INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN BASIC AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGER STATE

Abstract

This paper investigates how the integration of ICT tools can enhance educational outcomes and addresses the challenges faced by educators and students in utilizing these technologies in Niger state focusing schools with ICT tools and non-ICT. Through the existing literatures, the benefits and challenges associated with integrating ICT into science education especially in basic and secondary schools were enumerated. Two research questions and hypotheses were formed which guided the investigation. One of these is whether the integration of ICT affects student engagement and academic performance in basic and secondary schools in Niger State? That, the integration of ICT tools in teaching significantly improves teachers’ preparedness and performance in basic and secondary schools in Niger State. Mixed-methods of surveys, interviews, and classroom observations were adopted and data were garnered from 200 teachers, 500 students and 50 school administrators across various schools in the Niger state.
Purposive, stratified and simple random samplings were adopted. The results were presented in Means and standard deviations, independent sample t-tests to compare the above stated variables against those who do not have at 0.05 significance level. The Mean aggregate in schools with ICT 3.8 against non-ICT schools 3.0 revealed that ICT significantly improves student engagement, understanding, and retention of information. The paper therefore, recommended for policy makers, educators, and stakeholders to invest in ICT infrastructure, provide comprehensive training programmes for teachers, and develop strategies to ensure equitable access to technology.