EQUITABLE ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES IN RURAL PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Equitable access to educational technology is increasingly recognized as a critical factor influencing students’ learning outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved communities. However, rural public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria, continue to experience challenges related to limited access to digital devices, poor internet connectivity, and inadequate teacher facilitation of technology use. This study examined equitable access to educational technology as a predictor of students’ learning outcomes in rural public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Guided by a correlational research design, the study focused on digital device availability, internet access, and teachers’ facilitation of technology use. The population comprised 4,820 senior secondary school students from 134 rural public secondary schools, from which 480 students were selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using the Equitable Access to Educational Technology Questionnaire (EAETQ) and the Learning Outcomes Questionnaire (LOQ). The instruments yielded reliability coefficients of 0.84 and 0.85, respectively, using Cronbach’s alpha. Simple linear regression was used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the availability of digital devices, internet access, and teachers’ facilitation of technology use significantly and positively predicted students’ learning outcomes. The study concluded that equitable access to educational technology is a significant determinant of students’ learning outcomes in rural secondary schools. The study recommended improved provision of digital infrastructure and continuous teacher training to enhance inclusive and technology-supported learning in rural schools.