Teachers’ Use of Technology and its Correlation to Students’ Achievement on National Mathematics Examinations in Secondary Schools in Makueni County, Kenya

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Date
2023
Authors
Nzoka, Francis Katumo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) paradigm improves teaching and learning by combining three components: content, pedagogy, and technology, as well as their connection. The study was inspired by a disturbing pattern of poor performance in Mathematics in national examinations among public secondary schools in Makueni County. The study's objectives were to determine the relationship between teachers' content knowledge in ICT use and students' achievement in Mathematics, establish the relationship between teachers' pedagogical knowledge in ICT use and students' accomplishment in Mathematics, assess the relationship between teachers' technological knowledge in ICT use and students' accomplishment in Mathematics, and discover the relationship between teachers' perceptions of ICT use and students' accomplishment in Mathematics. Based on the theoretical framework of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), the study used an explanatory mixed methods sequential design. There were 251 principals, 407 Math instructors, and 14,752 form three students in the target group, for a total of 15,410 responders. There were 25 principals, 42 teachers, and 375 students in the study. The study split the schools into three strata: extra-county, county, and sub-county, and then selected pupils from each stratum using simple random sampling. Finally, the population size of each group was used to sample the number of students in each stratum. Interviews, questionnaires, and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The study instruments' validity was improved by expert assessment and piloting. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the trustworthiness of the devices. To examine quantitative data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was utilized, along with descriptive and inferential statistics. To categorize and analyze qualitative data, thematic analysis was performed. The analyzed data was presented using Pearson correlation tables, histograms, narrations, and verbatim quotes. The findings revealed that for every unit increase in teachers' content knowledge of ICT use, there was an 8.7% decrease in Math achievement, and for every unit increase in teachers' pedagogical knowledge of ICT use, there was a 10.0% decrease in Math accomplishment, and a very high increase of 81.0% in Math achievement for every unit increase in instructors’ technological proficiency. According to the study, every unit rise in teachers' opinions of ICT use in teaching Mathematics resulted in a 14.4% fall in attainment. Except for technological knowledge, none of the content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, or teacher opinions of ICT use were statistically significant at the   .05 level. The study concluded that the usage of ICT in Mathematics instruction showed a direct relationship with student achievement. According to the study, government and schools should promote teachers' ICT training and use a variety of technologies that allow students to become active participants in a Mathematics session to increase students' achievement in the subject.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Development, Kenyatta University May, 2023
Keywords
Teachers’ Use of Technology, Correlation, Students’ Achievement, National, Mathematics, Examinations, Secondary Schools, Makueni County, Kenya
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