ASSESSMENT OF AI-INDUCED TECHNOSTRESS AMONG STUDENTS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MBO LGA, AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

This study assessed the level of AI-induced technostress among students in selected secondary schools in Mbo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study, which adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised approximately 2,400 SS1-SS3 students in six public secondary schools in Mbo LGA. A multistage sampling technique was used to draw 200 students from four schools: Enwang Comprehensive Secondary School, Community Secondary Grammar School Ebughu, Ibaka Community Secondary School, and Uda Community Secondary School, Ofi Uda. Data were collected using the AI-Induced Technostress Scale for Students (AITSS-S), a 12-item, five-point Likert instrument covering four dimensions: AI-overload, AI-invasion, AI-complexity, and AI-insecurity. Data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Findings showed that students experienced a moderate overall level of AI-induced technostress (M = 3.28, SD = 0.31. AI-complexity was the highest-rated dimension (M = 3.85), while AI-invasion was the lowest (M = 2.82). Technostress levels were broadly similar across gender and class level, though these differences were not statistically tested. The study concluded that AI-complexity, arising from limited digital literacy and infrastructural constraints, is the most pressing stressor facing students in this rural locality. It was recommended that the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education and school counsellors organise AI literacy orientation programmes ahead of further deployment of AI-powered learning tools.