Perceptions and Utilisation of Mobile Technologies among Pre-service Biology Teachers in the Digital Era in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated perceptions and utilisation of mobile technologies among pre-service biology teachers in the digital era in Nigeria. Only a limited number of studies have examined how pre-service biology teachers in Nigeria perceive and utilise mobile technologies. This research gap impedes the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve digital teaching practices in biology education. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was adopted for this study and simple random technique was used to select a sample of 800 pre-service biology teachers at Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria. An adapted instrument by (Edeh et al., 2023) was used for this study. A reliability co-efficient of r = 0.941 was calculated for the instrument. Descriptive statistics (Mean, Frequency, Percentages and Standard Deviation) and Inferential Statistics (independent samples t-test and ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Results showed mobile phones as the most prevalent device (97.9%), while laptops (8.6%), tablets (1.5%), and digital cameras (1.0%) were less common. Perception was high, with participants reporting confidence in presentations, accessing online resources, and collaborative learning. Utilisation was equally high, with frequent use for research, internet access, emailing, personalized learning, and seminars. Gender significantly influenced perception (p<.05), but not utilization (p>.05). It was recommended from the study that there should continuous professional development of pre-service biology teachers and that there should be integration of mobile technology into biology teacher education. The study therefore concluded with a call for equitable, innovative training to strengthen teachers’ digital competence.