INTEGRATING STARLINK-POWERED FREE INTERNET WITH EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS TO ENHANCE DIGITAL LEARNING OUTCOMES AMONG NIGERIAN STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), OMOKU

Abstract

This study examined the potential of integrating free Starlink-powered internet access with educational applications to enhance digital learning outcomes among students at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State, Nigeria. Adopting a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 86 randomly selected students using a 24-item structured online questionnaire administered between June and July 2026. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations), Cronbach's alpha, Spearman's correlation, multiple linear regression, and chi-square tests of association. Results showed that while 100% of respondents had smartphone access, only 34.9% also had laptops, and 91.9% relied on mobile data as their primary internet source. Although 82.6% of students were already aware of Starlink, willingness to adopt it for academic purposes was exceptionally high (95.3%). A four-item perceived-impact/acceptance composite showed acceptable internal consistency (α = .63). Willingness to use Starlink was the strongest predictor of perceived academic-performance benefit (B = 0.46, p < .001) in a regression model that explained 19.0% of variance (R² = .190, p < .001), and was significantly associated with level of study (χ² = 16.45, p = .012). The study concludes that Starlink-powered free internet, if integrated with educational applications, holds strong potential to bridge connectivity gaps and improve digital learning outcomes in Nigerian tertiary institutions, and recommends institutional adoption alongside digital-literacy and device-access support.