INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS ON ICT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN AS CASE STUDY
Abstract
The proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
into every facet of the work-sphere in every sector has led to the increasing demand for workers who are versed with ICT skills, and can provide solutions to a myriad of problems for an organisation. However , in a developing country like Nigeria, there is still a perceived deficit as regards ICT skills acquired by graduates. This study interrogated the influence of
gender and psychosocial factors on ICT skills development among postgraduate students. This study adopted a survey research design. Data were elicited from a sample of 398 respondents and analysed using frequency counts, percentages, Chi-square tests of association, Spearman's rank correlation, and r egression analysis. The study provided answers to three research questions and three research hypotheses were tested. The result showed that gender and psychosocial factors jointly influenced the ICT skills development of the students on postgraduate programmes in the University of Ibadan ( F = 1 7 . 0 5 4 , P < 0 . 0 5 ) . Individually , gender (â = - 0. 183, ( 4 , 3 9 2 ) P<0.05), an interaction with more knowledgeable other (â = 0.260, P<0.05) have a significant influence on ICT skills development, while social interaction, and zone of proximal development does not. The study showed that males are more developed in ICT skills.
Keywords: Gender, Information and communication technology , psychosocial factors
and skill development
Ogunsola, K. & Adesakin, M. A.
INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS ON ICT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN AS CASE STUDY
Abstract The proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into every facet of the work-sphere in every sector has led to the increasing demand for workers who are versed with ICT skills, and can provide solutions to a myriad of problems for an organisation. However , in a developing country like Nigeria, there is still a perceived deficit as regards ICT skills acquired by graduates. This study interrogated the influence of gender and psychosocial factors on ICT skills development among postgraduate students. This study adopted a survey research design. Data were elicited from a sample of 398 respondents and analysed using frequency counts, percentages, Chi-square tests of association, Spearman's rank correlation, and r egression analysis. The study provided answers to three research questions and three research hypotheses were tested. The result showed that gender and psychosocial factors jointly influenced the ICT skills development of the students on postgraduate programmes in the University of Ibadan ( F = 1 7 . 0 5 4 , P < 0 . 0 5 ) . Individually , gender (â = - 0. 183, ( 4 , 3 9 2 ) P<0.05), an interaction with more knowledgeable other (â = 0.260, P<0.05) have a significant influence on ICT skills development, while social interaction, and zone of proximal development does not. The study showed that males are more developed in ICT skills. Keywords: Gender, Information and communication technology , psychosocial factors and skill development