Challenges Facing The Use Of Ict Elements In Teaching Computer Education In Senior Secondary Schools

The federal government of Nigeria, in the national policy on education (FRN, 2004), recognizes the prominent role of ICT element in teaching learning and has integrated this into education in Nigeria. To actualize this goal, the document states that government will provide basic infrastructure and training at the primary school. At the junior secondary school, computer education has been made a prevocational elective and it’s a vocational elective at the senior secondary school. It is also the intention of government to provide necessary infrastructure and training for the integration of use of ICT elements in the secondary school system (4thed.). Although efforts has been made to ensure that ICT elements are available and used in Nigerian secondary schools, the level of uptake is still low. It has been observed by Goshit (2006) that most schools, both private and government, do not offer ICT training programs. Okwudishi (2006) discovered that the unavailability of some ICT elements in schools hampers teachers’ use of ICT elements. Also Kaku (2005) reported that lack of adequate search skills and of access points in the schools were reported as factors inhibiting the use of ICT elements by secondary schools teachers.

The level of development attained by any nation determine if the nation is developed, developing or under developed. For Nigeria to advance to be addressed as developed nation and her schools recognized as standard, technology development of her students is required, therefore the integration of use of ICT elements in our secondary schools is imperative.

Teachers ‘Attitude and Belief in Usage of ICT Elements

International experiment has shown that teachers play an important role in diffusing and utilizing ICT element in classrooms. Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs affect the way technological innovation is applied in education. Bullock (2004) found that teachers’ attitude are a major enabling or disabling factor in the adoption of technology. Similarly Karsaint, Harton, and Garofalo (2003) found that teachers who have positive attitude towards technology feel more comfortable using it and usually incorporate it into their teaching.

The development of teachers’ positive attitude towards the use of ICT element is a key factor not only for enhancing ICT element integration but also for avoiding teacher’s resistance to using ICT elements. Watson warns against the severance of innovation from the classroom teachers and the idea that the teacher is an empty vessel into which the eternally defined innovation must be poured (P.19).

The teachers’ attitude and beliefs also influence what they themselves learn from ICT education and training programs. Research has shown that many educational reform initiatives have failed precisely because they did not influence the beliefs of teachers (Elmore 2002). However, significantly positive co-relations exist between teachers’ attitudes towards ICT elements and five (5) independent variables namely-: cultural perception, computer competence, computer accessibility, and computer training (Albrin and Abdukafi 2004).