Teachers’ Preparedness in Integrating Information and Communication Technology in Biology Classrooms in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Increasingly, aspects of teaching and learning are being mediated through information and communication technologies, both on and off campuses, partly driven by the changes in student characteristics. Thus the delivery of secondary education is changing both in perception and implementation. However, the rate at which technology is made use of in classroom instruction is still wanting. The specific objective of the study was to examine teachers' preparedness in integrating information and communication technology in teaching and learning of Biology in secondary school in Uasin Gishu County. Descriptive survey research design was used in the study. The target population for the study was 123 secondary schools. The study used stratified sampling to select a sample of 114 teachers. Structured questionnaire and interview schedule were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation) were used to analyse data.. From the results of the study, teachers were averagely prepared in terms of ICT knowledge skills but lacked experience. It was thus recommended that Biology teachers need to be trained of the value of ICT because many teachers tend to perceive themselves to be technologically incompetent. Moreover, there should be on-going support for Biology teachers so that they utilize their skills on information technology in the teaching process.