Demographic Variables and Ict Access as Predictors of Information Communication Technologies' Usage among Science Teachers in Federal Unity Schools in Nigeria

IntroductionScience is a universal subject with no boundaries and the claim for its inclusion in the school curriculum was established based on its ability to revolutionize human life as well as the society. Evidence on relevance of science in schools suggests that science has been found to have influence on every field of human endeavor. Prakash (2005) while arguing for the inclusion of science in school curriculum described science as a subject that provides unique training in observation and reasoning for students and enables them to form an objective judgment. This is corroborated by Armstrong (2001) who emphasized that science is taught to provide training in and knowledge of scientific method that is useful in life pursuits.Science as a subject and discipline has contributed immensely to the development in our society and has helped the modern society to be able to respond effectively to changing social, economic, and environmental trends to meet sustainability goals. Olatoye (2007) emphasized that science will continue to be a tool for explaining interactions between human activities and our environment while also proffering solutions to many problems that may arise as a result of human activities.Turner (2003) presented four arguments to support the teaching and learning of science in schools viz: economic argument, democratic/humanistic argument, skills argument, and cultural argument. The economic argument of teaching science in schools is based on the need to produce more scientists to meet the supply demands in science-related fields. The economic argument is considered as the dominant reason why science is taught especially in advanced and prosperous countries (Hassard, 2010). The relevance and importance of ICT in the teaching of science has been discussed and advanced at relevant fora. The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) (International Technology Education Association, 2000), the International Society of Technology in Education, ISTE (2000) and British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, BECTA (2010) recommended the use of ICT in the teaching of science subjects, as a result of observation that reveals that science teachers are not using ICT for teaching and learning of science.Ramayah (2006) emphasised that ICT provides access to a huge range of resources that are of high quality and relevant to scientific learning. In some instances, the multimedia resources available enable visualization and manipulation of complex models, three dimensional images and movement to enhance understanding of scientific ideas. Lua and Sim (2008) reiterated the capability of ICT in widening the range of materials that can be used in teaching and learning to include text, still and moving images and sound, and increase the variety of ways that the material can be used for whole class and individual learning. Therefore, science teachers have the opportunity of meeting the needs of students with different learning styles as well as being creative in their teaching through the use of ICT.Of what use is Demographic variables a determinant to effective teaching? Demographic variables have been described as major factors that may influence or predict the use of ICT resources by individuals. Among the demographic factors that are often cited as having an influence on ICT use include: gender; income; level of education, skills and age (UNDP, 2011; Inan and Lowther, 2009). For the purpose of this study, demographic variables such as age, gender, teaching experience, subject(s) taught, computer use experience, and educational qualification were considered. Therefore, for teachers to effectively make use of ICT resources in the classroom, they must have easy access to various types of ICT resources (Alston, Miller, Chanda, and Elbert, 2003). Access describes the extent to which a particular user is able to easily locate particular resources for use as well as the degree of accessibility of accessibility of such resources. …