Influence of Application of Information and Communication Technology on Performance of Public Primary Schools in Kenya: a Case of Kathiani Sub –County Machakos, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to determine the influence of application of ICT on the performance of public primary schools in Kathiani Sub County, Machakos County, Kenya. The specific objectives were: to determine the influence of application of Information Management Systems on performance of public primary schools; to establish how ICT incorporation in teaching influences performance of public primary schools; to determine the influence of incorporation of ICT in learning on performance of public primary schools; and to establish the influence of use of electronic communication on performance of public primary schools. The study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model and the ICT Impact Assessment Model. This study utilized a descriptive survey research design to collect information from 265 teachers and 21 head teachers and Sub County Education Officer who were selected using stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques respectively from a target population of 1 Sub County Education Officer; 71 heads teachers and 781 teachers. Self-administered questionnaires were used for purposes of collecting data from the teachers and key informant interviews used to collect data from the head teachers and the sub county education officer. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze quantitative data with the aid of the SPSS software. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. This study established that overall the independent variables significantly influence the dependent variable as they account for 78.2% variation in performance of public primary schools. Information Management Systems accounts for 51.0%; Incorporation of ICT in Teaching accounts for 40.2%; Incorporation of ICT in learning accounts for 61.7% & Electronic Communication accounts for 22.1%. Findings of the study showed that: Application of Information Management Systems enables the school administration to determine adequacy of the facilities, education materials and teachers in comparison to the number of students and plan accordingly; facilitates monitoring of students performance; enhances efficiency in allocation of teaching responsibilities; and accountability in utilization of funds. However, only 10% of the school had incorporated the financial information management systems which may affect accountability of funds. The study also found out that incorporation of ICT in teaching reduces monotony of conventional teaching approaches; facilitates teachers access to a wide variety teaching materials; reduces the time teachers have to develop teaching aids & scheme of works; and makes it easy for teacher to analyze students’ performance. However, only 14% of teachers in Kathiani used power point & video presentations in class; 13.9% used ICT tools for developing lessons plans & schemes of work; and only 43.0% of the teachers had advanced computer application skills. Incorporation of ICT in learning contributes to active participation of pupils in class, increases the probability of pupils grasping and remembering concepts; and enables students to access KCPE revision materials. However only 23.9% of the schools had conducted virtual classes, none of the schools had online library services and 47.7% of teachers observed that pupils used the internet to conduct academic research. The study further established that use of electronic communication enables the school administration to generate regular reports for communication; enhances efficiency in communication; and facilitates sharing of information on issues affecting pupils. Therefore this study recommends: The Kathiani Sub County Education office fast tracks the incorporation of the Financial Information Management Systems among all public primary schools; the Ministry of Education facilitates acquisition of the necessary ICT facilities and infrastructure and provide ICT training to teachers.