ICT Infrastructure, ICT Competencies, and Teachers’ Workload: Critical Factors that Influence Social Studies Teachers’ Integration of Technology in the Kwahu West Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence basic school social studies teachers’ integration of technology in the teaching of Social Studies in schools within the Kwahu-West Municipality of Ghana. The study sought to address the following objectives: To what extent do ICT infrastructure, teachers’ ICT competence and work load influence basic school social studies teachers’ integration of technology in their lessons in the Kwahu-West Municipality of Ghana? The study was a descriptive survey.  Proportional simple random technique was employed in selecting sample size of eighty-one (81) Junior High School social studies from 46 public basic schools within the Kwahu West Municipality of Ghana. The data for the study was collected using questionnaires to solicit responds from the teachers. A Cronbach Alpha value of .860 was obtained for the reliability of the items on the questionnaires. The data of the study was analyzed using Multiple Regression Analysis which established Rsquare (R²) value of 0.7090 at 0.05 alpha level of significance.  From the analysis, it was established that basic school teachers’ integration of technology in their social studies lessons were heavily influenced by  the ICT infrastructure of their school, their ICT competence and  their workloads in terms of number of periods they handled a week and other co-curriculum activities they have been asked to engage in. It was recommended that Government through Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders should ensure the provision of art-of-craft ICT infrastructure in basic schools within the municipality coupled with organization of regular in-service programs for teachers to upgrade their knowledge on technology integration.

Keywords: Basic School, Kwahu West, Technology, Workload, Social Studies, Integration.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-14-08

Publication date:May 31^st 2020