8 Self-Efficacy And Level Of Preparedness Of Pre-Service Teachers For Electronic Teaching In Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract 

This study was carried out to investigate the self-efficacy and level of preparedness of pre-service teachers for electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was employed and pre-service teachers in tertiary institutions in Niger State were used as research sample. Four research questions guided the study and a 20-item questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by educational technology experts. Pilot test was carried out and reliability coefficients of 0.84 and 0.87 were respectively obtained for the two sections of the questionnaire. Data collected from the administration of the research instruments were analyzed using descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation. A decision rule was set, in which a mean score of 3.0 and above was considered Agreed, while a mean score below 3.0 were considered Disagreed. Findings revealed that pre-service teachers have high level of efficacy in using electronic resources for teaching with grand mean score of 3.96. Also, pre-service teachers’ response indicated that they are well prepared to use electronic resources for teaching with a grand mean score of 4.35. Based on these findings, it was recommended that pre-service teacher in tertiary institution should be encouraged to adopt electronic resources and use it for their teaching.

Keywords: Electronic resources, e-teaching, self-efficacy, preparedness, Pre-service     teachers.

Introduction

The influence of digital technology in the society has made electronic teaching a basic requirement needed in the 21st Century education sector. Electronic teaching entails the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to accelerate the achievement of national educational goals by connecting learners and teachers together for professional support services. Teaching is becoming one of the most challenging professions in the society today where knowledge is expanding so rapidly that modern technologies demand the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is defined, as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, to create, disseminate, store and manage information. ICT has become within a short time one of the basic building blocks of a modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering its basic concepts as part of the core of education (UNESCO, 2002).

ICT has become an integral part of the human society and this development has challenged the traditional role of the education sector in human society. Now, education is tailored towards equipping the learner with technology and information literacy, problem solving skills, critical reasoning, and the ability to use digital technology in accessing and utilising information for problem-solving. These knowledge components often described as ICT-literacy has become part of the basic labour requirement in knowledge driven societies; and a necessary foundation for higher education and professional development (Garba & Alademerin, 2014).

ICT in education implies the use of technology which consists of electronic devices and associated human interactive materials that enables the user to employ them for a wide range of teaching-learning process. It is also a mode of education that uses information and communications technology to support, enhance, and optimise the delivery of information (Luszcynska & Schwarzer, 2005).

The National Policy on Education (FRN, 2013) places emphasis on the provision and utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigerian schools when it states that in recognition of the prominent roles of information and communication technology in advancing knowledge and skills necessary for effective functioning in the modern world, there is urgent need to integrate ICT into education in Nigeria.

The use of ICT in education has given rise to an academic field known as educational technology. Educational technology refers to any form of teaching and learning that makes use of technology. Educational Technology also refers to the application of physical sciences and engineering technology to provide mechanical instruments or “hardware” which can be used for instructional purposes, example Flashnotes, papertab and chromebooks. Educational technology may also be defined as the application of the laws as well as recent discoveries of science and technology to the process of education. Educational technology is also the application of scientific process to man’s learning conditions (Arockiasamy, 2017). Educational technology is an integrated process involving people, procedure, ideas, devices, and organization, where technology from different fields of science is borrowed as per the need and requirement of education for implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those problems involved in all aspects of human learning Educational technology employed in education enables students to better receive information in a visual, auditory and kinesthetic means. At the same time, with the aid of educational technology in teaching, the teacher interaction with the students is significantly improved (Stosic, 2015).

As the world is evolving at an extremely fast rate, every aspect of human social life is evolving as well bringing new dimension to education. Various teaching systems are being introduced to lessen the burden on teachers, replace the traditional methods of teaching and also improve the quality of education worldwide. An example of such teaching system is electronic teaching. A teaching system based on formalised teaching but with the help of electronic resources is known as electronic teaching. The use of computers and the Internet forms the major component of electronic teaching (Pajares, 2003).

Electronic teaching involves computational systems that communicate and cooperate with learners at many levels. It is also a teaching style that involves the use of computers and multimedia devices to support the process of teaching and learning in a classroom (Bennet & Coleman, 2018).

Every nation strives towards the provision of quality education for its citizens, because of the
realization that education is necessary to engineer and consolidate any nation’s developmental process. However, achieving quality education would be a mirage if teacher’s training programs are not in good shape. Teacher’s training program refers to a program that is related to the development of teacher’s proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teachers to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein (Oancea, 2014).

There is no doubt that teacher education is a veritable tool towards educational development. This fact was given credence to by the National Policy on Education when it stated that Teacher education will continue to be given a major emphasis in all educational planning, because no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers (Akindutire & Ekundayo, 2012).

Teacher training program refers to the policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school, and wider community. The professionals who engage in this activity are called teacher educators. Teacher training programs are often divided into these stages; -initial teacher training/education: a pre-service course before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher, –induction: the process of providing training and support during the first few years of teaching or the first year in a particular school, -teacher development or continuing professional development: an in-service process for practicing teachers (Allen, 2011). Those who primarily need teacher training programs are often referred to as pre-service teachers.

Pre-service teachers are those who are in a teacher-education program in order to pursue teaching credentials in public schools or private sectors domestically or internationally (Judith-Ann, et al 2014). Pre-service teachers need the capacity to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in ways which harness their learning affordances and develop students’ digital literacies. This capacity is given to them during the course of their teacher training programme as they are tutored by teacher educators on how to effectively manage ICT in their teaching profession. However, effective ICT integration in the classroom depends on the pre-service teacher’s perception of ICT during and after his/her teacher training programme (Gill, et al 2015).

Self-efficacy is the belief a person has in his/her own abilities, specifically one’s ability to meet the challenges of life ahead and complete every task successfully (Akhtar, 2008). Self-efficacy refers to perceptions an individual has about his/her capabilities to perform at an expected level and achieve goals or milestones. It is shown to influence academic motivation, learning, and achievement. Self-efficacy can be defined as a personal judgement of how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations (Bandura, et al 2003). A pre-service teacher’s self efficacy in the aspect of electronic teaching refers to his overall belief in his ability to succeed while using various ICTs to impact positively on his students through electronic teaching. A pre-service teacher’s self efficacy will determine whether he/she will be able to exhibit coping behaviour while practicing electronic teaching, and how long effort will be sustained in the face of obstacles which would be encountered during the process. Pre-service teachers who have high self-efficacy will exert sufficient effort that, when well executed, will lead to successful outcomes, whereas those with low self-efficacy are likely to cease effort early and fail (Kolbe, 2009).

The height of a pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for electronic teaching would influence his/her level of preparedness for electronic teaching.  Preparedness refers to a very concrete research-based set of actions that are taken as precautionary measures in the face of unknown circumstances. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. Preparedness also means forecasting and taking precautionary measures prior to an imminent task. Methods of preparation include research, estimation, planning, resourcing, education, practicing and rehearsing (Gill, et al 2015). The extent at which a pre-service teacher goes in every form of research, estimation, planning, resourcing, education, practicing and rehearsing so as to be totally ready to undertake and carry out the process of electronic teaching is that pre-service teacher’s level of preparedness (Erickson & Noonan, 2016).

In the society today, there are many dimensions in which people are differentiated. One of these dimensions is gender. As noted by the United Nations (2008) gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and boys and girls. In some societies there are more women than men while in some other societies, reverse is the case. There are various jobs/activities that are attributed to a specific gender, and when the opposite gender indulge in such activities, it is termed a taboo and people from that gender are often discriminated.

Statement of the Research Problem

In this era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), teaching techniques are shifting from being teacher centred to learner-centred. Most developed countries have exploited the potentials of educational technology tools such as computers, projectors, smart boards, Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) players, interactive software among others to transform their teaching-learning process. These education technology tools make teachers better efficient, learning better achieved and teaching-learning effective.

Unfortunately, schools in Nigeria are yet to extensively adopt these educational tools for teaching-learning process. Majority of Nigerian teachers are still using the traditional talk and chalkboard method of teaching. This traditional method of teaching keeps student passive in the class against the learner-centred learning approach thereby affecting their academic output and obviously does not prepare students for the information age and globalization. To enable students derive maximum benefits associated with technology in curriculum delivery and align Nigeria properly with the rest of the technological world. Nigerian government and other stakeholders in education will like to adopt the full implementation of electronic teaching in Nigerian schools by incorporating new skills and technologies that will encourage electronic teaching into pre-service teachers’ preparation programmes.

However, studies have revealed that lack of attention to integration of ICTs in pre-service teachers’ preparation programmes limits its use during classroom activities. Now the question is if significant attention should be paid to integration of ICTs in pre-service teachers’ preparation programmes in order to extensively adopt electronic teaching in Nigerian Schools what will be the perception, attitude, self-efficacy and level of preparedness of pre-service teachers for this? It is on this note that the researcher intends to determine the self-efficacy and level of preparedness of pre-service teachers for electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria.

1.2      Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to investigate the self-efficacy and level of preparedness of pre-service teachers for electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study seeks to determine:

1. Pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in using electronic resources.
2. The level of preparedness of pre-service teachers for electronic teaching.
3. The influence of gender on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in using electronic resources.
4. The influence of gender on pre-service teachers’ level of preparedness for electronic teaching in Niger State.

1.3    Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. Do pre-service teachers have self-efficacy in using electronic resources meant for electronic teaching?
2. What is the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers’ for electronic teaching?
3. What is the influence of gender on the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in Niger State in using electronic resources?
4. What is the influence of gender on pre-service teachers’ preparedness towards electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria?

1.4      Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

Ho1: There is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ self-      efficacy on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria.

Ho2: There is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ level of preparedness towards electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria.

Methodology

The research design that was adopted for this study is a descriptive survey design. The methodology involves the use of questionnaire to obtain the needed data from respondents.

The population of this study comprises all 62,531 pre-service teachers from institutions of higher learning in Niger state. Final year pre-service teachers in Schools of Education of all these institutions will constitute the target population because they would have successfully completed teaching practice exercise. The sample for this study shall comprise of 221 final year pre-service teachers from school of education in the selected four higher institutions of higher learning in Niger State.

A multi-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting respondents for this study. Firstly, purposive sampling procedure will be used to select four tertiary institutions of learning in Niger State which are all owned by the state and the Federal Government because education courses are offered in these institutions. Sample selected will cut across both male and female pre-service teachers in the selected tertiary institutions of learning.

Thereafter, convenience sampling will be used to select final year pre-service teachers from faculty of education. Reasons being that it is difficult to sample students from all academic discipline and considering the fact that the only faculty that is common in Niger State, is faculty of education and because of proximity and for convenience sake, education students are selected as sample.

The research instrument that was used in this study to collect needed data is researcher-designed questionnaire named; Questionnaire on Self-efficacy and Preparedness of Pre-service teachers for Electronic Teaching (SPET). The questionnaire was a close-ended questionnaire and it consist of 20 items and three sections A, B, & C. Section A will be used to collect demographic data of the respondents. Section B, consist 10 items to collect data on the respondents self-efficacy in using electronic teaching devices. Section C consists of 10 items to collect data on respondent’s level of preparedness for electronic teaching. Sections B and C was presented using a 5-point Likert scale in which Strongly Agree (SA) will be awarded 5 points, Agree (A) will be awarded 4 points, Undecided (U) will be awarded 3 points, Disagree (D) will be awarded 2 points and Strongly Disagree (SD) will be awarded 1 point. A mean score within and above the decision mean of 3.0 was regarded as agreement while mean score below 3.0 was regarded as disagreement.

The questionnaire (SPET) was validated by three educational technology experts in the Department of Educational Technology and one ICT expert from Computer Science Department, all from Federal University of Technology, Minna. The reliability of the research instrument was determined after pilot test on 20 pre-service teachers from School of Technical Education, Niger State College of Education, Minna, which is part of the population, but not part of the sample for this study since they share related characteristics. The scores that were obtained was computed using Cronbach’s Alpha formula and coefficient index of 0.84 and 0.87 were obtained from the variables, Self-efficacy and level of Preparedness respectively. Based on the coefficient obtained, the instrument was considered reliable.

The data collected from the sampled final year pre-service teachers was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation.  The mean response below 3.0 was adjudged as disagreement, while mean response of 3.0 and above was adjudged as agreement. The t-test statistics would be used to test the null hypotheses, the significant difference was ascertained at alpha level of 0.05. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 23) would be used for the analysis.

Results

In this section, Table 1-6 are presented with their interpretations tailored towards providing answers to the research questions raised to guide this study.

Table 1: Mean and standard deviation of pre-service teachers’ response on their self-efficacy in using electronic resources

Decision mean = 3.0

Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviation of pre-service teachers’ response on their self-efficacy in using electronic resources. The table shows the calculated mean score of 3.84 with Standard Deviation of 1.239 for item one, mean of 3.99 with Standard Deviation of 1.110 for item two, mean of 3.62 with Standard Deviation of 1.071 for item three, mean of 4.24 with Standard Deviation of 0.657 for item four, mean of 3.85 with Standard Deviation of 1.032 for item five, mean of 4.11 with Standard Deviation of 0.976 for item six, mean of 4.15 with Standard Deviation of 1.128 for item seven, mean of 3.90 with Standard Deviation of 1.048 for item eight, mean of 3.99 with Standard Deviation of 1.053 for item nine and mean of 3.88 with Standard Deviation of 0.774 for item ten. The table reveals further that, the grand mean score of responses to the 10 items is 3.96 which were greater than the decision mean score of 3.0. This implies that the pre-service teachers have high level of self-efficacy in using electronics resources for teaching.

Table 2: Mean and standard deviation of pre-service teachers’ response on their level of preparedness toward the usage of electronic resources for teaching

Decision mean = 3.0

Table 2 shows the mean and standard deviation of pre-service teachers’ response on their level of preparedness toward the usage of electronic resources for teaching. The table shows the calculated mean score of 4.28 with Standard Deviation of 0.860 for item one, mean of 4.20 with Standard Deviation of 0.674 for item two, mean of 4.05 with Standard Deviation of 0.813 for item three, mean of 4.37 with Standard Deviation of 0.711 for item four, mean of 4.15 with Standard Deviation of 1.052 for item five, mean of 4.30 with Standard Deviation of 0.459 for item six, mean of 4.69 with Standard Deviation of 0.464 for item seven, mean of 4.44 with Standard Deviation of 0.770 for item eight, mean of 4.49 with Standard Deviation of 0.553 for item nine and mean of 4.51 with Standard Deviation of 0.615 for item ten. The table reveals further that, the grand mean score of responses to the 10 items is 4.35 which were greater than the decision mean score of 3.0. This implies that the pre-service teachers are well prepared to use electronics resources for teaching.

Table 3: Mean and standard deviation response based on gender influence on the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in using electronic resources

Table 3 shows the mean and standard deviation response based on gender influence on the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in using electronic resources. The result indicated that the mean and standard deviation of the two groups differ with a mean score of 26.54 with standard deviation of 4.55 for male pre-service teachers and mean score of 26.91 with standard deviation of 4.60 for female pre-service teachers.

Table 4: Mean and standard deviation response based on gender influence on the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers towards utilization of electronic resources

Table 4 shows the mean and standard deviation response based on gender influence on the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers towards utilization of electronic resources. The result indicated that the mean and standard deviation of the two groups differ with a mean score of 28.87 with standard deviation of 2.57 for male pre-service teachers and mean score of 29.00 with standard deviation of 2.70 for female pre-service teachers.

Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ self- efficacy on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. To test this hypothesis, sample t-test independent is applied on the male and female pre-service teachers response score regarding their self-efficacy in using electronic resources for teaching as presented in Table 5.

Table 5: t-test result of male and female pre-service teachers response based on the self-efficacy in using electronic resources

NS: Not Significant at 0.05 level

Table 5 presents the result of t-test result of male and female pre-service teachers response based on their self-efficacy in using electronic resources. The mean score of the male and female are 26.54 and 26.91 respectively. The t-value of 0.402 was not significant at 0.05 alpha level, and the p-value of 0.688 is greater than 0.05. Therefore, hypothesis one was accepted. This indicates that there is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ self- efficacy on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. This implies that both male and female pre-service teachers have the same level of efficacy in using electronic recourses’ for teaching.

Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ level of preparedness towards electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. To test this hypothesis, sample t-test independent is applied on the male and female pre-service teachers’ response score regarding their level of preparedness in using electronic resources for teaching as presented in Table 6.

Table 6: t-test result of male and female response based on the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers in using electronic resources

NS: Not Significant at 0.05 level

Table 6 presents the result of t-test result of male and female response based on the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers in using electronic resources. The mean score of the male and female are 28.87 and 29.00 respectively. The t-value of -0.236 was not significant at 0.05 alpha level, and the p-value of 0.613 is greater than 0.05. Therefore, hypothesis two was accepted. This indicates that there is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ level of preparedness towards electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria.  This implies that both male and female are prepared to use electronic recourses’ for teaching.

Discussion of Findings

Finding of this study on the self- efficacy of pre-service teachers’ on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria indicated that pre-service teachers have high level of efficacy in using electronic resources for teaching in Niger state. Hypothesis one finds out if there is significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ self- efficacy on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. The result shows that gender has no influence on pre-service teacher self-efficacy in using electronic resources for teaching with the mean of 26.54 for male and 26.91 for female and the p-value of 0.688 which is not significant at 0.05 alpha level. This finding is in line with the earlier findings of Vehbi (2012) and Margaret and Al-Zahrani (2012), who found out that pre-service teachers have self-efficacy about using electronic resources for teaching. This finding is not in line with the earlier findings of Cheal, et al (2012), who found out that the pre-service teachers have varying experience when it come to their level of efficacy in using electronic resources.

Finding of this study on the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers’ on electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria indicated that pre-service teachers are well prepared to use electronic resources for teaching in Niger state. Hypothesis two finds out if there is significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers’ level of preparedness towards the usage of electronic teaching in Niger State, Nigeria. The result shows that gender has no influence on pre-service teacher level of preparedness in using electronic resources for teaching with the mean of 28.87 for male and 29.00 for female and the p-value of 0.813 which is not significant at 0.05 alpha level. This finding is in line with the earlier findings of Nwagwu, et al (2015), who found out that pre-service teacher are prepared to use electronic resources for teaching in Niger state.

Conclusion

Findings of this study have revealed that pre-service teachers in Niger State have self-efficacy in using electronic resources for teaching. There is no gender difference towards the level of preparedness of pre-service teachers in using electronic resources for teaching in Niger state. For optimum teaching and global interaction point, pre-service teachers should be able to use electronic resources effectively and they need to be well prepared. The use of electronic resources when it is well tailored would in no doubt improve the teaching and learning process.

Recommendations

Based on the findings that emanated from this study, the following recommendation were made:

1. Pre-service teacher in tertiary institution should be encouraged to adopt electronic resources and use it for their teaching. This will enhance their teaching methods and provide them with supplementary teaching methodology.
2. Tertiary institutions should provide stable power supply, Information and Communication Technology facilities for pre-service teachers which will aid them to have easy access to open electronic resources materials.

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Correspondence can be directed to:

Nonyelum Njideka Nwachukwu

Department of Educational Technology

School of Science and Technology Education

Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

madannonye1@gmail.com

Oluwole Caleb Falode

Department of Educational Technology

School of Science and Technology Education

Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

oluwole.falode@futminna.edu.ng

08138355216/+2348069626979