AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-EFFICACY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE LECTURERS IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF GOOGLE APPLICATIONS IN RESEARCH

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to investigate the self-efficacy of computer science lecturers in using Google Applications for research purposes using the University of Benin (UNIBEN) as a case study. With the pervasive influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, the integration of digital tools such as Google Apps has revolutionized the academic landscape, enhancing communication, critical thinking, and cognitive abilities among students and educators. Despite the growing reliance on these tools, there is limited research on the confidence and proficiency of computer science lecturers in their utilization. This study aims to fill this gap by assessing the lecturers' self-efficacy, identifying factors influencing their use of Google Applications, and exploring challenges they encounter. The research design used for this study was the descriptive survey method and the questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The sample size of the study consisted of 15 lecturers from the Department of Computer Science, University of Benin . The analysis of the data collected led to the following findings: It was discovered that the majority of the respondents agreed that they are confident in their ability to use Google applications such as scholar, sheets,docs,and google forms in their own research projects. It was also agreed that lack of adequate infrastructure, unreliable Internet connectivity,  lack of adequate power supply and lack of institutional backing are some of the challenges hindering their use of these online tools. Based on the study’s findings, it was therefore recommended that Google applications should be integrated into the computer science curriculum as part of their academic training. It was also recommended that universities should be well equipped with adequate infrastructures, reliable internet access and adequate power supply. And universities should provide a dedicated support staff to assist lectures with using technological online tools such as Google applications.