Availability and Utilization of Digital Equipment for Teaching Computer Studies in Public Secondary Schools in Ekiti State

Availability and Utilization of Digital Equipment for Teaching Computer Studies in Public Secondary Schools in Ekiti State Author’s Detail: Onipede Olufunke Ayooluwa onipedeolufunkea@gmail.com Ikingbinsin/Olorunda Community High School, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. Abstract This study investigated the availability and utilization of digital equipment for teaching Computer Studies in public secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. To guide the study, three research questions were raised and two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 86 respondents, consisting of 32 Computer Studies teachers and 54 science class prefects in public secondary schools in Ekiti State. A 21-item structured questionnaire developed by the researcher was used for data collection and was face-validated by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient, which yielded a reliability index of 0.79. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics were employed to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that digital equipment are available and utilized for teaching Computer Studies to a moderate extent. Basic digital tools such as computer systems, projectors, video cassette recorders, and DVD players were utilized to a high extent, whereas more interactive and modern digital technologies recorded low utilization. The study also revealed that inadequate provision of functional digital equipment and insufficient teacher training were the major challenges affecting effective utilization. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the mean ratings of teachers and class prefects on the digital technologies used and the extent of their utilization. Based on these findings, it was recommended that government and school authorities should provide adequate and functional digital equipment and organize continuous capacity-building programmes to enhance teachers’ competence in the effective integration of digital technologies into Computer Studies instruction.Keywords: Availability, Utilization, Digital Equipment, computer Studies