Published Article

ABSTRACT

This study examined the influence of parental characteristics on the acquisition of digital skills among secondary school students in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of parental support and parental education on students’ acquisition of digital skills. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised 3,314 SSIII students in 11 public secondary schools, while a sample size of 200 students was selected using random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled Parental Characteristics and Acquisition of Digital Skills Questionnaire (PCADSQ), which was validated and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.84 using Cronbach Alpha. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that parental support had a significant influence on the acquisition of digital skills among secondary school students, as students with high parental support demonstrated higher levels of digital competence than those with low support. The study also found that parental education significantly influenced students’ acquisition of digital skills, with students whose parents had higher educational qualifications exhibiting better digital competencies. Based on these findings, it was concluded that parental characteristics are critical determinants of students’ digital skill acquisition. It was therefore recommended that parents should actively support their children’s digital learning, while government and educational stakeholders should implement programmes aimed at enhancing parental involvement and bridging the digital divide.