Gender Differences in Teachers' Readiness, Competence, and Use of Generative AI Tools for Instructional Delivery in Public Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Edo Obot Ekanem *
Department of Educational Technology, Akwa Ibom State University of Education, Afaha Nsit, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined gender differences in teachers' readiness, competence, and use of generative AI tools for instructional delivery in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Design and Sample: A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study covered 10 Local Government Areas across the three senatorial districts of the state. The population comprised 8,500 public secondary school teachers. A sample of 360 teachers was selected through multi-stage sampling, comprising 180 males and 180 female teachers from 30 public secondary schools, 12 teachers per school where feasible.
Instrument: The instrument was the Teachers' Readiness, Competence and Use of Generative AI Tools Questionnaire (TRCUGAITQ), comprising 30 items in three clusters: readiness (10 items), competence (10 items), and use for instructional delivery (10 items). The scale was a four-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (4) to Strongly Disagree (1), with a benchmark of 2.50. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.84 for readiness, 0.82 for competence, and 0.86 overall, based on a pilot study involving 30 teachers outside the main sample.
Data Collection: Fieldwork was conducted from 02/09/2026 to 22/09/2026, with permission from the Akwa Ibom State Secondary Education Board and school principals.
Analysis: Means, standard deviations, and independent-samples t-tests were used at the 0.05 significance level, with Cohen's d used to estimate effect sizes. Normality and homogeneity of variance were assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk and Levene's tests. Findings: Female teachers recorded slightly higher readiness (M=3.18, SD=0.52) than male teachers (M=3.06, SD=0.58), t (358) =1.42, p=0.156, d=0.22 (small); the difference was reported as not significant. For competence, male teachers (M=2.48, SD=0.48) were slightly higher than female teachers (M=2.32, SD=0.51), t (358) =1.68, p=0.093, d=0.32 (small); the difference was reported as not significant. For use of generative AI for lesson planning, female teachers (M=2.85, SD=0.55) scored higher than male teachers (M=2.62, SD=0.60), t (358) =2.14, p=0.033, d=0.40 (small to medium); the difference was reported as significant. No significant differences were found for assessment and content delivery.
Conclusion: Overall, the reported gender differences were small and largely non-significant, suggesting similar readiness and competence across genders. Infrastructure, training, and institutional support, rather than gender alone, should guide AI training policy in Akwa Ibom State.
Keywords: Gender differences, teachers' readiness, competence, generative AI tools, instructional delivery, public secondary schools