Effect Of Information Technology On The Children Spiritual And Moral Development
Abstract
This study was carried out on the effect of information technology on the children spiritual and moral development using church owned secondary schools in Abuja as a case study. To achieve this, five three significant research objectives were formulated. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of teachers of selected church owned secondary schools in Abuja. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 53 respondents while 50 were received and validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency, and mean score tables. The result of the findings reveals that the technologies commonly used by children include; television, calculator, phones, Ipad, and laptop. Also, the use information technology such as video games, word games, has some positive effect on the moral development of children. It was further found that the use information technology has some positive effect on the spiritual development of children as it increases their spiritual knowledge, and practices. In regard to the findings, the study recommends that media practitioners need to be censored and stopped from using immoral or indecent images or visuals in their effort to promote their services. And parents have a huge role to play at least by making efforts to regulate or balance the amount of media use by their children. To mention but a few.
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
One of the modern trends in development worldwide is its information technology and digitalization. The society’s development is closely attached to the new technologies’ development, and the information technologies’ (IT) introduction in the development process of children has become an integral part of social development, one of the sides of this process. At the same time, active digitalization can have negative consequences. These include: a decrease in the level of students’ physical and mental health (valeological aspect); rapid fatigue from the use of ICT tools (screen flickering, etc.); dependence on ICT when choosing information search methods; lack of direct contact between the teacher and the student (“live” communication between the teacher and the student) which can damage the spiritual and moral formation of the child’s personality. Also, the disadvantages of the digitalization that negatively effect on the spiritual and moral sphere’s development of the child’s personality include an increase in the child’s emotional discomfort, a lack of ability to resolve the simplest conflict, increasing irritability, aggression, consumption orientation, autism, hyperactivity, impatience, focus mainly on short-term goals. The digitalization’s disadvantages in the fields of professional and general education are different. The digitalization disadvantages also include a decrease in the level of student’s social skills, total control over the child and his family, game addiction as a result of the digital educational environment’s gamification and computer’s and internet’s availability, etc (Molchanova, 2020).
The world has become smaller and emergent technology is the largest factor in this global development. Technology is fast becoming the current driving force behind what is often called the “generation gap”. While people of all ages have become quite comfortable with technology, operation of technology is not the only separation between the young and old. Another difference is each of the generation’s perceptions about technology. Not surprisingly, younger adults are more likely to admit to “gadget lust” than older adults are willing to confess. The direction of technology is affecting the lives of many peoples in both positive and negative manners. In this particular study we are going to work on the influences of the technology on adolescent spiritual growth and the end user will gain a variety of information about the technology and its impact on adolescent development.
Technology is working for effective development of humanity physically, socially, economically and spiritually. Childhood and adolescence is the time a person develops his or her perceptions about religious thoughts. It is the time when a proper instruction will assist him or her to be an appropriate civil society member as well as a better person according to God’s rules and regulations. Great spiritual teachers down through the ages have understood the state of technology, but awareness of the role that technology may play in the development of children’s imagination, and of the role that inspiration may play in children’s spiritual development has been longer in coming.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
However, information technologies’ possibilities, which may be seen to help increase students’ level of intelligence, become obvious. Such children tend to focus on a high level of achievement, and other qualities, but are they capable of developing their spiritual lives? This is because children tend to hide the content of their work with gadgets from parents, teachers, and spiritual mentors while they are constantly busy, immersed in their own affairs and are not interested in the state of their spiritual life, parent’s health, adult’s affairs, turning to them only when necessary for their part, which is also expressed the consumer attitude of the younger generation to life. Defined area of problems and features of education’s digitalization allows us to determine the contradiction between its necessity and a decrease in the spiritual, moral and cultural potential of education.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of information technology on the children spiritual and moral development. Specifically, this study seeks to:
Identify the common technologies used by children.
Determine the positive and negative effect of information technology on moral development of children.
Determine the positive and negative effect of information technology on spiritual development of children.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions will be answered:
What are the technologies commonly used by children?
What is the positive effect of information technology on moral development of children?
What is the negative effect of information technology on moral development of children?
What is the positive effect of information technology on spiritual development of children?
What is the negative effect of information technology on spiritual development of children?
1.5 Significance of the Study
It is hoped that the findings of this research will serve in revealing information technology and the positive and negative effects technology has on children spiritual and moral development. This research will also serve as communication to the parents as the findings of this study will also reveal the roles of parents in the spiritual and moral upbringing of their children.
Finally, this study will serve as a source of reference for further studies and future references.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study is focused on the effect of information technology on the children spiritual and moral development. Specifically, this study is focused on identifying the common technologies used by children, determining the positive and negative effect of information technology on moral development of children and determining the positive and negative effect of information technology on spiritual development of children.
Selected teachers and pupils of Baptist Church Nursery and Primary School, Abuja will serve as respondents of this study.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
This study is limited to the effect of information technology on children’s spiritual and moral development. Specifically, this study is limited to identifying the common technologies used by children, determining the positive and negative effect of information technology on moral development of children and determining the positive and negative effect of information technology on spiritual development of children.
Furthermore, other than the parameters set by the above asked questions, this project will be limited in the following ways. First, the researcher will not conduct a study of all aspects of children development. He will only consider the elements of development that are consistent with the influence of technology. Second, the author will not cover every aspect of technology; he will only consider those practices consistent with common social media.
Third, the author will not pose a moral judgment on specific types of technology that have obviously influenced adolescent development. He will simply share how technology has influenced children development. Fourth, the author will not analyze the Christian life, doctrine or practices of the people interviewed for this project, only their principles of technological influence as they relate to adolescents. Finally, the author will not attempt to validate technological influences through survey, but will simply illustrate the principles from people who are heavily influenced by technological advances.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Information technology: Information technology is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of electronic data and information. IT is typically used within the context of business operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies.
Spiritual development: Spiritual development, in essence, is to believe in something beyond the material universe and to develop an awareness of realities beyond the confines of time and space.
Moral development: Moral development focuses on the emergence, change, and understanding of morality from infancy through adulthood. Morality develops across a lifetime and is influenced by an individual’s experiences and behavior when faced with moral issues through different periods of physical and cognitive development.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.0 INTRODUCTION:
This chapter provides the background and context of the research problems, reviews the existing literature on the Effect Of Information Technology On The Children Spiritual And Moral Development, and acknowledges the contributions of scholars who have previously conducted similar research [REV67421] …