Health Extension Education and Digital Literacy Programmes as Determinants of Civic Engagement in Rural Areas of Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined health extension education and digital literacy programmes as determinants of civic engagement in rural areas of Rivers State. It was drawn from a wider doctoral investigation into the effect of adult education programmes on civic engagement in rural areas of the state. Two research objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, consistent with the methodology of the wider study. The population of the study comprised 712 adult male and female beneficiaries of adult education programmes in various adult education centres in rural communities of Rivers State, made up of 251 males and 461 females. Given the manageable size of the population, the entire population was studied without further sampling. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled "Effect of Adult Education Programmes on Civic Engagement in Rural Areas of Rivers State Questionnaire" (IAEPCERARSQ), structured on a four-point scale of Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed, and Strongly Disagreed. The instrument was validated by the researcher's supervisor and two other experts in Adult Education and Community Development, Rivers State University, and its reliability was established using the Cronbach Alpha method, with coefficients for the individual constructs above the 0.70 threshold. Out of 712 copies of the questionnaire administered, 650 valid copies (244 from male and 406 from female beneficiaries) were retrieved and used for analysis, representing a 91.3 percent retrieval rate. The two research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while the two null hypotheses were tested using z-test statistics at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that health extension education (grand means of 3.62 for male and 3.67 for female beneficiaries) and digital literacy (grand means of 3.24 for male and 3.20 for female beneficiaries) programmes both have a positive effect on civic engagement in rural areas of Rivers State, with health extension education rated more highly. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others, that government and community stakeholders should sustain the delivery of health extension education in rural adult learning centres, and that renewed investment be made in verifying and strengthening the digital literacy component of adult education programmes in rural areas of Rivers State.