teachers can improvise learning resources easily and more often also where teachers
and students utilize learning resources on a regular basis. It could be a guide
line for incoming students and be educative to them when writing and studying
similar problems in school.
This
research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the
effect of personality trait on student’s academic performance, thereby
constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This
study will cover the level of computer usage in secondary schools in Nigeria
with a view of ascertaining its influence on student’s academic achievement.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint– Insufficient fund tends to impede the
efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature
or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire
and interview).
Time constraint– The researcher will
simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently
will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
REFERENCES
Anyanwu,
J. M. (2003). The Effectiveness of Instructional Materials in Teaching of
Social Studies in some Selected Post Primary School in Owerri Educational Zone
Imo State. (B. ed) Research Project Unpublished.
Ema,
E. & Ajayi, D. T. (2006). Educational Technology: Methods, Materials,
Machines. Jos: Jos University Press Ltd.
Ogunsola,
L.A. (2005). Information Communication Technologies and the Effects of
Globalization: Twenty-Firstcentury “Digital Slavery” for Developing Countries-
Myth or Reality?. Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 6
(1-2); pp. 1-10.
Kamba
M. A., (2009). Problems, Challenges and Benefits of Implementing E-learning in
Nigerian Universities: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Emerging
Technologies in Learning.
Valasidou
H. & Bousiou (2005). Information Communication Technologies and
Development. Available at: http://usdnhq.undp.prg/it4dev/ {Accessed 10 July
2012}.
Antonelli.
B.D. (2003). Information Communication Technology for Development. No 5, pp 1-
31.
Youssef,
M. O. (2008). Information and Communication Technology and Education: Analysing
the Nigerian National Policy for Information Technology. International
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