| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing utilization of information and
communications technology in secondary schools in Kitui Central District, Kitui County. The
objectives of the study were: to establish the influence of initial cost of ICT installation and
infrastructure on utilization of the ICT in secondary schools, to establish the influence of
teachers’ competency in ICT on its utilization in secondary schools and to establish the
influence of Principals’ ICT compliance/ICT supportive school management on utilization of
ICT in secondary schools. The researcher used a descriptive research design in this study. The
targeted population was 394 teachers within the 25 secondary schools in the District. Purposive
sampling followed by random sampling was used to select 110 teachers and 10 Principals from
the 10 purposively selected schools because mainly the study targeted schools that had used
some computers for either administrative or teaching and learning purposes. Therefore, the key
participants in the ICT developments were teachers and principals within the selected schools.
A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. To establish validity the questionnaire was
pretested by means of a pilot study. This was to ensure that there were no double-meanings or
ambiguities in the items. The feedback was used by the researcher to correct any anomalies. In
data collection process the questionnaire was personally administered by the researcher to the
selected teachers and head teachers. Each participant was given sometime around 20-30
minutes to fill in the questionnaire, and then requested to return it to her. Descriptive statistics
was used to analyze the data in which percentages and mean values were used. The findings
were presented in frequency distribution tables, with narrations of the results as well as
implications of the study findings given alongside the tables. The findings were that the initial
ICT installation cost had significantly and negatively influenced the ICT utilization in secondary
schools in Kitui Central District. The teachers’ ICT competency was needed for them to
effectively implement the utilization of the ICT in the secondary schools in the District and the
principals’ did not adequately comply with ICT neither did they support it, so the school
management negatively influenced the ICT utilization in secondary schools in Kitui Central
District.
This study recommends that there is need to alleviate the problem of high cost of computers.
There is also need for provision of adequate ICT support infrastructure. Teachers need to be
competent in utilization of ICT in teaching and learning as well as in the entire school
managerial operations and the teachers too need to change their negative attitude towards
utilization of ICT. | en |
