IN-SERVICE TRAINING NEEDS OF CREATIVE ARTS EDUCATORS ON THE USE OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Creative arts education in Nigerian secondary schools occupies a strategic position in promoting cultural heritage, aesthetic development, and vocational readiness among learners. Yet the progressive integration of technological tools into educational practice has exposed widening competency gaps among creative arts educators in Oyo State, particularly concerning digital tools, online instructional platforms, and media arts technologies. This study examined the in-service training needs of creative arts educators on the use of technological innovations for sustainable development in Oyo State public secondary schools. Three training need dimensions were identified and examined: Information Communication Technology ICT-Based Teaching Competency Training Needs (ICTTN), Digital Media and Arts Technology Training Needs (DMATTN), and E-Learning and Online Tools Training Needs (EOTTN). Employing a quantitative survey research design, structured questionnaires were administered to 350 respondents drawn from an estimated population of 2,800 creative arts educators in 382 public secondary schools across the twelve education districts of Oyo State. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4.0, following the two-stage assessment approach, the measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α: 0.77–0.85; Composite Reliability: 0.84–0.90) and convergent validity (AVE: 0.57–0.65), with all HTMT discriminant validity ratios below 0.85 and Variance Inflation Factor VIF values below 5.0, confirming the absence of multicollinearity. Structural results confirmed significant positive effects of ICT-Based Teaching Competency Training Needs on sustainable development outcomes (β = 0.41, t = 5.43, p < 0.003, f² = 0.22), Digital Media and Arts Technology Training Needs (β = 0.33, t = 4.56, p < 0.001, f² = 0.14), and E-Learning and Online Tools Training Needs (β = 0.26, t = 3.78, p < 0.001, f² = 0.08). All three null hypotheses were rejected. The structural model explained 49 percent of the variance in sustainable development outcomes (R² = 0.49). The study recommends that the Oyo State Ministry of Education and relevant educational stakeholders design and implement targeted, technology-focused in-service training programmes that systematically address all three identified need dimensions, with priority given to ICT competency development as the foundational prerequisite for sustainable improvement in creative arts instructional practice.