THE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND SUPPORTING EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNERS: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The 21st century regards technological skills as crucial for development and stimulating
learning, particularly for young learners in the formation stages. However, resource
disparity between developed and developing countries compromises the quality of
technology-aligned benefits and perpetuates existing inequalities experienced in
different contexts. Teachers’ dearth of technological skills and knowledge also
contributes to the limited use. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of the use of
technology in teaching early childhood learners from selected primary schools in the
Agege Local Government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. The study hypothesised that the
psychological perceptions of the teachers concerning technology are likely to impact
their teaching mode for early childhood learners. The researchers administered100
questionnaires to gather data from the respondents and performed Cronbach’s alpha
reliability test to validate the originality of the study results. Furthermore, the study used
the structural equation model techniques in the analysis to enhance reliability and
validity. The results showed a positive but not significant relationship between the
teachers’ perceptions and the use of ICT. The study suggests that the government
provide in-service and continuous training for primary school teachers regarding ICT
skills, which will benefit young learners. The government should also provide ageappropriate
resources to enhance teachers’ productivity in introducing technology for
young learners.

Keywords: Teachers, Perception, Technology/ICT, Teaching, Primary school