Principals’ Use of Teleconferencing and Administrative Effectiveness in Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom State - Nigeria

The study examined principals’ use of teleconferencing and administrative effectiveness in secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. It investigated the availability level of teleconferencing facilities in schools, the perceived benefits of principals’ use of teleconferencing and the constraints facing principals’ use of teleconferencing for administrative effectiveness. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. Three research questions and one hypothesis were postulated to guide the study. The population consist all the secondary school principals in Akwa Ibom State. Two hundred and four (204) principals were randomly selected for the study. A researcher developed instrument titled “Principals’ Use of Teleconferencing and Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire (PUTAEQ)” was used for data collection. Using Cronbach’s Alpha statistical tool, the test of internal consistency of the instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.83. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentage scores and t-test analysis. The study revealed that teleconferencing facilities were lacking in schools and that principal’s gender has no significant influence on their attitude towards the use of teleconferencing. The study went further to reveal the perceived benefits and constraints that may be encountered by principals through the use of teleconferencing. It is therefore recommended amongst others that school administrators should increase their personal competency with teleconferencing and other digital technologies by exploiting professional development opportunities and self-study provided by the technologies themselves in order to enhance personal productivity in performing instructional, professional and administrative task.

Keywords: principal, teleconferencing, administrative, effectiveness, schools