Vol. 2, July, 2024

Skills Enhancement and Digital Literacy Among Public Secondary School Teachers in Rivers State, Nigeria

Ekhoriyayi ARIGIDI, Adewale Babajide SANNI

Abstract

In the realm of education, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
presents two distinct dimensions: administration and management, and teaching and learning. As ICT
becomes increasingly ingrained in the educational landscape, its utilization by both academic and non
academic stakeholders, including students, becomes indispensable. Thus, educators must not only
embrace ICT but also develop proficiency in its use to effectively navigate the contemporary educational
environment and fulfil their professional responsibilities. Using a survey research design, the study
involved 2240 teachers in Rivers State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling procedure, the
researchers selected 560 teachers across the Rivers States. A purposive sampling technique was used to
select one senatorial district with upland and lowland characteristics, then three Local Government
Areas were randomly selected, proportionate to-size random sampling was then used to select 10% of
schools in the selected LGAs, while 25% of teachers in the selected LGAs were selected via proportionate
to size random sampling, making a total of 560 teachers for the study. The study also found that teachers
reported moderate levels of Digital literacy (mean = 19.15, SD = 6.96) and skills enhancement (mean
= 14.18, SD = 5.99). The results also showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.473, p < 0.05)
between skills enhancement and Digital literacy, suggesting that as teachers engage in skills
enhancement, their Digital literacy tends to improve. The findings suggest that skills enhancement
programs should prioritize digital skills development to enhance teaching practices and student
learning outcomes. The study's findings have implications for teacher training and development
programs, highlighting the importance of integrating Digital literacy development into skills
enhancement initiatives.

Keywords

Teacher Skills enhancement, Digital literacy, Technology Integration.

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