Access to Technology and Classroom Management as P...

Access to Technology and Classroom Management as Predictors of Students’ Academic Engagement in Geography in Obubra, Cross River State, Nigeria: Implications for Economics Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate access to technology and classroom management as predictors of students' academic engagement in geography in Obubra, Cross River State, Nigeria: Implications for Economics Education. This study adopted a correlational survey research design. Three null hypotheses guided the study. The study population comprised 758 (382 girls and 376 boys) senior secondary two (SSII) geography students from all 19 state-owned secondary schools in Obubra in the 2024/2025 academic session. A sample of two hundred (200) respondents was randomly selected for the study using a simple random sampling technique. Two researcher-developed instruments, tagged 'Access to Technology and Classroom Management Questionnaire (ATCMQ)' and 'Students' Geography Engagement Scale (SGES)', were used for data collection. The instruments were subjected to face validity by an expert in Geography Education and two experts in measurement and evaluation in the College of Education, University of Calabar. The instruments' reliability estimates were established using Cronbach's alpha. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The analysis, among others, revealed that access to technology significantly predicts students' academic engagement in Geography. Based on the study's findings, it was recommended that governments and school management ensure sustainable, equitable access to reliable internet, electricity, and up-to-date devices, especially in rural and underserved areas

Introduction

The current educational environment in Nigeria is also severely affected by the collision of technological incorporation and the eternal necessity of proper classroom management (CM). Digital resources have the potential to transform the secondary Geography field, especially given this subject's reliance on visual-spatial aids and fieldwork. Nevertheless, equitable access to and strategic pedagogical implementation of these resources are critical to their actual effect (Adams et al., 2025; Olatunde-Aiyedun & Daniels, 2024). The issues of resource scarcity, infrastructure deficiencies, and the high student-to-class ratio in Nigeria are particularly relevant to Cross River State, where these factors frequently hinder effective teaching and learning (Adams et al., 2024; Angwaomaodoko, 2024; Ekpoto & Adie, 2025). In this regard, a reflective examination of the conditions that lead to Students' Academic Engagement in Geography (SAEG), a key antecedent to academic outcomes that entail behavioural engagement, emotional commitment, and cognitive effort, is necessary. Practices in classroom management are in interaction with technology to meet the three basic needs, namely, autonomy, sense of volition and self-endorsement of the learning activity, competence, experience of mastery and efficacy in academic tasks, and relatedness, experience of belonging and mutual respect in the learning community, proposed by Self-Determination Theory (SDT). According to SDT, the three primary psychological needs should be fulfilled to achieve intrinsic motivation and engagement (Chiu, 2021; Kelly et al., 2022). With its direct competence improvement, in particular Geography through the visualisation of spatial data, technology directly promotes competence through immediate feedback, interactive simulations, and adaptive pacing (Stroud, 2019; Olatunde-Aiyedun & Daniels, 2024). It also promotes autonomy, allowing students to choose their learning paths (David & Weinstein, 2023). On the other hand, a classroom that is carried out effectively promotes relatedness through quality interactions and competence through specific expectations, routine, and positive directions. More importantly, the moderating effect of classroom management is emphasised, with inadequate organisation of technology use posing a threat of distraction and disengagement (Cambay & Paglinawan, 2024; Consoli et al., 2024).