Information and Communication Technology and the Learning of English Phonetics in Selected Secondary Schools in Nigeria: A Case Study

Abstract

The study investigated the Information and Communication Technology and learning of English phonetics in selected senior secondary schools in Rivers State.  The study employed a descriptive survey design. A sample of ten (10) senior secondary schools was selected from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. 15 students were randomly selected from the 10 schools which came to a total of (150) students based on the objectives of the study five research questions were formulated four hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The data collected was analyzed using simple descriptive methods of mean and standard deviation (SD) to answer the five research questions. Chi-Square(x2) and t-test were used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the research revealed that there are low availabilities of ICT in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study also revealed that teachers of oral English rarely possess the skills to use the ICT facilities to teach oral English in the public and private secondary schools in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. The urban areas are more exposed to the use of ICT than their mates in the rural area. Students in the rural area and their mates in the urban area have similar problems in the leaning of phonetics.  Based on the results it was recommended that the use of ICT to teach oral English should be encouraged in senior secondary schools. The recommendations, suggestions for further studies and contribution to knowledge were made.