Gender Discrepancy in Attitude towards the Use of the Internet for Learning among Secondary School Students in Selected Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the gender differences in attitude towards the Internet usage among students in three secondary schools located in federal tertiary institutions in Yaba Local Government Area in Nigeria. The descriptive survey research method was adopted for the study. A sample of 450 students was randomly selected from the three secondary schools. One intact arm was selected from senior secondary one (SS1) to senior secondary three (SS3) in each of the three secondary schools. Of the 450 copies of questionnaire distributed, 355 usable copies of the questionnaire were returned giving an 78% response rate. The data collected were analyzed with frequency tables, graph, percentages and T-test analysis. The study established that the students had positive attitude towards Internet use and there was no significant difference in male and female attitude towards the use of Internet for learning. It was therefore recommended that the management boards and the parents-teachers’ associations in the schools studied should encourage the students to use the Internet for learning by connecting the schools and the school libraries to the Internet.

Keywords: Internet, E-book utilization, secondary schools, gender discrepancy, Lagos State