Assessment of Gender-Based Differences in Cloud Resource Utilization among Secondary School Teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper assessed gender differences in the use of cloud resources by science teachers in Cross River State secondary schools, in Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was used for this study and participants were 487 science teachers who were randomly drawn through stratified sampling. A self-developed survey instrument comprising a set of questions on cloud resource usage and technology self-efficiency was used to obtain data. The study also showed that there was no significant relationship between gender and the use of cloud computing (t = 1.192, p = 0. 437) this implies that gender does not determine the use of cloud resources among Science teachers. The same applied to the use of cloud resources with no noteworthy difference between male and female science teachers (χ2 = 0.720, p > 0.05). These results imply that the gender differential in the adoption of educational technology may be decreasing in this regard, contrary to what has been observed in prior studies. The results presented herein are optimistic from an equity standpoint; however, they also provide a stimulus to future research that is aimed at exploring other variables that could shape the utilization of cloud resources in education, including support, training, and infrastructure. Hence, the study concludes by proposing Professional Development PD programs as well as policy changes aimed at enhancing equitable and effective utilization of cloud resources in science instruction while the findings may be useful for similar contexts in developing nations.