Information and communication technology adoption readiness and policy implementation in secondary schools in Mayuge district, Uganda.

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology adoption readiness (ICT AR) in the teaching and learning process is the phenomenon for the 21st century. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the level of CT AR influences the level of Information and Communication Technology policy implementation (ICTPI) in Secondary Schools in Mayuge District. The objectives included to determine the level of ICT adoption readiness, establish the level of ICT policy implementation and to find out the relationship between ICT adoption readiness and ICT policy implementation in Secondary Schools in Mayuge district. Using a Cross-Sectional Survey research design employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, a study population of 594 teachers, a proportionate sample of 232 teachers from both privately and government owned Secondary Schools, and 3 District Inspectors of Schools (DIS) purposively selected, participated in the study. A structured questionnaire having 56 items and interviews were the instruments use to collect data. A Content validity index (CVI) was computed as 0.883 /0.855. For reliability, a test to retest method was used and a Cronbach Alpha computed. A minimum Cronbach Alpha of 0.70 was used after pretesting and 0.896 after the whole data was collected. The results revealed a moderate overall level of CT AR (M = 42.19, SD = 10.10), a moderate overall level of ICT PI (M= 85.11, SD = 9.88) and a moderate positive significant relationship (r = 0.5, at 99% confidence interval) between ICTAR and TCTPI. In conclusion, these results implied that Secondary Schools are still at the early two stages of the domestication of ICT and lCT policy implementation. It was recommended that concerted effort be directed towards improving schools' ICTAR in order to improve ICT PI, by way of offering higher in-service and pre-service training of teachers for ICT, allocation of more budgets, allocation of support offices, designing appropriate instructional programs among key enablers.