Perceptions And Experiences Of ICT Use Among Teachers In Malawi

Background:Growth of Information and Communication Technologies(ICT)has brought massive changes in a number of fields including education.Owing to this,there has been a need in educational institutions to use ICT for teaching and learning.Among the countries adopting the use of ICT in education is Malawi.Despite having a policy on ICT in education put in place as early as 2007,Malawi’s policy on educational technology has not been instrumental in the past years as revealed by lack of feedback from various research angles.The need to take an in-depth study on integrating ICT in secondary schools is rife and it surrounds the whole perception of teachers on integrating ICT as a tool in education systems.The setting of many schools,including Malawian secondary schools,reveal a lot of disparities ranging from individual teachers to the teaching environment at large.The individual differences among teachers are usually a result of background and academic levels.These variations bring differences in the way teachers perceive systems and use them for teaching in class.These differences include age,work experience,educational qualification,gender,and subjects they teach.In addition,there are differences in different schools based on infrastructure and location.These variations could be used as a yardstick in the integration of ICT as a new teaching and learning method.Aims:This study was organized to bridge that research gap that has been there since the introduction of ICT as a teaching tool in Malawian schools.The main objectives of this study was firstly to investigate how teachers perceive the incorporation of ICT in education and secondly,to assess individual variations among teachers that can influence their perception and thirdly,to explore the experiences of teachers in using ICT.Significance:this study will lay foundations for research with empirical evidence coming from a detailed study done in two phases.This study will link the knowledge gap that has existed since exist the introduction of ICT in schools.It will therefore bring recommendations in as far as policy formulation and curriculum review is involved.Methods:this study used a mixed methods design,specifically the sequential explanatory design which conducts the quantitative research first followed by the qualitative research.The study was conducted in Malawi’s northern region among 205 teachers.The quantitative study used questionnaire with 6 constructs measuring perception of teachers towards using ICT in teaching.The questionnaire had 25 items measured on a 7-point Likert scale measuring perceptive aspects in terms of:self-efficacy,computer anxiety,job relevance,subjective norm,perceived enjoyment and computer experience.The qualitative study used telephone interview and reached out to 12 other respondents.Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM(?)SPSS(?)version 23 Software.Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using t-tests and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze the variables and evaluate the extent of teachers’perception on using ICT.The Post hoc tests were done using Benferroni tests which helped to identify the differences within teachers and how they influence use of ICT.The variables used to test inter-teacher differences were based on demographic factors that included age,working experience,school location,gender,teaching subjects and educational qualification.Qualitative data used data transcribing and coding.Thematic analysis,using inductive and deductive methods was undertaken to complement on findings of the quantitative data.This study then used triangulation method to integrate both the quantitative and qualitative data.Results:Findings from this study indicated a mean score below the test value which means that teachers’ perceptions towards use of ICT are poor in all variables defining perception.The findings also indicated significant differences in terms of gender,qualifications,work experience,school location,age and teaching subjects among teachers that have influence over their perceptions on using ICT.Furthermore,the experiences of using ICT were explored and it showed a lot of negative experiences among most teachers as described in terms of priorities,costs and expertize.Discussion:Through the observations made in the findings,this study discussed widely in terms of the negative perceptions from teachers’ side,the need for an explicit curricula and finally,a consideration towards decentralized system of decision making.Conclusion:It has therefore been concluded in this study that both stakeholders,who are the government and the teachers must take a role in ensuring that the use of ICT is promoted in various schools across the country.For the government,there is need for policy review at national level,and for teachers there is need to change a mindset towards use of ICT and take their right role in promoting the use ICT in education.