Preparedness of teachers in the use of ICT for teaching mathematics in secondary schools of Tigania East District Kenya

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the current level of mathematics' teacher preparedness in using lCT for teaching. Teacher preparedness was measured in three main aspects; teacher's training levels, teacher attitudes towards lCT and the use of available lCT resources. The study was carried out in Tigania East District which has 30 secondary schools. The design selected for this study is a descriptive survey. The study used Mathematics Teachers Questionnaires, Interview Schedule and an Observation Guide to collect data. The researcher used simple random sampling techniques to select 30% of the teachers to constitute the sample size. The Cronbach reliability coefficient alpha of 0.79 was realized meaning there was internal consistency of the data collected. Data was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics such as the frequencies, and percentages. This was done using the SPSS program as a tool to aid the analysis. The study revealed a variety of lCT resources in the secondary schools in Tigania East District. Further, 66.9% of schools in the district had support structures such as electricity and generators. The study further showed that teachers did not use the lCT resources available as they lacked knowledge on appropriate usage. The lack of pre-service and in-service training was sighted as a major limitation. The study concluded that mathematics teachers in Tigania East District were unprepared to embrace lCT resources in their teaching because they lacked relevant training and enthusiasm, and were found not to use the available ICT resources. The study recommends a retraining of mathematics teachers through INSETs on how technology should be applied to improve the teaching of Mathematics. The study also recommends that the ministry of education improves on the staffing of mathematics teachers who are trained to use lCT as most schools were seen to have a shortage of these teachers. The findings of this study will be useful to mathematics teachers, school administrators and the quality assurance standard officers in the ministry of education.