THE USE OF INTERNET TOOLS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING COMPUTER STUDIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: Because of the widely acknowledged potential of technology to enhance education, a number of efforts have been launched to encourage its efficient use and integration into the course material. The Internet is a relatively young technology, yet it already has the greatest potential for expanding people's access to high-quality education and increasing the rate at which they can learn. The internet is a crucial information and communication technology that has ushered in an information revolution all across the globe (Siraj, et al., 2015). The internet is a vast storehouse of knowledge, and any nation that does not provide its youngsters with access to it is lowering itself in the hierarchy of countries in terms of its level of respect and dignity. It is going to be built such that it may operate as a focal point for a wide range of activities for people of all ages (Akin-Adaeamola, 2014). People's lives now often include significant amounts of internet spent online. In the middle of the 1990s, academic institutions began using the internet as a tool to improve their students' overall educational experience. This was done because of the internet's capacity to serve as a support medium for many of the activities that people use it for. According to Türel and Muhammet (2015), the availability of internet access has significantly expanded over the course of the last several decades and is currently made accessible in a range of settings, such as homes, places of work, travel, and schools. According to the findings of empirical investigations, students' academic performance might be affected by their access to information (e.g. Adedotun, 2015; Akende & Bamise, 2017). When doing academic research, it is increasingly vital to make use of reputable online resources; this is particularly true for upper-level classes that need a literature review (Sahin et al., 2010).

On the other hand, it has been revealed that the use of the Internet for educational purposes is at the center of academic achievement among adolescents. Ellore, Niranjan, and Brown (2014) found that almost everyone has access to the internet, and the vast majority of students use their mobile devices to go online. Students are able to develop their academic knowledge, do research, and finish assignments as a result of this since they have access to information from all over the globe. Additionally, students are able to better their relationship with other students. According to Yesilyurt et al. (2014), providing children with access to a home computer and internet connection enhances both the children's academic success and their capacity for independent study. The surveys also found that the internet offers a number of benefits for the academic cycle. These benefits include access to a wide variety of global information sources at any time of day or night, as well as the opportunity to discuss and share one's experiences with one's peers in order to make the most of ICT's features. Based on the availability and use of the internet by secondary school students in Nigeria, Olatokun (2008) discovered that the majority of students thought the internet was a lot better and more handy than their school libraries. This was determined by comparing the two. They saw it as a source of general information, and as a consequence, it has assisted them in enhancing their reading habits as well as their academic accomplishment.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Because computer science is such an important topic for the progression of technology, the subpar performance of students in secondary schools in this area has become a cause for concern among those with an interest in the education system. Some academics have suggested that this unfortunate state of affairs is the result of a multitude of issues, the most prominent of which include insufficient facilities, inadequate internet resources and use, and inadequately qualified instructors who are proficient in ICT. As a direct consequence of this, both the students' morale and interest in computer science are significantly reduced. According to Ukpabi (2018), internet tools enable the access, processing, and production of information that is available in text format, image, sound, data, multimedia, and hypermedia documents, constituting an essential language of communication in contemporary society (Lévy, 2001). Because of this, the use of the internet is important to the academic success of students. On the other hand, some students use the internet for things that aren't related to their studies, such gaming and social networking, which results in their missing class (Singh et al., 2013). In addition, students spend their time on the internet engaging in pleasure rather than academic pursuits, which may lead to a decline in academic achievement. The most common usage of the internet among secondary students are for charting, downloading, watching movies online, playing online games, and buying online (Akin-Adramola, 2014). This demonstrates that not all secondary school pupils get sufficient guidance on how to make effective use of the internet for academic reasons. The internet has the potential to be a dreadful tool for elevating academic achievement if its use is not strictly monitored. Recent studies have shown that youngsters who use the internet in a healthy research are more likely to achieve academic success. According to research that was carried out by Siraj, Salam, Hasan, Jin, Roslan, and Othman (2015), students in secondary school who are able to exercise control over their internet use and who are exposed to it while studying computer science do much better academically. Because of this, the purpose of this study is to investigate the usage of resources available on the internet for teaching and learning about computer studies.

1.3     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study is to assess  use of internet tools for teaching and learning computer studies.. The study has the following specific objectives.

1. To examine the level of availability of internet resources for teaching and learning of computer science in secondary school.

2. To find out if internet resources are adequately accessible for  teaching and learning of computer science in secondary school.

3. To examine the  extent at which teachers utilize internet during teaching and learning  of computer studies  in secondary schools.

4. To ascertain whether the use of internet facilitates effective teaching and learning of computer studies in  secondary schools.

1.4 Research Question

The research is guided by the following questions

Is there adequate availability of internet resources for teaching and learning of computer science in secondary school?

Are the internet resources adequately accessible for  teaching and learning of computer science in secondary school?

What is the  extent at which teachers utilize internet during teaching and learning  of computer studies  in secondary schools?

Does the use of internet facilitate effective teaching and learning of computer studies in  secondary schools?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

HO1: Teachers does not utilize internet during teaching and learning  of computer studies  in secondary schools.

HO2: The use of internet does not facilitate effective teaching and learning of computer studies in  secondary schools.

1.5 Significance of the study

Findings from the study will provide a framework for government, private school management, curriculum planner, stakeholders in education to come up with strategies on how to guide secondary school student  on internet usage such that their usage behavior is guided in other not to disrupt the learning outcome. The study will also encourage computer science teachers on the need to be acquanted with internet resources and tools in other to attain effective teaching and learning process which in turn improves student academic achievement. Empirically, the study will contribute to the general body of knowledge and serve as a reference material to both scholars and student who wishes to conduct further studies in related field.

1.7    SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study borders on  the use of internet tools for teaching and learning computer studies. The study will further discuss sources of internet access in secondary school, the level of its avaliability and whether teacher utilize it during teaching learning of computer studies. The study is however delimited to selected secondary school  in Arewa Dandi local government Area of Kebbi State.

1.8    LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

his research project, like all human endeavors, had some challenges that threatened to derail the study's completion. One of the reasons is that the time allotted for this work was so limited that the researcher did not have enough time to complete the task thoroughly. During data collection, the researcher also had to put forth extra effort to understand the respondents' interview schedules, several of whom fell into the incomprehensible age group. Also, there were financial and transportation constraints to deal with. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, interview).

1.9     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Internet: The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the world. Through the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Teaching: Teaching can be defined as engagement with learners to enable their understanding and application of knowledge, concepts and processes. It includes design, content selection, delivery, assessment and reflection.

Learning: Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences. 

Computer studies: Computer science is the study of computers and computing as well as their theoretical and practical applications.

Academic Performance: Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals.

1.10 Organisations of the Study

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the  review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study,  sample size determination,  sample size, abnd selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.