MOBILE DEVICE AND INTERNET PHOBIA AND TECHNOLOGY UTILISATION IN THE TEACHING OF BUSINESS EDUCATION COURSES IN UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA?

Abstract

This study investigated mobile device phobia and internet phobia as determinants of technology utilisation in the teaching of Business Education courses in universities in South-South Nigeria. The study was motivated by concerns over the low level of technology utilisation among some university lecturers despite the increasing importance of digital technologies in higher education. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 197 Business Education lecturers from nine universities offering Business Education programmes in South-South Nigeria. Due to the manageable size of the population, the entire population was used for the study. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire validated by experts, while the reliability coefficient of 0.91 was established using the test-retest method. The data were analyzed using simple regression analysis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that mobile device phobia had a moderate influence on technology utilisation in the teaching of Business Education courses (R = 0.47; R² = 0.22) and significantly influenced technology utilisation (F = 53.00, p < .05). The study also found that internet phobia had a very great influence on technology utilisation (R = 0.75; R² = 0.56) and significantly influenced technology utilisation (F = 238.94, p < .05). The study concluded that mobile device phobia and internet phobia constitute significant psychological barriers to effective technology utilisation among Business Education lecturers in universities. The study recommended regular capacity-building programmes, continuous digital literacy training, provision of reliable internet facilities, and institutional support mechanisms to enhance technology utilisation and reduce technology-related fears among lecturers.