COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
In recent years, computers have been used extensively for various reasons by wide user groups. School-age children use computers for entertainment, communication, education, etc. Over the past few years, due to improvements in technology, computers, and related technologies have become cheaper and more sophisticated.
That is why households are both able and willing to buy computers for their children. They hope to give them the chance to become advanced computer users. Lauman M. (2000) stated that “not only is the number of computers in education growing exponentially, but also the number of computers in the home is growing at a rapid rate”. Despite the increase in the number of computers and related technologies, everyone does not have the same access to these technologies: “Media availability varies depending on such things as child’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and so forth” Roberts S., Greenwald R., and Lame, R. (1999). The economic level of the countries might also affect the availability of media for school-age children either at school or at home.
Parents believe that using computers may increase their children’s academic achievement and future job opportunities (Ortiz, 2011); therefore they buy computers with an internet connection to help their children succeed in school (Turow K., 1999). Today’s computer revolution provides cheaper and better home computers that allow students to practice what they have learned at school (Stock and Fishman, 2010). Although there is an agreement among researchers that computers are useful for learning opportunities, Becker C. (2000) found that students are more likely to use home computers for entertainment than for school-related purposes. Countless things can be done with computer applications, and some of these applications might have latent impacts on children’s development. For instance, computer games might be considered a waste of time by some parents. However, they may have positive effects on children’s cognitive development (Hamlen K., 2011; Li and Atkins, 2004). By spending time with the computers, children can learn how to “read and utilize the information on computer screens” (Subrahmanyam, 2001). Using computers can also improve children’s visual attention because some applications require users to keep track of or control many activities at the same time.
In commerce and manufacturing, multinational corporations, and individual households, computer technology has fundamentally altered how business is conducted and how people communicate. In the field of education, computers have become a common fixture in this country’s schools.
Many researchers have found computer laboratories to be central to the teaching of science in secondary schools (Abrams and Waridersee, 1995). They are computer workshops where practical activities are conducted to enhance meaningful learning of computer concepts, theories, and assertions (Seweje R., 2000). Since practical work in the laboratory is vital to school teaching, laboratories are a primary vehicle for promoting formal reasoning skills and students’ understanding, thereby enhancing desired learning outcomes in students (Jeske, 1990; Ogunleye, 2002).
Students often fail to acquire computer laboratory skills, because their teachers were unable to conduct practicals as they would like to, and this always had inevitable consequences for students’ learning. All these show the importance attached to computer laboratories in schools and it is this importance that prompted the researcher to examine computer laboratories and students’ performance in secondary schools.
The results from several published studies on the relationship between computer use and academic achievement in computer laboratories indicate that this technology can bolster student outcomes. Hence, this study is interested in carrying out a comparative analysis of computer laboratories about the academic performance of students. It is, therefore, against the background of the foregoing, that the researcher sought to investigate computer use and students’ academic performance in a secondary school a case study of Trinity College.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The problem under consideration in this study is that of uses of a computer laboratory. The uses of computer laboratories seem to have been saddled with a mammoth of problems ranging from inadequate funding, brain drain, nepotism, and other possible social menaces. These vices appear to be destroying the once cherished and admired standard of service in the administration of public secondary schools.
The researcher has embarked on the study with the hope that some solutions will be arrived at in the computer laboratory..
1.3 Objectives of the study
The main objective of this study is to examine computer use and students’ academic performance, using Trinity College as the case study.
The following are the specific objectives of the study:
- To determine the extent of accessibility of computers to teachers and students in Trinity College.
- To determine the level of teachers’ and students’ expertise on computer integration in teaching and learning process in Trinity College.
- To determine the ways in which computer is integrated in teaching and learning process by teachers and students.
- To determine the extent of implementation of the Ministry of Education policy on computer usage in Trinity College.
1.5 Research Questions
- What is the extent of accessibility of computers and related peripheral to teachers and students to support e-learning?
- What is the level of teachers and student expertise on computer integration in the teaching and learning process?
- In which ways do teachers and students integrate computers in the teaching and learning process?
- To what extent has the Ministry of Education computer usage policy objectives been implemented by Trinity College?
1.6 Significance of the study
The Study findings may be used to facilitate computer usage in the teaching and learning process by both teachers and students. The outcome of this study aims at determining whether or not the use of computers has any significant influence on the academic performance of students in universities in Nigeria. Moreover, education is the bedrock of any society.
This information may also be useful to administrators, policy makers and other stakeholders in education in determining the preparedness of Trinity College in terms of availability of appropriate computer infrastructure for e-learning. Also, the findings may be used as a baseline data for laying strategies on increasing the level of computer usage in the district. The study may further indicate the capacity building gaps which may be useful in formulating framework to empower computer users in integrating computer in the secondary school curriculum.