Assessing e-learning readiness of primary school teachers in Kenya for the use of tablets for teaching: a case of Kalawa primary school

Abstract

ICT has in recent years acted as a pillar for quality, effectiveness and success in the education sector. This study report examines e-learning readiness with use of tablets in primary schools and the implications of its adoption. The Government of Kenya is in the process of integrating ICT into the education curriculum in public primary schools countrywide through a government initiative causing the country to be an e-society as envisioned in Kenya Vision 2030. This programme will thrive only when teachers are ready to implement the change and pass what they learn through their training to the students. Most often, evaluators tend to blame teachers for the failure of ICT integration in education thus teachers end up being resistant. Effective use of tablets by teachers, teacher training on use of tablets, motivation to use tablets, integration of curriculum in the tablets, sustainability of tablet use, usefulness of tablets and ease of use of tablets were the variables used to measure e-learning readiness of teachers. This study incorporated inductive approach that seeks to move from a specific set to the broader set. Data was collected using questionnaires and FGDs. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, Kruskal Wallis test and one way chi-square test. Findings show that all the independent variables employed in this study have a strong significance to e-learning readiness though some have a higher significance than others. The study concludes that some more factors may be incorporated to help achieve higher levels of e-learning readiness in the future.