Principals Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Human Resource Management in Secondary Schools in Enugu State
Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, Peaceland University, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria
maureenu62@gmail.com
Department of Educational Foundations and Administration, Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu State, Nigeria
Abstract
This study examined principals' adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for human resource management in secondary schools in Enugu State. Using a descriptive survey research design, all 295 principals (186 male and 109 female) in Enugu State public secondary schools were studied through census sampling. A structured questionnaire with overall reliability of 0.76 was used for data collection. Mean, standard deviation, and z-test at 0.05 significance level were used for analysis. Findings showed that the extent of adoption of AI for human resources data management by principals is low (cluster mean = 2.30), while the extent of adoption of AI for effective communication among human resources is high (cluster mean = 2.70). No significant difference was found between male and female principals on either variable. The study recommends that principals should adopt and integrate AI for data management and strengthen AI adoption for effective communication.
Keywords
Introduction
Human Resource Management (HRM) involves gaining and developing a talented workforce to help an institution achieve its goals, mission, vision, and objectives. In secondary schools, human resources are widely considered among the most valuable assets, and successful management of this asset by principals is a crucial managerial duty for achieving sustainable success and attaining educational objectives. The leap into the fourth industrial revolution brought about drastic changes and development, especially in technology, leading to innovations like Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is the ability of machines to adapt to and deal with new situations, solve problems, answer questions, devise plans, and perform various functions that require some level of intelligence typically evident in human beings. AI in HRM is a human-computer interaction function that enhances management efficiency to improve the functional procedure for collecting, maintaining, and validating employee data. Recent developments such as machine learning, big data analysis, data mining, and learning analytics have much to offer to ease principals' administrative and managerial burdens.
AI for Human Resources Data Management
AI tools enable the processing of diverse and large sets of data that cannot be processed by human effort and intelligence alone. Through gathering, analyzing, and assessing large datasets, AI-based big data management can extract actionable knowledge and viable patterns from data by employing technologies such as statistical analysis, data mining, data visualization, text analytics, social network analysis, signal processing, and machine learning. AI can assist principals in analyzing large volumes of data such as student performance data, attendance records, and resource allocation. AI-powered systems can identify patterns, trends, and insights that can inform decision-making processes in the school. Principals can use this information to develop data-driven strategies for managing staff, improving student outcomes, allocating resources effectively, and evaluating teaching and learning. Despite these capabilities, the adoption of AI for data management in secondary schools in Nigeria remains limited.
AI for Effective Communication
The emergence of AI has resulted in a substantial revolution in the field of communication. In today's digital world, proficient communication is crucial for the success of many activities, including commercial operations, educational pursuits, and personal connections. AI has the potential to sustain effective communication within educational institutions through the mediation of a two-way communication perspective, with benefits including enhancing communication effectiveness, reducing communication gaps, and facilitating collaboration. AI can aid effective communication in schools between principals, teachers, students, stakeholders, parents, and communities. Principals can utilize chatbots and virtual assistants to handle routine inquiries, provide information, and direct staff to appropriate resources. This can improve efficiency and accessibility in communication, freeing up time for principals to undertake more complex interactions and strategic decision-making.
Methodology
Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population consisted of all 295 principals of government-owned secondary schools in Enugu State (186 male and 109 female). Census sampling was used since the population was manageable. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire titled "Principals Adoption of Artificial Intelligence for Human Resource Management Questionnaire (PAAIHRMQ)," consisting of 20 items divided into two clusters on a four-point scale (Very Great Extent, Great Extent, Low Extent, Very Low Extent). The instrument was face-validated by three research experts and tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha, yielding 0.79 and 0.81 from the two clusters respectively, with an overall reliability index of 0.78. Research questions were answered using mean with standard deviation, while hypotheses were tested using z-test statistics at 0.05 significance level.
Results
Research question one revealed that the extent of adoption of AI for human resources data management by principals is low, with an overall cluster mean of 2.30 and standard deviation of 0.69. Apart from staff rostering (mean = 2.77), principals do not utilize AI for other data management tasks such as keeping student records, managing curriculum records, facilitating easy access to school records, prompt retrieval of required records, data-driven decision-making, integrating data sources, data categorization, and streamlining data retrieval. Research question two revealed that the extent of adoption of AI for effective communication among human resources is high, with an overall cluster mean of 2.70 and standard deviation of 0.88. Both hypotheses testing showed no significant difference between male and female principals on either AI for data management (z-cal = 0.73, z-crit = 1.96) or AI for effective communication (z-cal = 0.38, z-crit = 1.96).
Conclusion and Recommendations
The study confirms that AI is crucial and significant in human resource management for both data management and effective communication. The application of AI in human resource management can lead to effective data analysis, effective communication, proper school administration, resource optimization, student support and intervention, streamlined communication and engagement, and enhanced security and safety. Principals of secondary schools and education stakeholders should take seriously the adoption of AI in human resources data management and leverage its potentials for keeping student records, managing curriculum records, facilitating easy access to school records, ensuring prompt retrieval of required records, engaging in data-driven decision-making, and streamlining data retrieval. Effort should be made by principals to improve on the use of AI for effective communication among human resources, especially in the areas of customizing communication with each staff, issuing queries, and proactively delivering relevant information for improved communication effectiveness.