An Estimation of Digital Learning Culture Index of Secondary Education in Nigeria

Abstract

The socioeconomic vulnerability of youths in developing economies is a challenge that can be mitigated by quality education and digital learning skills. However, it is increasingly demanding for developing economies still struggling with universal access to preadult education to provide their youths with quality education. Mitigating this challenge, therefore, will require a social reengineering of the educational system of developing economies. Critical to this, reengineering is a comprehensive appraisal of their educational system’s support for digital learning. We set two objectives for this study: (i) examine the digital learning culture (DLC) of secondary education in Nigeria—a typical developing economy and (ii) estimate the digital learning culture index (DLCI) of secondary education in readiness for a lifelong learning skill among the Nigerian youths. Data were collected using the questionnaire survey and the stratified random sampling technique. A total of 2,107 students’ questionnaire feedback and 666 secondary schoolteachers’ questionnaire feedback at all secondary education levels across communities in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria were analyzed. The DLCI of secondary education in Nigeria has been estimated to be 0.21. The results revealed two key findings: (1) evidence of sharp divides in DLC of secondary education among the communities in Nigeria and (2) statistical evidence that secondary education in the North-East zone of Nigeria has a higher DLCI than all other zones in the country except for the South-East zone.