USE OF DIGITALIZATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF STEM TEACHERS IN IBADAN METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Digitalization promotes the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals concerning education and has shown potential for advancing STEM teaching and learning. Hence, there is a need for its integration in every science classroom. This study investigated the extent to which digitalization is implemented in secondary schools in the Ibadan metropolis. This study also garnered the challenges in integrating digital technologies and suggested possible interventions. Anchored to Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory, this study adopted the descriptive survey design. Two research questions were generated for the study. 103 STEM instructors were sampled from 15 public schools within three local government areas in the Ibadan metropolis. Science Teachers’ Utilization of Digitalization Questionnaire (STUDQ)was properly validated (α = 0.89) and used to collect data. The findings are that science teachers in Ibadan seldom use digitalization in class. In addition, the attendant challenges in using digitalization include a lack of technical capacity, a lack of students’ access to digital tools, and funding issues. It was concluded that digital technologies could be effectively utilized in science teaching and learning to foster sustainability in STEM education and improve learning outcomes if teachers were trained to acquire the required skills. Other relevant suggestions have been provided in this work in line with fostering this drive.