Digital Infrastructural Disposition and the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon

Abstract

The phenomenon of Distance education has become a reality in sub-Saharan Africa. The advent of the COVID19 accelerated the adoption of distance learning as an appropriate method of teaching and learning in the Cameroon education system. Thus, this study examines the impact of digital learning infrastructures on the effectiveness of distance learning of the Ministry of Secondary Education. To achieve this, the mixed method research approach was adopted based on a cross sectional research design. The population of study consisted of pedagogic inspectors and teeachers. This study was conducted in the distance learning center located in Yaounde III sub division. For the data collection process, a closed ended questionnaire constructed basing on the likert scale was used for the quantitative data while a semi-structured face-to-face interview was conducted for the qualitative part. Through the simple random and stratified sampling technique, a sample size of 157 participants for both quantitative and qualitative data. Three major theories were convoked in this study such as the technology acceptance, the diffusion of innovation and the transactional theory. The data collected from the field was analysed throught descriptive and inferential statistics, using SPSS version 2021. For quantitative data meanwhile, content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data of the study. The findings of the present study reveal that learning management system with a variance of (F (1.152) = 45.772, p-v = 0.000<0.05, is a strong predictor of the effectiveness of the distance learning center of Yaounde of the ministry of secondary education. This result proves that learning management system has an impact on the effectiveness of the distance education. The results of the findings also reveal that Internet connectivity with a variance of (F (1.152) = 10.438, p-v = 0.000<0.05, is a positive predictor of the effectiveness of the distance learning center of the ministry of secondary education. The results of the findings once again reveal that the digital learning devices with a variance of (F (1.152) = 79. 792, p-v = 0.000<0.05, is a strong predictor of the effectiveness of the distance learning center of the ministry of secondary education. As such, all the alternative research hypotheses were validated which implies that distance learning infrastructures has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the distance learning center of the ministry of secondary education in particular and distance education in general. Based on the above the findings of this study, we therefore recommended that LMS, internet connectivity and digital learning devices must be carefully handled by the educational community since there are strong predictors of the effectiveness of distance learning.