LECTURERS' READINESS AND COMPETENCE IN EMBRACING EMERGING-TECHNOLOGIES FOR FUTURE ORIENTED INSTRUCTION: IMPLICATION FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract

This study examined lecturers' readiness and competence in embracing emerging
technologies for future-oriented instruction: implication for science education. The 
study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised all the 
lecturers in University of Nigeria, Nsukka while 289 lecturers purposively sampled 
from faculty of education participated in the study. A structured instrument titled 
Questionnaire on Lecturer's Readiness and Competence for Emerging Technologies 
(QLRCET) was used for data collection and was face-validated by three experts. 
The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha, yielding a 
coefficient of 0.87, indicating high internal consistency. Descriptive statistics were 
used to answer the research questions, while t-test were employed to test the 
hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that lecturers' are highly 
ready and competent with positive attitudes toward deploying emerging 
technologies. Also, lecturer's competency were found to influence their readiness to 
deploy emerging technologies. In addition, notable barriers including 
infrastructural limitations, poor electricity supply, inadequate institutional support, 
limited training opportunities, and high costs of training were found to undermine 
readiness. Hence, investment in stable internet and electricity supply, and technical 
support services were recommended to ensure that lecturers' readiness translate into 
Technology deployment.