| Information and Communication Technology(ICT)has become pivotal in our daily lives and educational institutions for teaching and interaction between instructors and learners.As a results,universities are restructuring their curriculum and classroom instruction bridging the digital gap between teaching and learning.With this in mind,the present study was undertaken to examine the teachers’capacities that influence ICT implementation in universities to address the technological gap in accessibility,efficiency,and quality in university education in Kenya.Specifically,the present study was aimed at:(i).to establish how teachers’ attitudes influence ICT implementation in universities,(ii).to determine how teachers’competencies influence ICT implementation in universities,(iii).to establish how teachers’self-efficacies influence ICT implementation in universities,(iv).to determine how teachers’ teaching experience influences ICT implementation in universities,and(v).To determine how teachers’ teaching professional qualification influences ICT implementation in universities.The study adopted descriptive survey design with a case of Chuka University in Kenya with both qualitative and quantitative research procedures.Stratified random sampling procedure was used to select 475 teachers of Chuka University in Kenya.Multiple strategies were adopted for data collection:structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews methods to collect data.Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive,inferential statistics,Spearman Correlation as well as regression and Chisquare tests in Statistical Package for Social Science.Qualitative data from interviews and an open-ended questionnaire were analyzed by identifying the study’s main themes,differences,similarities,and contributions to the pool of knowledge.The study had 86.4%response rate and data collected passed normality by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and ShapiroWilk Tests criteria as well as normal quantile plots with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of(P=0.78)and Cronbach’s Alpha score of 0.841.A binary logistics regression analysis was conducted to predict influencing factors or categorical variables on ICT implementation and the results showed that teachers with positive attitude towards ICT implementation were almost two times likely to implement ICT than those with negative attitude[OR=1.966,95%C.I.(1.271-3.041),p=0.002].There was no statistical significance for teachers’competent,however,teachers with competent skills on ICT are more likely to implement than those who are incompetent[OR=1.008,95%C.I.(0.637-1.595),p=0.974].On selfefficacy,those with high self-efficacy were more likely to implement ICT than those with low self-efficacy,on teachers teaching experience,those with more experience were more likely to influence the implementation of ICT than those with less experience[OR=0.622,95%C.I.(0.388-0.996),p=0.0.048].Further,on teachers’professional qualifications,teachers with higher qualification have high likelihood to influence ICT implementation than teachers with low qualification.[OR=1.204,95%C.I.(0.650-2.229),p=0.0555].The mean score for the attitude scale was 80.23 with a standard deviation of.403 The analysis revealed that 58.3%(277)of the participants had positive towards ICT implementation.Further,multiple regression results revealed that teachers’ attitudes accounted for 0.019 significant effect on ICT implementation.With the regards to specific objective 2,the competence of teachers on basic ICT skills is a prerequisite for future implementation.The mean competence score was 52.84 with a standard deviation of ±6.43.The reliability analysis was conducted in which the Cronbach’s Alpha score was 0.719.Majority(60.2%)of the teachers are incompetent on the use of internet for emailing other teachers,parents and students on issues related to teaching and learning.Majority of the teachers are incompetent in relation to being able to scan viruses and fix basic faults(trouble shoot).Similarly,83.8%of the teachers cannot use of multimedia tools to support instructions.However,teachers were very competent in other ICT thematic areas.The multiple regression analysis revealed that Teachers’competencies have significantly influence on the ICT implementation with teachers’ competencies having a 0.0411 significance effect.In addition,teachers,self-efficacy is paramount for the implementation of any acquired skills.In this study eighteen items or statements assessed the efficacy of teachers on ICT implementation.The mean score was 71.92 with a standard deviation of ± 12.088.The reliability analysis was conducted to determine the reliability of the scale and Cronbach’s Alpha score was.960.Our findings showed that majority(78.5%)of the teachers lack confident in the selection of an appropriate software to use in their teaching.Multiple regression analysis revealed a 0.005 significance effect on ICT implementation.With reference to specific objective 4,Regarding influence of teaching experience on ICT implementation majority(58.3%)of the participants agreed that experienced teachers do not want to accept and adapt to the changes.Also,56.6%did not agree that experienced teachers do not want to receive any training on ICT in order to increase their ICT competence.71.6%of the participants agreed that older teachers with more experience in teaching do not prefer to use ICT tools in teaching and learning.The mean score for teaching experience was 13.90 with a standard deviation ±3.161.The reliability test for the scale revealed a Cronbach’s Alpha score of.622.it was estimated that Teachers’ teaching experience caused 3.4%significant change in ICT implementation in Chuka University with teachers with 11-15 and over 20 years teaching experience having a decrease in ICT implementation by 0.21 and 0.40 point,while those with 16-20 years had 0.42 point increased in ICT implementation.The results from the last objective on teachers’professional qualification,revealed that the frequency analysis had 90.5%of the teachers who acknowledged that their professional qualification will definitely influence ICT implementation.Further,results showed that 18%change in ICT implementation was significantly caused by ICT qualification of teachers,either Teachers ICT professional qualification or frequency of workshop on ICT.The findings from this study suggest that ICT implementation in Chuka University is dependent on Teachers’ attitude,competency,self-efficacy,teaching experience and professional qualification on ICT,hence the findings would be useful by providing guidelines for university managers and administrators to evaluate teachers’ ICT implementation and teachers’ capacity.Also,this study provides a conceptual model that university teachers can apply to implement ICT in their instructions.Generally,the study provides valuable baseline information to stimulate investment in teachers’ capacities influencing ICT implementation to streamline university education by enhancing accessibility,quality,and efficiency.Further,the study recommends that university administrators support,prioritize,and sensitize teachers on the importance of ICT to teaching.The study developed a T-model to address university ICT implementation gaps to integrate teacher capacity,such as attitudes,self-efficacy,competencies,teaching experience,and professional qualifications,must be integrated and supported for effective ICT implementation. |
PDF Full Text Request