EVALUATION OF THE RELEVANCE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) COMPETENCIES TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN POLYTECHNICS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) and entrepreneurial education are two crucial fields that have a big impact on the development of the abilities and knowledge required for the digital age.  Thus, this study evaluated the relevance of ICT competencies to the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in polytechnics in Nigeria.  The study analyzed the collective and individual relevance of ICT competencies to the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in polytechnics in Nigeria.  Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design.  A total of 205 HND II students 2022/2023 academic session drawn through random sampling technique from some departments in Abia state polytechnic, Aba participated in the study. A well structured questionnaire on a 4-point scale was used as instrument for data collection, while the reliability test for the instrument yielded co-efficient 0.85 for the clusters using Cronbach Alpha.  The data used for the study were computer literacy (X₁), digital communication and cyber security (X₂), web presence and online branding (X₃), data analysis and interpretation (X₄), digital marketing and e-commerce (X₅), and the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education (Y). 190 copies of the questionnaire instruments were retrieved out of 205 copies distributed.  Data collected were subjected to multiple regression analysis on the basis which a relationship model was estimated using mainly primary data source.  On the basis of the multiple regression output, a relationship model was estimated.  The result of the multiple regression analysis revealed that at a significance level of 0.05, all the five ICT competencies (X₁, X₂, X₃, X₄, and X₅) are as a whole and/or individually has significant relevance on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education.  It was concluded that all the five ICT competencies aspects contribute significantly in predicting the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education by explaining the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education by 51.4%.  It was recommended among others that ICT should be integrated into entrepreneurship education as this will help polytechnics to produce graduates who are well-equipped to navigate the digital landscape and support economic growth.

Keywords: Relevance, Information and Communication Technology, Entrepreneurship Education