SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCING GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ICT ADOPTION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is recognized globally as the bedrock for national development in a fast changing global environment. Increasingly, the adoption of ICT for different purposes including teaching and learning has become widespread among Secondary School Students (SSS) in Nigeria. However, there exists a gap in ICT adoption between male and female students. Wrong perceptions of ICT, choice of ICT platforms, Power outage and lack of internet facilities have been identified as obstacles to optimal ICT adoption. This paper examines the influence of sociocultural factors on the gender differences observed in ICT adoption among students of Public Secondary Schools (PSS) in Ota, an urban settlement in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Engaging primary data from a sample of 287 secondary school students (SSS), the study found the absence of positive and supportive ICT culture as major a hindrance to ICT adoption among female students of Public secondary schools (PSS). It suggest the need for enabling social-cultural environment to increase the participation of both male and female students in ICT for relevant opportunities and employment in the sector. The study concludes on the need to remove sociocultural barriers promoting gender differences in ICT and the need for more awareness efforts on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and related ICT fields required for human and societal transformation.