Perspectives of Rural Educators on the Dependencies and Drawbacks of Chat GPT in Nigerian Higher Education Practices

Authors

• Adedayo Olayinka Theodorio Dr, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South AfricaFollow
• Francisca Jumoke Theodorio, Oyo State School of Science, NigeriaFollow
• Olumide Gbenga Olugbodi, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, NigeriaFollow
• Peter Adebowale Samson, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, NigeriaFollow
• Olusegun Olawale Olakotan, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, NigeriaFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Adedayo Olayinka Theodorio: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-8338

Olusegun Olawale Olakotan: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1993-5717

Abstract

ChatGPT remains a valuable tool for transforming teaching strategies and supporting students’ comprehension of subject matter. However, its adoption and research remain uneven within the context of higher education in Nigeria. Specifically, there is limited empirical research that exemplifies real-world experiences regarding the dependencies and drawbacks in rural educational settings. This qualitative single-case study explored this phenomenon at a southwestern institution in Nigeria, involving a purposively selected group of educators. Data were gathered through participatory observation and focus group interviews, which were thematically analysed. The results indicated that the effective use of ChatGPT in rural higher education heavily depends on factors such as internet connectivity, access to computers, unrestricted use of the ChatGPT application, and practical prompting skills. Additionally, the findings highlighted certain perceived drawbacks associated with ChatGPT use, including complacency, inconsistencies in the generated results, and concerns about the disintegration of cultural values. Considering the environment’s peculiarity, the findings emphasise the need for practical AI and prompting-skills training for educators to understand ChatGPT dependencies in higher education instructional practices, as well as a critical examination of the findings to inform the development of policies regulating AI use in Nigerian rural higher education.

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.18785/jetde.1903.10

First Page

199

Last Page

230

Ethics Approval

Yes

Declaration Statement

Ethics Related Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Rector of Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology through the Directorate of Research and Publication Committee, as documented in a letter dated 16 December 2025. This approval was secured prior to the commencement of any research activities, and a copy of the approval letter was attached to the informed consent form provided to participants.

Funding: This study received no funding

Clinical Trial Number: Not applicable

Consent to Publish: All participants provided their consent for the publication of the study's outcomes in academic journals.

Author’s Contributions: All authors were critically and selflessly involved in conceptualising the research, data collection, analysis, and report writing.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests in the study.

Data Availability: The data presented in this article are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Recommended Citation

Theodorio, A. O., Theodorio, F. J., Olugbodi, O. G., Samson, P. A., & Olakotan, O. O. (2026). Perspectives of rural educators on the dependencies and drawbacks of ChatGPT in Nigerian higher education practices. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE), 19(3), 199-230. https://doi.org/10.18785/jetde.1903.10

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.