Assessing the Impact of the Fifth Industrial Revolution on Teacher Education in Rivers State

Abstract

This study is an assessment of the impact of the fifth industrial revolution on teacher education programmes in Rivers State. Three research objectives and questions guided the study. The study was anchored on the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and social constructivist theories. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. The sample size for this study was 20 and 18 respondents, respectively, from the two teacher education institutions in the state, making a total of 38 respondents. The instrument adopted in the research was a selfstructured questionnaire titled “Impact of the Fifth Industrial Revolution on Teacher Education” (IFTIRTEQ). The reliability of the instrument was established by test-retest, which indicated a coefficient of 0.70. The responses were analysed using mean scores and standard deviation. From the analysis, the study clearly revealed, among others, the rate of awareness among student teachers on the integration of 5IR technologies in teacher education programmes. It was also revealed that the impacts of 5IR improve collaborative learning, retention, and other practical skills in the learning process. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that there should be a strong policy framework to support the positive impacts of advanced technologies in teacher education programmes. This will assist in repositioning the teacher education programmes.