ASSESSMENT OF E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS IN CURRICULUM DELIVERY ON BUSINESS IDEA DEVELOPMENT AMONG MARKETING EDUCATION UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN SOUTH SOUTH NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the extent to which e-commerce platforms were integrated into curriculum delivery for business idea development among marketing education undergraduates in South– South Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and the population comprised 3,482 undergraduate students of marketing education across six public universities in the South–South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, namely: University of Benin, Niger Delta University, University of Calabar, Rivers State University, University of Uyo, and Delta State University. From this population, a sample size of 362 students was determined using the Taro Yamane formula at 0.05 level of precision. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher, validated by experts, and found reliable with a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.70. The instrument was directly administered to the respondents to ensure high retrieval rates. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while independent samples t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that e-commerce platforms were moderately integrated into curriculum delivery and moderately enhanced students’ business idea development, with no significant differences based on gender or institution type. It was concluded that systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and insufficient lecturer preparedness hindered deeper integration. The study recommended the institutionalization of practical e-commerce modules, inclusion of feasibility and financial literacy training, gender-neutral interventions that prioritize infrastructure, and adoption of a unified regional policy framework to optimize entrepreneurial education in South–South Nigeria.