Innovative Capacity Training for Science and Mathematics Teachers to Enhance HOTs with Inclusion and Equity: A Baseline Data Analysis

• In Event: Improving education through professional development and training

Proposal

Abstract
Globally, economic and technological changes shape the occupational outlook of today’s students, these changes have in turn impacted the educational system across the world. Therefore, schools have begun to double their efforts on the need to instill higher-order thinking skills to prepare the 21st-century workforce. One critical aspect of instruction is to involve and assist learners with different abilities in the instructional process towards achieving desired instructional objectives.
One of the core elements of the advancement of 21st-century education is the implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) which incorporates logical, critical, reflective, metacognitive, and creative thinking (Gopalan & Hashim, 2021). Nevertheless, achieving equity and inclusiveness among learners is a persistent and enduring challenge. The quest to teach to achieve instructional equity among different learners is trending in academic discourse (Thalib, Corebima, & Ghofur 2017). Hence there is advocacy for the adoption of innovative technological initiatives to assist teachers with relevant pedagogical skills for equity and inclusiveness. One of such initiatives is the Connect Learning Initiative (CLx) developed by the Tata institute India and has been found to be effective in enhancing teachers’ pedagogical knowledge towards enhancing higher order thinking with inclusion and equity (HOTIE). This initiative is being adopted in Nigeria as “The Connected Learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CL4STEM). The target of the project is to pilot the innovation initiative and its effectiveness in building instructional capacities of secondary school teachers in Science and Mathematics for fostering higher-order thinking with inclusion and equity (HOTIE) in their classrooms. The CL4STEM pilot engages STEM teachers in curated OERs-based modules in Science and Mathematics and partaking in online Communities of Practice (CoP).
The teacher is a critical element in the implementation of this initiative. In support of this, Yaki et al (2021) observed that the integration of technology integration into classroom instruction is to a great extent influenced by the teacher. Consequently, teachers' readiness and competence, among others could positively or negatively influence technology adoption and usage for capacity training. It is important, therefore, to comprehend what could influence STEM teachers’ use of technology for professional training. This could help us understand the return on investment that could be expected from technology-enhanced capacity training in science and mathematics teaching to enhance HOTIE.
Therefore, teachers’ profile analysis could provide important insight into the success of this initiative in Nigeria. Hence this study focuses on Innovative Capacity Training for Science and Mathematics Teachers’ to Enhance HOTs with Inclusion and Equity in Nigeria. A Profile Analysis. Specifically, the study will seek to achieve the following objectives;
1. Examine teachers’ ICT access to engage in technology-based capacity training
2. Determine the teachers’ level of ICT proficiency to engage in technology-based capacity training
3. Determine the ICT devices and communicating media frequently used for teaching

The theoretical framework that provides support for this study is the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) which highlighted the factors that successfully determine the use of technology for educational purposes. The UTAUT theory consists of four key components that are determinants of human behaviours toward using and accepting a new technology: Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and facilitating Conditions (Venkatesh et al. 2003). Facilitating conditions which could include, readiness, competence and availability and accessibility of ICT devices provide the framework for this study
A quantitative research approach will be adopted. Specifically, the study adopted a quasi-experimental design. This study involves the use of a quantitative approach to gathering data (Creswell, 2012). The population of the study is made up of science and mathematics teachers in three states in North-west and North-central states in Nigeria. Three states were purposefully selected for this study because there is a minimal level of insecurity in these states. Twenty-Five (25) schools were randomly selected from the three states. Four teachers each (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) were elected from each school. The sample size was made up of 100 teachers: the control group had 20 teachers, the intervention other are 60, and the intervention focus group was 20.
The instrument for data collection was adopted structured questionnaire containing items on teacher profiles which includes, respondents’ demographic data and facilitating conditions such as infrastructures that support users to adopt and use new technology innovations or participate in capacity training. The structured questionnaire was validated for face and content validity and the reliability of the instrument was found satisfactory
Firstly, ethical approval was obtained from the respondents to ensure adherence to ethical principles, confidentiality, and privacy. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts and percentages to answer the stated research questions. It is hoped that the findings of this study could have implications for STEM teacher capacity training and further scaling of this initiative.

Author

• Mohammed Tajordeen Mustapha