An Assessment of Final Year Pre-Service Teachers’ Readiness to Use ICT to Teach Implication for COVID-19 Education Response

Bernadette Amukahara Joy Egede (Ph.D)

doi:10.22158/fet.v4n1p66

Abstract

Readiness of teachers to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to teach is currently a significant issue due to its relationship to online teaching/learning which is a global COVID-19 education response. Preparing future teachers to ICT effectively to facilitate variety of online learning modes is a huge challenge for teacher training institutions, especially in developing nations like Nigeria. In this study, the ICT readiness of final year pre-service teachers in the degree programme of College of Education, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria was assessed. The data gathered using a Likert questionnaire was computer-analyzed. The findings suggest that the pre-service teachers were ready with respect to the following indicators.· Awareness and motivation to use ICT to teach.· Confidence to use ICT to teach.· Availability of internet/mobile network facilities in their environments.· They were very ready with respect to perception on the benefits of ICT in teaching and learning.They did not express readiness in terms of the following indicators.*Acquisition of adequate knowledge and skills on the use of ICT devices during training.*Personal ownership of ICT devices (e.g., computers/laptops).It is therefore recommended that compulsory personal ownership of laptops and relevant ICT devices by pre-service teachers could help them practice and acquire necessary ICT skills more adequately during their training.

Highlights

The recognition of the prominent role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in advancing knowledge and skills necessary for effective functioning in a knowledge-driven world is well embraced in Nigeria as in other nations of the world
It is expected that the learners who have gone through the basic education to the tertiary level in Nigeria should constitute a generation of individuals who shall function successfully in a dynamic economy and adapt to the technological changes of the 21st century
ICT gadgets are mainly electronic and help in the performance of functions which include SMS, email, audio or video calls and chats, typing, photocopying, scanning and using the internet among many others (Aibara, 2017). In this 21st century, the use of ICT in education has grown at an exponential rate globally and its advantages have been widely acknowledged This paper focuses on the use of the gadgets which are pertinent to the level of education considered

Summary

Introduction

The recognition of the prominent role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in advancing knowledge and skills necessary for effective functioning in a knowledge-driven world is well embraced in Nigeria as in other nations of the world. At the basic education level, Information Technology (IT) is a major theme in the core subject, “Basic Science and Technology” while IT—training is incorporated into all teacher-training programmes (FRN, 2013). The National Teacher Education policy emphasized the inclusion of compulsory courses in computer literacy and application of ICT and other media in the curriculum of all teacher-training programmes (Federal Ministry of Education, FME (2009). In implementing the policies stated earlier, the curricula of all Universities and Colleges of Education are respectively harmonized to include courses in computer literacy such as “Introduction to Computer Studies I & II”, and the use of ICT and media to teach (e.g., “Educational Technology: Theory and Practice” FRN (2012). The use of ICT to support the teaching of various subjects and courses in the classrooms should be very obvious if the policy goals are achieved. There exists the prevalence of low adoption and use of ICT in the schools as found in various studies (Nwosu, Daud, & Kamaruddin, 2018; Adomi & Emperor, 2010; Obakhume, 2012; Hosanna, 2015)

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