Application of Information and Communication Technology in Enhancing Teaching of Agricultural Science in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study determined challenges and strategies of teaching agricultural science for the purpose of improving teaching skills using information and communication technology (ICT) in  public secondary schools in Zaria. A survey research design was adopted to distribute the questionnaire comprising three sections and 33 items. Of the 14 registered schools, a total population of 15 out of the 17 agricultural science teachers returned the validated questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.89. A 4-point rating scale, Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD) were assigned values 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively and used to evaluate the perceived challenges and strategies of improvement. Data on socio-economic characteristics were subjected to descriptive statistics of percent while mathematical technique (confrontation index) was used to answer the research questions. Results indicated that married (73.33 %) male (73.33 %) teachers between the ages of 36–40 years (46.67 %) dominated, and the majority held B.Sc. (Ed) in agricultural education, with 6-10 years of teaching experience. A Confrontation Index (CI) of 24-59 and a mean range of 1.6 to 3.93 indicated that 90 % of the challenges were perceived by the teachers to retard the use of ICT in teaching the subject. Similarly, a CI of 44-60 and a mean of 2.93-4.00 indicated that the 17 identified strategies were imperative. Therefore, the study concluded that inadequate use of ICT due to numerous challenges, resulting to absolute application of traditional teaching  methods. Therefore, there is a for training and retraining of teachers through in-service prorgrammes, regular and sustainable salary and sufficient funding to motivate teachers and facilitate the supply of the required facilities.