Research Article

DIGITAL CAPABILITIES OF AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI, IMO STATE, NIGERIA

UMUNAKWE PC*, EZENWA NE, ABANUM RC, UKEWUIHE SN, IBE MN
Published: Jun, 2026
Pages: 129-138
Views: 22
Downloads: 21

Abstract

The paper investigated capabilities to use digital technologies among agricultural students at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. This study is built upon the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology which provides a framework for understanding how behavioural intention, usage patterns and performance expectancy affect technology usage. The population for the study comprised all undergraduate students in the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, FUTO. Snowball sampling technique was used to select a sample of 120 agricultural students. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection while data were analyzed using percentages and mean score. Results revealed that the internet (57.5%) and friends and peers (45.0%) were the major sources of digital capabilities to the students. The major digital technologies used by the students in learning were laptops (56.4%) and artificial intelligence (44.4%). The result further showed that most of the students were capable of searching information on the internet (74.6%), typing with computers (55.9%) and downloading lecture notes from the internet (52.5%). It was also found that most of the students used digital technologies to learn on their own (70.7%), access educational materials (64.7%) and search information online (60.3%). The challenges to acquiring digital capabilities were power instability (x̄  = 2.98), high cost of digital devices (x̄  = 2.70) and high cost of data (x̄  = 2.65).  The paper concluded that the students possessed digital capabilities which were still at the foundational level. It was recommended that digital skill enhancement programmes should be organized to boost the digital capabilities of the students. Also, essential digital infrastructure should be provided in the institution.  

Keywords

Digital technologies usage digital capabilities agricultural students teaching and learning

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How to Cite

PC, U., NE, E., RC, A., SN, U., & MN, I. (2026). DIGITAL CAPABILITIES OF AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI, IMO STATE, NIGERIA. Journal of Educational Research and Development, 21(2), 129-138.

U. PC, E. NE, A. RC, U. SN, and I. MN, "DIGITAL CAPABILITIES OF AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI, IMO STATE, NIGERIA," Journal of Educational Research and Development, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 129-138, June 2026.

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