Contemporary Technology And Public Administration Researches In Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria

Abstract

The contemporary world is driven by technology. In virtually every aspect of modern life, technology 
has and continued to shape and transform personal affairs to global affairs. Therefore, to make 
significant relevance in the contemporary world, Public Administration research experts must adapt to modern technology as a framework for their researches. Such technology include among others; Social Network Analysis, Online Surveys, Artificial Intelligence and Geographic Information Systems. At the present, there seems to be a disconnect from modern technology framework in the researches carried out by students in the Department of Public Administration, Akwa Ibom State University. To ascertain this assertion, the study therefore set out to analyse the researches undertaken by the students in the Department of Public Administration, Akwa Ibom State University for a period of eight years. The technology determinism concept by Thorstein Veblen was adopted as the conceptual framework for the study. Content Analysis research design was applied. Data were compiled from the researcher’s record of students’ research reports supervised in the Department of Public Administration, Akwa Ibom State University from 2016 – 2023. The results confirmed that all the students’ researches during the study period were of ‘non-technology framework’. The findings reveal that the students did not incorporate technology or digital tools in the processes of data generation and compilation in their researches, indicating a gap in the application of technology in Public Administration researches, Akwa Ibom State 
University. This conclusion highlights the need for the Department to address these limitations and 
encourage the integration of technology in students’ research projects to enhance their research skills 
and prepare them for the modern workforce.