Secondary schools' preparedness for the use of ICT in teaching and learning in Thika West District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary schools' preparedness for the use of ICT in teaching and learning in Thika West District. The study sought to address the following objectives: determine the level of availability and use of ICT and related resources in secondary schools in Thika West District and establish the extent to which teachers in Thika West District are aware of the benefits of ICT use, as well the teachers' preparedness for ICT integration in their teaching. The study was carried out in public secondary schools in Thika West District. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. There are 16 public secondary schools in the district. A total of 13 schools were randomly sampled for the study; this constituted 81 % of the targeted schools. A total of 11 respondents were sampled from each school sampled for the study (10 teachers and 1 principal). There were approximately 366 respondents targeted by the study (350 teachers and 16 principals). A total of 143 respondents were sampled for the study (constituting 40% of the targeted respondents). Stratified sampling technique was used to sample the respondents for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 2 teachers from each department for the study. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used as instruments for data collection. The questionnaires were administered to the teachers while interview schedules were used to collect data from principals. The statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used to analyze the data. The analyzed data were then presented in form of tables, pie-charts and bar-graphs as appropriate. The study found that even though ICT resources were available in the schools, they were inadequate. The study also found that teachers and students were aware that the use of ICT assisted students in learning, that ICTs enhance pedagogical practice of teachers and that it motivates students to learn (mean score between l.1 -2.0). Regarding teachers preparedness for the use of ICT for teaching and learning, the study found that 51 % of the respondents had not been trained while 49% had been trained. The study concluded that even though ICT resources were available in secondary schools in Thika West District, they were inadequate. On the other hand, it was also concluded that ICT resources available in the schools were not fully utilized. Regarding the awareness of benefits of the use of ICT in teaching and learning in secondary schools, it was concluded that teachers in Thika West District were aware of the benefit of the use of ICT in teaching and learning. The study finally concluded that teachers in secondary schools in Thika west were not fully equipped for the use of ICT in teaching and leaning as a large number of them had not trained on the same. From the findings of the study, it can generally be concluded that secondary schools in Thika West District are not prepared for the use of ICT in teaching and learning. The study recommended that there is need to ensure that ICT teaching and learning resources are available in adequate numbers to enhance the use of ICT in schools. The study also recommended that a similar study be done in other Districts to establish the challenges facing the use of ICTs in teaching and learning in schools.