Technology integration and the digital divide : understanding factors that impact on educators' ability to integrate technology in South African classrooms
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) investment in education is growing \nsteadily in many countries, yet ICT adoption and integration in teaching is still in its \ninfancy. In particular, in South Africa, only 26% of educators have basic ICT skills. This \nalarming statistic means that educators are ill positioned to impart digital skills to their \nlearners. Consequently, failure to address these challenges may result in the widening \nof the digital divide in South Africa, with an inability to work in the knowledge economy. \nThus, the purpose of this research was to explore the nature and extent of technology \nintegration in South African classrooms, from the perspective of educators. In particular, \nthe study examined five factors. These were educators' attitudes towards ICT; their \ndigital capabilities (knowledge and skills); the extent to which they had been formally \ntrained in ICT, what digital resources they had at their disposal, as well as what type of \ninstitution type they worked in, in order to determine if institution impacts on ICT adoption. \nUsing a combination of explanatory and causal research design, data was collected from \n66 educators using an online survey. Due to the nature of the data collection instrument, \nthe participant profile was that of well-resourced educators (in terms of digital resources) \nworking mostly in private high schools. Thus, findings are confined to this group. \nIt was established that the participants had positive attitudes towards technology, and its \nuse in the classroom. In particular, positive educator attitudes and access to ICT \nresources promoted the adoption of ICT in the classroom. However, limitations in terms \nof the range of respondents meant that no statistically significant relationship could be \nfound between institution type and ICT adoption, although the descriptive statistics \nindicated that this could well be so. However, training and professional development \nwere severely lacking and so this is the greatest barrier to the integration of technology \ninto the classroom. In particular, most educators were self-taught in terms of ICT and, \nthus, displayed only a surface level of competence, with basic skills in place but \nadvanced skills absent. These findings illuminated the need to intensify efforts to provide \ntraining to develop digital skills for educators. Active engagement of educators is at the \nepicentre of addressing the demands of the digital native learner. \nKeywords: Digital divide; Digital natives; Educators; Information and Communication \nTechnology (ICT); Teacher training; Technology Integration
Author: Thubelihlelenkululeko Mashile
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2613048088