Interrogating teachers’ support structures for effective implementation of ICT in Kenya primary schools

Abstract

Teachers cannot do it alone! Teachers hold the inestimable place of linking policy-makers and learners, a role that has become increasingly important in the age of integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education. In Kenya, as is the trend globally, the country has, for many years, been intentional in its efforts to infuse ICTs in education at all levels. In basic education, the National Education Sector Plans (NESPs) of the last two decades incorporated ICT into teaching and learning as one of its priorities. Behind these ICT-in-Education plans is the need to ensure that the teachers can support the agenda. The purpose of this study was therefore to interrogate the existing teachers’ support structures for optimal use of ICTs and identify gaps to be addressed. To achieve this, the study applied a mixed method approach which complementarily fused both qualitative and quantitative research strategies, processes and procedures. Data was collected from teachers and head-teachers drawn from public primary schools in four selected counties of Kajiado, Kilifi, Nairobi and Uasin Gishu in Kenya. The sample size was 352 respondents from a 3,400-population block from whom data was collected through questionnaires and structured interview schedules. A two-phase model was engaged with an initial process of quantitative data collection from teachers, followed by qualitative data collection using structured interviews with head-teachers which provided rich narratives to affirm and expound on teachers’ feedback. Concurrently, publicly available policy documents were considered and reviewed in this study. The various quantitative and qualitative datasets were then analysed in descriptive and inferential statistical methods and subsequently triangulated to enhance the validity and credibility of the findings. The study was anchored in two theories namely: Network Society Theory and Diffusion Innovation Theory. The interpretivist paradigm was adopted since the study was dealing with teachers who occupy a unique place in the society given that they interact with each one of us at one point or another. This research was largely informed by teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and interpretations regarding the support structures provided for integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning process. The findings indicated that in Kenya’s public primary schools, the existing structures were not adequate and not effective in supporting teachers for ICT; teachers and/or head-teachers have no clear understanding of the ICT policies in place; head-teachers appreciate the positive and significant relationship between well-defined teacher support structures and effective integration of ICT in school activities; and that while there is significant ICT infrastructure in most schools, there is insufficient technical support to teachers which leads to a poor appreciation of the power of technology to support teachers’ activities in schools. The study also revealed some barriers that hinder teacher support for ICT integration which included inadequate ICT infrastructure for the teachers; poor ICT skills resulting from a low level of ICT support to teachers; and negative attitudes stemming from lack of confidence in the use of ICT devices. The study concluded that while the barriers that prevent teachers from effectively using ICT are immense, they are not insurmountable and therefore, every effort should be sought to upskill and motivate teachers to transition to a mindset that sees ICT as an integral enabler of teaching and learning in the 21st Century. The study, therefore, recommends that education stakeholders need to re-think the structures of support to teachers by paying special attention to providing the requisite environment of both soft and hardware towards a sustainable and effective ICT-in-Education ecosystem. Some of the tangible recommendations of this study are the deployment of a framework for continuous ICT in teaching Skills and Content on-Demand (SCoD1); and re-designing ways to motivate teachers with continuous in-system incentivisation and recognition of exemplary practice. The apogee of this study is a clarion call to shift the focus from policy to practice by instituting specific activities that will see the teachers appreciate, through practice, the astounding potential presented by ICTs. This will result in significantly reducing teachers’ mundane workload so as to concentrate on their critical role of effectively facilitating teaching and learning, ultimately achieving excellent learning outcomes. It is by empowering the teachers that the education sector will exploit the optimal benefits of ICTs-in-Education, particularly in Primary Schools and Basic Education as a whole.