LECTURERS’ DIGITAL READINESS AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN COMPETENCY AS CORRELATES OF MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

This study examined lecturers’ digital readiness and instructional design competency as correlates of Mathematics instructional quality in public tertiary institutions in South-South, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study was conducted in Rivers State, Bayelsa State, and Cross River State. The population comprised all the 187 Mathematics and Mathematics Education lecturers, consisting of 159 males and 28 females, from 14 public tertiary institutions in the selected states. Due to the manageable size of the population, census sampling technique was adopted to involve all the lecturers in the study. Two instruments were used for data collection, namely the 30-item Digital Readiness Questionnaire and the 10-item Digital Integration Checklist. The Digital Readiness Questionnaire was validated and tested for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient, which yielded a reliability index of 0.70, indicating acceptable internal consistency while the Digital Integration Checklist was tested using inter-rater reliability method through Pearson Product Moment Correlation which produced a reliability coefficient of 0.86, indicating high reliability. Findings from the study revealed that Mathematics lecturers exhibited a generally low level of digital readiness. The study further revealed a strong and statistically significant positive relationship between lecturers’ digital readiness and Mathematics instructional quality. The study concluded that lecturers’ digital readiness, instructional design competency, and instructional quality are critical correlates in Mathematics education. The study recommended continuous ICT training, improved digital infrastructure, and professional development programmes for lecturers.