The Extent Of Ict Integration In Public Secondary School Management And The Stakeholders’ Perception On The Usefulness Of The Technology In Nairobi County Kenya

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of ICT integration in school management and the perceptions of teachers on its usefulness. It focused also on the level of foundation skills and training of school managers on ICT usage for management. The study also sought to study the perceptions of teachers and school principals on the usefulness of ICT to school management. The study focused on public secondary schools in Westlands sub-county, Nairobi. The total target population was 347 teachers and 7225 students while the samples size was 42 teachers, 114 teachers and 10 principals from the 10 schools. The use of Information Communication Technology (ICTs) in most setups in the contemporary society is critical. ICT has changed both technological and social interactions due to increased availability of information. The world continues to revolve around technology; teachers and school administrators need to continue incorporating these new technologies into the management of their institutions. The Government of Kenya planned to equip all secondary schools in Kenya with IT infrastructure in 2015. The huge government investments in ICT should achieve its objectives in education and school management. The objectives of this study were: to determine the extent of ICT use in management of secondary education, to identify the technology that managers access, to determine factors influencing the integration of ICT in school management, to establish the level of foundation skills and training of teachers and school managers on ICT usage, and to find out the perceptions of teachers and principals on the usefulness of ICT to school management Westlands Sub-County in Nairobi. The study focused on the Theory of Diffusion and Innovation by DeGross (2008) which has four components; Communication, time, innovation and social system. This study used a descriptive research design which incorporated both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Respondents included teachers, principals and students from public secondary schools in Westlands Sub-County, Nairobi, who were selected using stratified and purposive sampling technique. Further, this study used questionnaires, interviews and observation schedules in the collection of primary data. The resulting data analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Quantitative data were presented in tables and figures while qualitative data were presented in form of narratives and themes. The study found that ICT was not extensively used in management of the schools. The study further established that secondary schools in Westlands mostly concentrated on using ICT in teaching and learning and not management. This shows that there is still a lot to be done on the integration of ICT in school management. The study concluded that ICT was not highly upheld in public secondary school management. The study further concluded that the principals had not been keen in implementing use of ICT in management and this has slowed down the process. The study recommends that the stakeholders in secondary schools should embrace use of ICT not only in teaching and learning but also in management. Further, the study recommends for change of attitude of the principals who are the key decision makers on the implementation of ICT. The teachers should also stand supportive to principals to enhance ICT use in secondary school management for efficiency and effective control. Further studies should be done in other parts of the country so as to enhance countrywide integration of ICT in schools.