Applicability of Open Educational Resources (OER) for Research among Pre-Service Science Teachers in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

The study examined the applicability of Open Educational Resources (OER) for research among pre-service science teachers in Nigerian universities. Four research questions raised and four hypotheses tested for the study. The mixed method research design was adopted for the study. Using a stratified sampling technique, 184 pre-service science teachers in there 400 level second semester of academic session 2024/2025 were used for the study. Two research instruments adopted for the study were Questionnaire on Applicability of Open Educational Resources (OER) for Research among Pre-service Science Teachers (QAOPRRPST) and Interview Template on Open Educational Resources (OER) for Research (ITOERR). The instruments were validated by experts and subjected to pilot testing and a reliability coefficient value of r = 0.88 was obtained. Data obtained for the main study was analyzed using frequency count, mean and standard deviation for the research questions and inferential statistics of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that pre-service teachers awareness (Mean = 2.22, std = 089) and utilization (Mean = 2.56, std = 0.90) were low. It was also indicated that there were generally acceptable considerable chanlleges (Mean = 3.15, std = 0.90) and agreement on relevance strategies and policy directions (Mean = 2.97, std = 0.83) to improve OER applications in Nigerian universities. The One-Way ANOVA Results showed no significant difference in the on the Level of Awareness (F(3,174) = 0.24, p = 0.87), utilization (F(3,174) = 0.18, p = 0.91), challenges (F(3,174) = 0.13, p = 0.94) and (F(3,174) = 0.12, p = 0.95) relevance strategies and policy directions. Based on the findings, the study recommends that Universities should organize regular capacity-building programs, such as workshops and seminars, to enhance pre-service science teachers’ skills and confidence in using OER for research. Government and university management should invest in reliable internet connectivity, adequate computer facilities, and digital repositories to improve accessibility and usability of OER across Nigerian universities.