APPRAISAL OF THE AVAILABILITY OF CHEMISTRY E-LEARNING FACILITIES FOR THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF CHEMISTRY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ABAK LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, AKWA IBOM STATE

The study examined the availability and utilization of chemistry e-learning facilities for effective teaching and learning of Chemistry in Secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area. Three research questions and three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. This study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted 1478 senior secondary two (SS II) students in the eleven public secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area. Simple random sampling technique was used for the study. One hundred and twenty-six (126) Chemistry students from the study area were used for the study. The instruments for the study were “Secondary Schools Chemistry E-Learning Facilities Questionnaire (SSCELFQ)”. The instruments were validated by two lecturers in the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education. The reliability index obtained for SSCELFQ was 0.79 using Cronbach Alpha. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, one sample t-test and independent t-test statistics. The results of the findings showed that there is a significant difference in the availability of e-learning facilities for Chemistry teaching in secondary schools. The result of the findings also showed that the level of utilization of e-learning facilities in Chemistry teaching is statistically significant. The results of the findings further showed that gender does not significantly influence the utilization of e-learning facilities among Chemistry students. Based on the findings, the study concludes that while the availability and utilization of e-learning facilities for Chemistry teaching in secondary schools are significantly varied, gender does not have a significant influence on their utilization among students. It was therefore concluded among others that, educational authorities should ensure the provision of adequate ICT facilities such as computers, projectors, internet access, and interactive whiteboards in Chemistry laboratories and classrooms.