Lived Experiences of Digital Inequality in Access to AI-Supported Learning Tools in STEM Education: A Phenomenological Study in Ondo North, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ijhrws.v1i1.8368Keywords:
AI-Supported Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Divide, Digital Inequality, Husserlian Phenomenology, Nigeria, Secondary Education, STEM EducationAbstract
Digital inequality remains a significant challenge to the equitable integration of emerging technologies into STEM education, particularly where access to digital resources, infrastructure, and teacher capacity is uneven. This study explored the lived experiences of secondary-school students and STEM teachers regarding digital inequality and access to artificial intelligence (AI)-supported learning in Nigerian secondary education. This study adopted a Husserlian descriptive phenomenological approach to examine how participants experienced, interpreted, and responded to digital exclusion within their educational contexts. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Five interconnected themes emerged: unequal access to digital learning resources; limited exposure to AI tools; structural and institutional barriers; emotional experiences of digital exclusion; and coping, adaptation, and grassroots resilience. Findings indicate that digital inequality extends beyond the physical availability of computers and internet connectivity to include restricted opportunities for practical digital engagement, unreliable electricity and connectivity, inadequate equipment maintenance, limited teacher preparation, and institutional resource constraints. These conditions were associated with frustration, perceived educational disadvantage, and concerns about future competitiveness. The study concludes that digital inequality constrains equitable participation in AI-supported STEM education and that individual coping strategies cannot substitute for sustainable institutional provision. It recommends increased investment in reliable digital infrastructure, continuous teacher professional development, curriculum integration of AI, and equitable digital policies that promote meaningful student access and guided engagement with AI technologies. The study underscores the need for context-responsive interventions that address the material, pedagogical, and experiential dimensions of digital inequality in Nigerian secondary-school STEM education.
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Copyright (c) 2026 urotimi David ADULOJU, Lydia Olufunmilayo ADEDOTUN, Margaret Foluso AYENI, Adesoji Olubunmi OMONIYI, Adekunle OLATUNMILE (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
