ICT integration

This short Country Report, a result of a larger infoDev-supported Survey of ICT in Education in Africa, provides a general overview of current activities and issues related to ICT use in education in the country. The data presented here should be regarded as illustrative rather than exhaustive. ICT use in education is at a particularly dynamic stage in Africa; new developments and announcements happening on a daily basis somewhere on the continent. Therefore, these reports should be seen as "snapshots" that were current at the time they were taken; it is expected that certain facts and figures presented may become dated very quickly.

Global investment in ICT to improve teaching and learning in schools have been initiated by many governments. Despite all these investments on ICT infrastructure, equipments and professional development to improve education in many countries, ICT adoption and integration in teaching and learning have been limited. This article reviews personal, institutional and technological factors that encourage teachers' use of computer technology in teaching and learning processes. Also teacher-level, school-level and system-level factors that prevent teachers from ICT use are reviewed. These barriers include lack of teacher ICT skills; lack of teacher confidence; lack of pedagogical teacher training; l lack of suitable educational software; limited access to ICT; rigid structure of traditional education systems; restrictive curricula, etc. The article concluded that knowing the extent to which these barriers affect individuals and institutions may help in taking a decision on how to tackle them.

This paper is part of research on ICT integration and its contribution to the teaching of English in Kisumu County Kenya. ICT
integration just like other innovations goes through stages as it develops to efficacy. ICT integration program was initiated in
the year 2006 in secondary schools in Kenya through equipping schools with ICT infrastructure and training of teachers to
implement the program. The purpose of this paper was to assess the level of ICT integration in teaching of English.
Descriptive survey and correlational research techniques were used to collect data on the level of ICT integration on teachers
of English in selected secondary schools. The study established that ICT integration in the selected schools was at level. It had
not reached the transformational level which is the optimal stage where the benefits of ICT integration can be harnessed.

In this paper, the author explains how activity theory is used as a framework to study the information and communication technologies (ICT) integration processes in Singapore schools, both from the sociocultural and pedagogical perspectives. The research study aims to address the pertinent question of: How has ICT been integrated in Singapore schools such that students engage in higher order thinking? Taking activity system as a unit of analysis, the study will document the actual processes by which activities shape and are shaped by their different levels of context. Such a framework guides the study by documenting and describing the activity systems within and across schools and classrooms, with the integral contextual understanding of how larger entities such as policymakers have on them. This understanding is particularly critical to education research where the object of its inquiry is not simply knowledge, but useable knowledge.

ICT in Thai education as a facilitator is well documented. However, the incorporation of the developing ICT trends for advancement in the basic education establishment in Thailand has been slow. The objective of this study is to present a detailed overview of the advances in ICT-enabled education in Thailand. Through a detailed summary of the the past and present government initiatives, in ICT-enabled education are presented. Further, the barriers inhibiting the integration of ICT in the Thai education system are discussed. Resolutions are then assessed by reviewing some of the significant trends in ICT development and assessing their influence in minimizing barriers. The contribution of this paper will be organized into two parts. First, the paper will advance current knowledge by presenting an updated summary of past and current ICT applications in the field of education and barriers to ICT-enabled education in Thailand. Second, the paper will help examine how the innovative use of technological trends could potentially lower the barriers to integration of ICT and lead to an advanced education system in Thailand.

This quantitative study examines the training of student teachers for ICT-based teaching in two teacher education institution, in Israel and Finland. The data was collected in 2015-2017 using a questionnaire
administered to 41 Finnish and 44 Israeli student teachers. The results show that most student teachers had practice in ICT-based teaching. However, about a third of student teachers in both institutions
practiced only two times or less using ICT. Those who practiced mostly used a teacher-centred approach as did their college and school mentor teachers who integrated ICT in their lessons. The variable describing competency in ICT-based teaching correlated with student teachers' attitudes, the number of ICT-based lessons they taught, modelling by the school mentor teacher, and the various schools’ infrastructures and support. The results show that students in Israeli institutions are better prepared to teach with ICT which can be explained by the impact of the latest national reforms. We conclude that students' perception of their TPACK is the function of a variety of factors: on a personal level (attitudes towards the contribution of ICT to teaching and learning); on an institutional level (curriculum, modelling by faculty, institutional strategies); on a field practice school level (modelling by school mentors,
infrastructure, pedagogical, technological, and administrative support); and on a national level (reforms and their implementation models). All these factors must be considered to promote the pedagogically
innovative integration of ICT in teacher training and the overall education system. The best strategy to achieve this goal is to support collaboration between TEIs and schools on the national level. Wide-scale
implementation of ICT in teaching demands significant investments in infrastructure and training. Hence much of its success depends on the national vision and priorities given to this purpose.

Global investment in ICT to improve teaching and learning in schools have been initiated by many governments. Despite all these investments on ICT infrastructure, equipments and professional development to improve education in many countries, ICT adoption and integration in teaching and learning have been limited. This article reviews personal, institutional and technological factors that encourage teachers’ use of computer technology in teaching and learning processes. Also teacher-level, school-level and system-level factors that prevent teachers from ICT use are reviewed. These barriers include lack of teacher ICT skills; lack of teacher confidence; lack of pedagogical teacher training; l lack of suitable educational software; limited access to ICT; rigid structure of traditional education systems; restrictive curricula, etc. The article concluded that knowing the extent to which these barriers affect individuals and institutions may help in taking a decision on how to tackle them.

This study reviewed qualitative studies that focused on strategies to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. A meta-ethnography approach was utilized to locate, critically appraise, and synthesize the results of these studies. Based on an extensive search in the Web of Science, 19 articles were included in this synthesis. The results were divided into two parts: (1) key themes explicitly related to the preparation of pre-service teachers (e.g., using teacher educators as role models, learning technology by design, scaffolding authentic technology experiences), and (2) conditions necessary at the institutional level (e.g., technology planning and leadership, co-operation within and between institutions, training staff). To present how these key themes related to each other, an overarching model was developed. By interpreting the results of the review, recommendations were discussed for pre-service teacher technology training and future research.

This paper discusses the findings of two case studies (two primary schools in Singapore), which are part of a larger research study, that aims to examine and analyze where and how information and communication technologies (ICT) are integrated in Singapore schools to engage students in higher order thinking activities.  For students to engage in higher order thinking, they first need to have autonomy over their learning processes.  The focus of the paper is on how orienting activities support learner autonomy in the ICT-based learning environment.    Taking the activity system as a unit of analysis, the study documents the actual processes by which orienting activities are planned and organized to support learner autonomy in their contexts. By employing methods such as observations, focus group discussions with students, and face-to-face interviews with teachers, an account of how the activity systems within and between classrooms, and the schools are generated.  The account identifies and describes five categories of orienting activities: introductory sessions to ICT tools, advance organizers and instructional objectives, worksheets and checklists, dialogues among participants, and tools for post-instructional reflection.  It also highlights the constraints of time and lack of knowledge and experience in the contexts that the teachers are working under, and how these constraints are addressed.

Technology leadership is a fairly new concept in school leadership focus. It has become a concern for study in recent times, in tandem with the pedagogical change of integrating ICT in teaching and learning especially in the developed nations. However, few such studies have been done in Africa. A number of studies in the developed countries have advanced descriptive approaches on how educators should go about the using of ICT in education. Teachers, therefore, need to have prerequisite skills to integrate ICT in teaching and learning and school leaders have a role in enabling the effective use of ICTs. This study aimed at investigating how school leaders help build capacities of teachers to be able to effectively integrate ICT in their teaching and learning, at school level, in a public secondary school in Kenya. Using a qualitative case study approach, five school leaders involved in the capacity building, were purposively sampled for interviews, four teachers were engaged in a Focus Group Discussion and two teachers were observed engaged in classroom practice. Further data was obtained by analysing official school documents. The data analysed indicate the school leaders facilitated increased access to ICT facilities to the teachers and supported them, alongside training, to enable them explore various ways of integrating ICT in teaching and learning.

It is asserted that providing teachers with environments where they can use ICT for educational purposes is an important step for the integration of ICT in teaching and learning environments (Gill and Dalgarno, 2008; Dawson, Forster, and Reid, 2006; Ward, 2003). At this point, the main problem is the kind of environment that can be provided. In this study, using network learning environments is recommended as one of the solutions to this problem. Network learning environments provide teachers with tools that can support high level learner control (Goodyear, 2005). The growth in social network applications has also accelerated the development of network learning environments. This study aimed at describing a social network application, called ELGG, which can also be used as a network learning environment. One of the primary reasons for the widespread use of ELGG in educational field is that it is an open source social network application that can be improved permanently.

This study reviewed qualitative studies that focused on strategies to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. A meta-ethnography approach was utilized to locate, critically appraise, and synthesize the results of these studies. Based on an extensive search in the Web of Science, 19 articles were included in this synthesis. The results were divided into two parts: (1) key themes explicitly related to the preparation of pre-service teachers (e.g., using teacher educators as role models, learning technology by design, scaffolding authentic technology experiences), and (2) conditions necessary at the institutional level (e.g., technology planning and leadership, co-operation within and between institutions, training staff). To present how these key themes related to each other, an overarching model was developed. By interpreting the results of the review, recommendations were discussed for pre-service teacher technology training and future research.

This paper is based on a study carried out in selected secondary schools in Kenya. The research examines teachers’ professional development needs in Kenya with a specific focus on the teachers’ needs towards professional development in pedagogical ICT integration. Teachers’ professional development is often regarded as a key element to successful education reforms. Hence, teachers are expected to undergo continuous professional development to keep abreast with the various changes that occur in the education systems including the modes of teaching and instructional resources. In this study, a cross-sectional and descriptive survey design was used where research data was collected through triangulation. Three key instruments namely; questionnaires, interview guides and checklists were used to collect data. The study sample for the institutions was 30 secondary schools from Nairobi and Kiambu Counties. The sample comprised 278 teachers, 375 secondary school students, 30 schools and Computer for Schools Kenya (CFSK) trainers. The study revealed a variance in the use of ICTs by teachers especially between personal use and pedagogical use. The highest teacher professional development need cited by teachers for effective ICT integration was an intensive approach to ICT integration. Most teachers felt that the approaches used in professional development did not equip them adequately for independent ICT usage in schools. The paper proposes for a convergent approach to teacher professional development which supports constructivist learning among teacher trainers and subsequently among learners in schools to enhance ICT integration in teaching and learning.

Los bajos resultados de los estudiantes de educación básica en Lenguaje en las pruebas nacionales e internacionales, sus consecuencias negativas en la movilidad y permanencia en la educación superior y en el desarrollo socioeconómico regional, demandan que desde las escuelas se implementen estrategias para fortalecer la comprensión lectora con apoyo de las TIC. El objetivo del artículo es indagar sobre las características de los ambientes de aprendizaje que integran las TIC para favorecer la comprensión lectora y el papel que deben jugar los docentes en su implementación. Se consultaron bases de datos, libros y documentos digitales con los criterios: comprensión lectora, integración de la TIC, y ambientes de aprendizaje, y los términos: lectura crítica, tecnologías digitales, entornos de aprendizaje, en inglés y en español, entre 2014 y 2021, de los cuales se analizaron 72 que cumplieron con el propósito de la revisión y 31 parcialmente. Se concluye con la identificación de los recu...

Over the last two decades, the rapid growth of ICT has become one of the most important topics discussed by the scholars in education. This is due to the capability of ICT in providing a dynamic and proactive teaching and learning environment. In line with the current digital era, teachers are required to integrate ICT in their daily teaching and replace their traditional methods with modern tools and facilities. The main focus of this paper is on effectiveness of ICT integration in education. More specifically, this paper aims at identifying the level of computer skills and knowledge of primary school teachers in the teaching and learning process. Moreover, the objective of this paper is to identify the level of ICT integration in teaching and learning process in classroom by primary school teachers. A total of 61 teachers from 10 public primary schools in Klang Valley, Malaysia have been selected randomly to complete this quantitative study’s survey questionnaire. The findings ill...

The purpose of this study is to determine the educational needs of the faculty members of the School for the Handicapped (SfH)- the only school in Turkey pursuing vocational higher education to the hearing-impaired students- regarding the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The study was carried out as a qualitative case study. The participants of the study included 3 administrators and 24 faculty members from the SfH. The data were collected through the participant observations by compiling the semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires, researcher’s journal, documents and the archival records. The data have been analyzed inductively. The perspectives of both the administrators and the faculty members about the use of ICT revealed important evidence for determining the present case concerning the ICT integration process in the SfH. The data have been discussed in the light of the related research.

The importance of ICTs has become the undisputed in the present century. Studies have been conducted to
investigate the use of ICTs with the goal of increase in quality of teacher education for a long time. This study is
a cross-cultural comparison in terms of pre-service teachers’ level of ICT usage, ICT knowledge and attitudes.
The study was conducted in three different universities, two in Turkey and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total
of 709 pre-service teacher participated in the study, 385 from Turkey and from 324 Bosnia and Herzegovina. To
this end, three different questionnaires were used: the ICT usage for educational purposes scale (ICT-U), the ICT
knowledge scale (ICT-K), and the Internet attitude scale (IAS). According to the results significant differences
were found between two countries in terms of ICT usage. ICT knowledge was determined as the most explaining
variable for the level of ICT use. Culture is also found to be predictive. The study results revealed the need to take
into consideration cultural differences in ensuring the integration of ICTs.

The purpose of this study is to determine the educational needs of the faculty members of the School for the Handicapped (SfH)- the only school in Turkey pursuing vocational higher education to the hearing-impaired students- regarding the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The study was carried out as a qualitative case study. The participants of the study included 3 administrators and 24 faculty members from the SfH. The data were collected through the participant observations by compiling the semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires, researcher’s journal, documents and the archival records. The data have been analyzed inductively. The perspectives of both the administrators and the faculty members about the use of ICT revealed important evidence for determining the present case concerning the ICT integration process in the SfH. The data have been discussed in the light of the related research.

In this dissertation I take a look behind the scenes of the eLearning Programme and eLearning actions under other European programmes by developing a more in-depth understanding of their national agents, the academics at universities in the EU (in three principal countries and six secondary countries), who have participated in or have knowledge of the logistical and administrative burdens of European eLearning projects. Through a series of in-depth, open-ended interviews, I investigated the interactions of academics and researchers with the European funding programmes in eLearning. In addition, a number of interviews with members of the European Commission offer an inside look into some of the practices employed in the drafting of the programmes. I used the personal accounts to build a “composite picture” of common themes related to the processes involved in developing and conducting projects under the eLearning Programme and other European programmes.

Within the primary line of inquiry, I found that the principle of subsidiarity, on which the eLearning programmes are based, is broken down to the lowest levels of decision-making regarding e-learning projects. It is individual academics or researches who engage in projects, with the backing of their respective home institutions. Their involvement puts a human face on the formal national-supranational governmental mechanisms that rule European policy-making. Regarding the budgetary and logistical nature of the eLearning Programmes, the academics’ view points to the financial insufficiencies and to the limited applicability of these programmes. Finally, this study suggests that some of the best incentives for the academics’ participation in eLearning projects rest in the professional opportunities and networking possibilities available through the eLearning programmes.

Within the secondary line of inquiry, I explored the information society discourse in the EU, in relation to the eLearning programmes, based on the academics’ conceptualization of the term. This study reveals a mixed picture of the perceptions that the academics have of the information society in their respective countries. I concluded that an integrated European information society, promoted by the Commission partly through its eLearning programmes, is a concept destined to remain a motivational instrument for driving ICT policies throughout Europe.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of school management teams (principals and departmental heads) on information and communication technology (ICT) integration in the township and rural secondary schools. The study was set in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Principals’ perceptions were explored using the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) 2009 as the lens through which to view the study. The objective of the study was to investigate how school management teams’ (SMT) perceived ICT integration in their schools. The four participating schools were selected from twelve that used computer laboratories for teaching and learning. The study was important as the setting, like the rest of the country, consists of two distinct sets of schools in terms of resources: one privileged while the other is underprivileged. Township and rural schools belong to the latter. The study was embedded in the interpretive paradigm and used the ...

The objective of this study is to find out teachers’ views on the integration of ICT into their courses and on the perceived obstacles to this integration. A questionnaire was administered to 575 teachers working in primary schools in Ankara to collect the data. The analysis of the data reveals that more than half of the teachers (55%) use traditional methods in their courses; however, they believe that it will be more useful to use ICT in teaching. 22% of the teachers believe ICT should be used in teaching and make efforts to use ICT in their courses. The lack of ICT in classrooms, the lack of knowledge on how to use ICT, the lack of technical support, and the insufficieny of in-service training are the most important obstacles expressed by teachers.