The influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on efficiency of secondary school teachers in Kampala District

Abstract

This study evaluated the influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on efficiency of secondary school teachers in Kampala District. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the influence of accessibility, availability and user-ability of ICT facilities on the efficiency of secondary school teachers in Kampala District with a view of getting ways of raising the efficiency and effectiveness of the teachers in Kampala. The study was guided by three research questions. These sought to find out the different information and communication technology facilities used in different schools, how teachers were using these ICT facilities in teaching and the protocol teachers go through to access the ICT materials and tools. In this study it was hypothesized that availability, accessibility and userability of ICTs has a positive effect on teacher’s lesson preparation, content delivery and student assessment. Data was collected from a sample of 160 teachers using questionnaires and interviews in which opinions of school administrators and teachers were sought. Inferential statistics were computed using Pearson’s correlation co-efficient to show the relationship between availability, accessibility and user-ability of ICT and teacher efficiency. The study found out that effective use of ICT enhances efficiency and effectiveness of teachers. It was also found out that the use of internet and other ICT based educational resources enriches teaching materials. The study thus concluded that effective use of ICT coupled with continuous refresher courses for teachers would improve content delivery, fasten syllabi coverage as well as easing student assessment which would lead to greater academic achievement. It was also concluded that access to ICT resources have enabled teachers to use them in improving their efficiency in terms of computation of student mark, grades and computerization of student progressive reports. It was recommended that teachers in the training institutions be imbued with the skills and abilities of ICT literacy and sensibilities so that the knowledge and attitude acquired will cascade onto the learners that they come in contact with in the classrooms when they begin to practice.