THE USE OF ICT IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF ORAL ENGLISH IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE
ABSTRACT
This research work set out to examine the use of ICT in the teaching and learning of oral English in secondary schools in Nsukka Education zone. The specific objectives of the study are: to determine the available ICT facilities for the teaching and learning of oral English in secondary schools in Nsukka Education zone; to determine the ICT skills possessed by oral English teachers and students; to find out the level of the use of ICT facilities by oral English teachers and students; to find out the benefits of ICT in the teaching and learning of oral English and to find out the obstacles to the effective use of ICT facilities in the teaching and learning of oral English. Relevant literature was reviewed. The population of the study was four hundred and fifty-two SSII students and twelve English language teachers randomly sampled from twelve secondary schools. Data was collected through questionnaire. Simple percentage was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that only a few ICT facilities are available in the secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone. The subjects of the study agree that the use of ICT in the teaching and learning of oral English is beneficial. But, most of the oral English teachers and students do not use them because they do not posses ICT skills. It was generally discovered that effective use of ICT in the teaching and oral English in Nsukka Education zonre was hampered by lack of knowledge of ICT, non-availability of computers for the class size, constant electric power failure, lack of trained personnel to handle ICT instructional materials, absence of language laboratories, non-possession of personal computer and access to internet facilities. Recommendations made include that the school administration should encourage government, individuals and NGOs to provide and/or donate ICT facilities to schools. The ICT facilities if provided and/or donated should be used during classroom interactions as the teachers and students should be adequately trained at cheaper or no cost for the proper utilization of the ICT facilities.