Exploring Teachers’ Propensity for Technology Adoption in Business Education

Abstract

In many developing nations of the world, competence in information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a key enabling factor for both personal and national advancement and progress. A major challenge facing such countries is the need to overcome overt and hidden obstacles to technology adoption. School teachers are regarded as the essential drivers of ICT. This article reports on a quantitative study that investigated Business Education teachers' propensities for technology adoption among a random sample of 204 Business Educa tion teachers in the Ethekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Questionnaires were issued to these teachers to ascertain their responses to statements that linked closely to the constructs used in the study, which were extracted from technology adoption theories/models. The findings indicated that the teachers were quite positi ve towards the perceived usefulness and relative advantages of computers, were motivated and felt that they cou ld use computers with ease. However, they were not confident that the necessary conditions existed to facilitate their use of computers in teaching and learning. Unless the Department of Education takes cognizance of teachers' propensity for technology adoption and the factors that seem to be hindering ICT integration, the vision and goals of the White Paper on E-Education may not become a reality in schools in KwaZulu-Natal.