Bridging the Digital Divide: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Limited Digital Infrastructure on the Acquisition of 21st-Century Skills Among Students of Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State

Yebimodei Esther George; Ekiye Ebipuamere; Sani Abubakar

doi:10.56201/ijssmr.vol.12no8.2026.pg376.391

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Bridging the Digital Divide: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Limited Digital Infrastructure on the Acquisition of 21st-Century Skills Among Students of Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State

Yebimodei Esther George, Ekiye Ebipuamere, Sani Abubakar

Abstract

The rapid transformation of global economies into knowledge- and technology-driven systems has placed digital competence at the center of employability and national development. Yet in many Nigerian tertiary institutions, the infrastructure needed to build this competence remains inadequate, raising concern about the readiness of graduates for a digitally mediated labour market. This study examined the impact of limited digital infrastructure on the acquisition of 21st- century skills among students of Federal Polytechnic Ekowe , Bayelsa State. Three dimensions of digital infrastructure were investigated: availability of ICT hardware and facilities, internet connectivity, and electricity power supply. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised final-year National Diploma II and Higher National Diploma II students of the Polytechnic, from which a sample of 300 respondents was drawn using Taro Yamane's formula and a stratified random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire, validated by experts and pilot-tested for reliability (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.77 to 0.85 across constructs), served as the instrument for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression at the 0.05 level of significance with the aid of SPSS version 27. Findings revealed that ICT hardware and facility availability (R2 = .346), internet connectivity (R2 = .450), and electricity power supply (R2 = .280) each had a positive and statistically significant effect on 21st-century skills acquisition, with internet connectivity emerging as the strongest predictor. The study concludes that the digital divide confronting FPE is primarily an infrastructural deficit rather than a matter of student attitude or capability, and that closing this gap is central to producing digitally competent graduates. It recommends sustained investment in campus-wide broadband connectivity, expansion of ICT laboratories, and dedicated power solutions for digital learning spaces.

Keywords

digital infrastructuredigital divide21st-century skillsICTFederal Polytechnic EkoweBayelsa State

References

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Bridging the Digital Divide: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Limited Digital Infrastructure on the Acquisition of 21st-Century Skills Among Students of Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State

Abstract

Keywords

References

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