Individual characteristics as correlates of attitudes to Information Technology among Nigerian University Lecturers

Abstract

Positive attitudes to information technology (IT) among relevant stakeholders are an important precursor to the effective IT use at different levels of education. This paper presents the findings of a study that investigated the relationships between the individual characteristics of Nigerian university lecturers and their attitudes towards the use of information technology (IT) for teaching, research and related purposes. The study used a
self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 718 lecturers sampled randomly from 10 of the 40 federal and state universities in Nigeria at the time of the study in 2003. Findings from the study showed that Nigerian university lecturers generally have positive attitudes towards IT and its use in education. Attitudes were independent of age, academic rank and, to some extent, academic discipline, but were not independent of gender and experience of using IT. Previous negative experience with using IT had a significant influence on attitudes towards IT. The study concluded that programmes aimed towards facilitating the use of IT for teaching, research and related processes by lecturers in Nigerian universities are more likely to succeed if they are both gender - and discipline-targeted, and also provide effective support for everyday use of IT by the lecturers.

African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science Vol. 18 (2) 2008: pp. 131-146