INVESTIGATION OF CORRELATION BETWEEN CLASSROOM INTEGRATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN IMO STATE

Abstract

This paper investigated the correlation between classroom integration of emerging technologies and secondary school students’ engagement in Imo State. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. Correlational survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised of all the 7,023 senior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State, while 378 SSII students formed the sample. The sample size was obtained using Taro Yamane formula. The students were selected through simple random sampling technique. Two researchers- made instruments were used to collect data for this study. They are: (i) Student Engagement Scale (SES) (ii) Integration of Emerging Technology Questionnaire (IETQ). The content validity of the instruments was ensured through two expert’s suggestions and guidance from Educational Psychology, and an from Measurement & Evaluation Department, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Imo State who helped in critiquing and modifying the items to suit the objectives of the study. A single-administration reliability and Cronbach Alpha ensured the reliability of SES (0.78) and IETQ (0.79). The data collected were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The result revealed that integration of emerging technologies (such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI)) related positively and significantly with student engagement in the classroom in Imo State secondary schools. The study concluded that educators and policymakers should recognize the transformative potential of these technologies and work collaboratively to promote their widespread adoption, thereby advancing educational progress and enriching the learning experiences of students. It was recommended among others that educational institutions should prioritize professional development programs to equip educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively integrate VR, AR, and AI into their teaching practices.