AVAILABILITY AND USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES: THE CASE OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

In today's digital era, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a crucial role in enhancing teaching and learning.However, its availability and integration into primary school education, particularly in Social Studies, remain a challenge in many developing regions.This study investigates the availability and use of ICT in teaching Social Studies in primary schools in Plateau State, Nigeria.A descriptive research design was adopted, with a sample of 200 primary school teachers selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques.A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, ensuring validity through expert review and reliability via Cronbach's Alpha of 0.83.Research questions were analyzed using mean scores, while hypotheses were tested using an independent sample t-test.Findings from the first hypothesis revealed a significant disparity in ICT availability between private and public schools (t = -4.23,p < 0.001).Private schools had better ICT facilities (M = 3.30, SD = 0.70) compared to public schools (M = 2.50, SD = 0.85).The second hypothesis examined ICT integration in Social Studies instruction between rural and urban schools, showing no significant difference (p = 0.000, significance level = 0.05), indicating shared challenges in ICT usage.The study concludes that although private schools have better ICT resources, integration into Social Studies teaching remains limited across schools.Government intervention in equipping public schools, continuous teacher training, and policies promoting ICT adoption in Social Studies education in Plateau State is therefore recommended.