The Impact of Management Information Systems on the Administration Effectiveness of Primary Schools in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of the study is;
- To identify the factors influencing the MIS process in primary schools in Nigeria
- To determine if MIS policies or practices, processes, objectives, and internal control are adequate
- To ascertain the relationship between impact of MIS and academic performance
- To evaluate whether the MIS application provides users with timely, accurate, consistent, complete, and relevant information in primary schools in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
The most initial school administrative computer applications started its development in the late 1970s. In the early1980s, several loose, non-integrated clerical and administrative applications were developed but these applications limited the possibilities for management support as the relationships among data could not be analyzed (Visscher, 1996a). During the initial stages the main purpose of software development and usage was to improve the efficiency of school office activities. The use of computers and technologies in educational institutes was mainly to store student and personnel data (Carnoy, 2004). The value of management information was recognized during the integration stages. As a result, many projects were initiated by the governments in many developed countries that provided the stimulus to enter a higher development stage. These projects were directed toward the production of better school information systems which meant increased school efficiency and effectiveness. The focus was the development of a standard system for as many schools as possible with maximum flexibility. The professional approach to systems design was not widespread at this time (Visscher, 1996a). In the 1990s, the emphasis on using ICT to collect educational data and to improve the administration of educational systems began to increase in the developing countries. Visscher (1996b) believes that MIS can provide administrators and teachers with the information required for informed planning, policy-making, and evaluation. Gurr (2000) claimed that MIS have changed school management in the areas of leadership, decision making, workload, human resource management, communication, responsibility, and planning. These systems can assist the school manager in determining the aims of the school, formulating strategic plans, distributing resources, and evaluating staff performance as well as organizational success (Telem & Buvitski, 1995; Telem, 1999). Bober (2001) indicates that the growing interest in MIS’s and the trend toward thoughtful, long-range planning for MIS implementation stem from the belief within the school community that such systems allow for better site and district management, empower staff at all levels, and increase a school or district’s accountability to the community it serves. Efficient and quick decisions could be made possible when school managers get accurate and up-to-date information by MIS (Christopher, 2003). Several surveys have been designed in recent years to gather information on the extent to which schools are developing the capacity to integrate ICT into learning, teaching, and management processes. A steady increase in the number of computers and other technologies over time has been evident in the literature, with most schools achieving the baseline targets for computer-to-pupil ratios (Condie et al., 2007).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to the impact of management information system on the administration effectiveness of primary school in Nigeria
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on the study the impact of management information system on the administration effectiveness of primary school in Nigeria. 200 staff of selected primary schools in Gboko local government of Benue State was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on the impact of management information system on the administration effectiveness of primary school in Nigeria. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of management information on the administration effectiveness of primary school
Summary
This study was on a study of impact of management information system on the administration effectiveness of primary school in Nigeria. Four objectives were raised which included: To identify the determine factors influencing MIS process in primary school in Nigeria, to determine if MIS policies or practices, processes, objectives and internal control are adequate, to ascertain the relationship between impact of MIS and academic performance, to evaluate whether MIS application provides users with timely, accurate, consistent, complete and relevant information in primary school in Nigeria. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected primary schools in Gboko local government of Benue State. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up headmasters, headmistresses, senior staffs and junior staffs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Information technology in educational management is a relatively new field that not only needs in-depth studies on systems utilization in schools but also on their effects on the school processes and maybe outcomes (Bisaso & Visscher, 2005). Demir (2006) further supports this argument stating that although there are many studies on the role of information systems on class and teaching, few studies have been done on the use of them in educational management and their effects on the managers. Passey (2002) states that one of the key priority areas for future research is the investigation of MIS assistance in effective school management. There are issues in this area both with the forms of technology being used, and with the lack of techniques available to enable users to make use of data currently available. Research could have a major role to play in supporting educational endeavour and practice in this area. The overall review of literature indicates a very positive impact of ICT use in the area of educational management. Principals and teachers’ skills in working with ICT have developed significantly over the years and they are using ICT to support a range of administrative activities at both class and school level. School management information systems have greatly improved over the last two decades and most of them incorporate several important functions required by school administration; however, every school has its own specific needs. Further studies are needed to explore the areas of improvement in MIS as most of these systems are not developed according to the site-based needs. These systems are usually adopted from outside and may need further enhancement according to the site-based management. As Fulmer (1995) suggests that in order for an MIS to be utilized effectively, it should be designed through an inductive process that includes stakeholders from all levels of the organization in order that faculty will take ownership of the system and actually use it. Studies on MIS should also focus on finding ways of enhancing its use by school principals and administrators. Appropriate training and effective leadership could escalate the benefits of MIS in the area of school management.
Recommendation
Based on the findings of this study, we recommend that; Because of the great potential of MIS to generate employment for the masses, government should directly get involved in the financing of MIS in most school to promote economic growth and development. There should be the introduction and operation of central-data-base management system through which information can be produced and communicated to various users at any point in time within the firm. There should also be flexibility in the nature/pattern and structure of management system in organizations so as to permit informed and easy information flow and accessibility to all information end-users, Seminars and training for the staff in the school. Schools should also pay more attention to communication through the media agencies.
References
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- Dada, J. A. (2004) Access to Education in Democratic Nigeria: issues and Problems. In O. E. Uya, D. Denya, J, Emeh and J. Okoro (Eds) Education for Sustainable Democracy.
- Bisaso, R., & Visscher, A. (2005). Computerised school information systems usage in an emerging country – Uganda. In A. Tatnall, J. Osiorio, and A. Visscher (Eds.) Information technology and educational management in the knowledge society (pp. 81–98). New York: Springer
- Bober, M. (2001). School information systems and their effect on school operations and culture. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 33 (5), 1–11.
