ICT Usage Research Articles

How to Influence Privacy Behavior Using Cognitive Theory and Respective Determinant Factors

Several studies have shown that the traditional way of learning is not optimal when we aim to improve ICT users’ actual privacy behaviors. In this research, we present a literature review of the theories that are followed in other fields to modify human behavior. Our findings show that cognitive theory and the health belief model present optimistic results. Further, we examined various learning methods, and we concluded that experiential learning is advantageous compared to other methods. In this paper, we aggregate the privacy behavior determinant factors found in the literature and use cognitive theory to synthesize a theoretical framework. The proposed framework can be beneficial to educational policymakers and practitioners in institutions such as public and private schools and universities. Also, our framework provides a fertile ground for more research on experiential privacy learning and privacy behavior enhancement.

The digital divide: Greek primary teachers’ conceptualizations

The present paper aims to reveal teachers’ views on the digital divide. The research questions addressed teachers’ perceptions of the digital divide, the causes of the intra-social digital divide, and the consequences of digital competence. The method of participant selection adopted was purposive sampling. In total, 29 primary school teachers were selected, 10 male and 19 female of various age groups. The findings revealed that the teachers of the study conceptualize the digital divide in education through their own experience and their social representations, distinguishing the users of ICT regarding it (direct or indirect, non-users, and deniers of the digital divide), as well as the implications (positive and negative) it has on teaching practices and the teacher’s intrapersonal behavior. Intra-social factors (exogenous and endogenous), according to teachers, play a dynamic role in the formation of the digital divide.

Extent, levels and suitability of ICT usage for agricultural information dissemination in Uganda: A case of Rubanda, Mayuge districts, and Mbarara city

Extent, levels and suitability of ICT usage for agricultural information dissemination in Uganda: A case of Rubanda, Mayuge districts, and Mbarara city

THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE EDUCATION OF ASNAF STUDENTS: ISSUES AND TRENDS

Early computer technology in education was largely influenced by the theories of cognitivism and behaviourism, where technology was used to transfer information as if it were a stand-in for the teacher. This shows that students are given information through technology. It is the student's job to learn the information offered by the technology while they study the material provided by the teacher. Studies from across the world frequently discuss how Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) is used. The usage of ICT has been more prevalent over time at all educational levels, from the Asnaf student level to the higher level. The government has allocated such a large amount to cultivate the integration of ICT in preserving education. In connection with that, the primary education level should welcome a noble effort to realize the wishes of this government. In addition, educators should be aware of the latest issues and trends in the use of ICT in primary education to ensure that the handling and use of ICT in the context of primary teaching and learning becomes more effective. The issues and trends discussed in this report are the health and safety of students, infrastructure, competence of educators, the use of ICT as a teaching aid, medium of communication and collaboration with parents. Therefore, the cultivation of the use of ICT in primary education is also discussed and thought to be implemented as further studies.

Influence of Teacher Level of Training on the Implementation of CBC in Public Special Schools for Learners with Visual Impairment in Kitui County

The government of Kenya has put a lot of effort on provision of education for all irrespective of their abilities. Teachers as the key educational implementers have a great role in provision of education. With this regard, the purpose of this study is to assess the influence of teacher level of training on the implementation of CBC. This study was guided by curriculum implementation theory by Gross [23]. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and it targeted teachers, head-teachers and learners in special schools for learners with visual impairment in Kitui County. Purposive sampling method and simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A sample size of 210 respondents was used, among them 150 learners, 45 teachers and 15 head-teachers. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used for data collection. Focus group discussions was also conducted among the learners with visual impairment with an aim of gathering information on issues related to availability and usage of ICT, teaching methods used by teachers and also learners’ perception towards CBC. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis of quantitative data which included mean and standard deviation, results were presented in frequencies and percentages. Key findings of the study were; majority 44.2% of the teachers possessed a diploma in special need education, this revealed that teachers had attained the minimum professional qualification that is required for one to be employed at primary school level in Kenya. Majority 76.7% of teachers indicated that they had not attended any in-service training. Majority 63.33% of the teachers rated themselves as having sufficient ICT integration skills/training to implement CBC. Key conclusion of the study was that teacher related factors influence implementation of competency-based curriculum. Key recommendations were that the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and Teachers Service Commission should continue training teachers on ICT knowledge and skills that are very critical to implementation of the new curriculum.

Digital technology usage and entrepreneurship in Africa

In relation to actual digital usage, empirical research is limited on whether digital technology promotes entrepreneurial development in African economies. This study, therefore, investigates the impact of digital technology usage on entrepreneurship in selected African countries. This study contributes to the literature by using 20 selected African countries over the period of 2012–2016. Unlike existing studies, this paper differentiates between the impact of business, government and individual usage of digital technology by employing the 6th, 7th and 8th pillars of the Network Readiness Index. The study employs panel least square and instrumental variable (IV) estimating techniques and panel corrected standard errors (PCSEs) to analyze the data. The results show that digital technology usage has a positive and significant impact on entrepreneurship in Africa. Further analysis shows that individual usage and business usage have a positive and significant impact on business creation. Social media network usage has a positive and significant impact on entrepreneurial development. The study suggests that the growth of entrepreneurship can be enhanced through an ICT usage enabling environment. Individual usage and business usage including social media usage of digitalization are the main drivers of entrepreneurial development in the region.

A Study of ICT Awareness, Proficiency, and Usage among Post-Graduate (PG) Students

ICTs have now become a buzzword in teaching and learning. Historically, technology has been developed to solve problems, improve living standards and increase productivity. In the educational context, the objectives of ICT are to increase productivity and solve teaching-learning problems. Information and communication technologies play a major role in shaping the new global economy and producing rapid changes in society. The purpose of the study is to find out the awareness level of various ICT devices, proficiency of ICT devices, and the usage of various ICT devices by the PG students. This study was descriptive research that adopts the survey method. Here the researcher used simple random sampling to select 50 samples. To conduct the present investigation, the researcher utilized a self-made questionnaire to gather data, it includes 32 items that are divided into three major dimensions on the basis of the research objectives. The researcher used Mean, SD, and t-tests for the statistical analysis of data. After analysis of the data this study found that there is a significant difference between male and female, and no significant difference between urban and rural PG students in the awareness level of various ICT devices. The two groups of students, namely male and female, differ significantly; the other two groups, urban and rural, do not differ significantly in terms of their proficiency in various ICT devices. The study also found that four groups of students namely male, female and urban, rural differ significantly in terms of the usage of various ICT devices.

Digital competences of older women in Turkey: gender and ageing as double danger

ABSTRACT The Internet is a massive technological breakthrough in terms of interpersonal communication and social connectivity, facilitating citizenship practices of societies of modern life; yet its potential in the inclusion and empowerment of older adults is hampered by low levels of technology usage and often limited digital competences. Many older adults remain relatively distant from modern digital life, further isolated from society and daily public services. Older adults are considered disadvantaged, tend to live dependent upon others, and occasionally deprived of human and social capital. This divide has been more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for older women. Promoting specific actions to improve digital competences can contribute to digital inclusion, particularly for disadvantaged segments of society. This study presents findings from a field research conducted to determine the digital competence levels of older women living in southwest Turkey as part of a nationally funded project. Field notes and survey data collected from 377 older women revealed that digital competence may improve through education, that challenges included dependency, safety/fear, and stoicism, and that any support, social interaction, or training offered to older adults could help them to improve their digital competences and self-confidence for daily survival in the digital age, enabling more independent and self-sufficient living in their later years. Future directions include social connectedness and intergenerational interaction for digital competence, lifelong learning activities and training programmes on digital skills and ICT usage for older adults, and improved designs of digital products to prevent their exclusion from today’s technology-dominated society.

The Role of ICT Business Infrastructure in The Provision of Business Development Services to Tanzanian Small and Medium Enterprises

Purpose: The study intends to investigate the usage of ICT infrastructures in the provision of Business Development Services to SMEs in Tanzania. Specifically, the paper ascertains constraints to accessing ICT Business infrastructures by SMEs and proposes strategies for improving access.
 Design/Methodology/ Approach: The study used a mixed method approach, with purposive and simple random sampling, to recruit 28 entrepreneurs and two officials from TANTRADE and BRELA. To collect data, a Likert scale questionnaire with 32 statements was used, and the data was later analyzed using SPSS, where mean and standard deviation were obtained, as well as Cronbach Alpha for content validity.
 Findings: ICT has increased the value and nature of business operations by SMEs in Tanzania through an increase in the number of customers, increasing sales and reducing costs of operation among others. Also, factors limiting ICT usage have been identified to be, a lack of ICT skills by users, Lack of enough investment in ICT infrastructures by stakeholders and other reasons such as security concerns that entrepreneurs are not sure of their privacy and trust in the internet which was accompanied with high charges of the internet to users.
 Research Limitation: This study primarily focused on SMEs in Dar es Salaam's urban settings, specifically in the Ilala municipal council.
 Practical Implication: Improving SMEs' use of ICT will result in increased sales and profitability, as well as improved entrepreneur livelihoods and contributions to national development.
 Social Implication: The study recommends policy options for improving BDS-related constraints among SMEs, such as improving ICT infrastructure and improving ICT knowledge and skills among users, which will improve local and international business for SMEs.
 Originality / Value/ Novelty: Given that earlier studies on BDS did not offer comprehensive solutions for SMEs to access Business Development Services and Support, this study also contributes to more innovative and inclusive strategies for empowering urban SMEs. Despite the fact that some of these studies are quantitative, others have only focused on officially recognized businesses, leaving the vast majority of SMEs unattended.

ICT and Internet Usage among Kosovar Students: the Impact of Trends on Achievement in the PISA Scales

The current analysis aims to research the impact of ICT usage on students’ achievement in the 2018 PISA assessment. The Program for International student assessment, measures the achievement of 15-year-olds in mathematics, science and reading literacy across a large number of world economies. Kosovo has participated in the PISA assessment in 2015 for the first time and for the second time in 2018. The current study will look at the achievement of over 4000 Kosovar students in reading literacy, mathematics and science and analyze trends of ICT usage among students. More specifically the analysis focused on understanding trends of ICT and internet usage of Kosovar students, such as using computers for chatting, research information, reading literacy news, learning something new, and reading emails among others. Furthermore, the study explores gender differences in usage trends, to explore if gender plays a role in such trends. Finally, the study researches the impact on performance of gender, internet access and access to computers to complete homework. The result of the current analysis provides that access to internet and having access to computers at home links to higher achievement in all PISA scales. An additional finding of this study is that Kosovar students tend to use technology and internet mainly to chat with friends, and significantly less for reading emails, learning for something new or for doing homework. Female students reported lower internet presence compared to male students, but in the meantime were the ones who outperformed in the reading literacy and science scales, suggesting that higher online presence mainly for chatting hinders learning and achievement.

Information and communication technology in agriculture: awareness, readiness and adoption in the Kingdom of Bahrain

PurposeInformation and communication technologies (ICT)-presented technological developments, such as soil sensors, remote sensing, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, have shown the potential to increase crop output and quality while consuming fewer resources and having a smaller environmental impact. The first step in ushering in a new era of technological advancement in the agricultural sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain is evaluating how prepared farmers and farm owners are to adopt these technologies. Therefore, the current study examines how ICT are prepared, accepted and adopted in agriculture in the Kingdom of Bahrain.Design/methodology/approachThe study's goals were attained by using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A survey was created to learn more about the present state of ICT usage in agriculture, including its awareness, readiness, acceptance and adoption. To strengthen the conclusions and investigate the current situation related agricultural behavior, production and the use of information technology (IT) to support agriculture in the chosen farms, four exploratory field visits were made. Additionally, a strength-weakness-opportunities-threat (SWOT)-threat, opportunities, weakness, strength (TOWS) analysis was performed to evaluate the Kingdom of Bahrain's readiness and long-term plans for implementing ICT in agriculture. On the basis of secondary data, survey data and interview findings, SWOT-TOWS were created.FindingsThe findings revealed insufficient knowledge and awareness about ICT in agriculture. Despite the high level of digital infrastructure readiness in Bahrain, farmers are not ready to adopt sophisticated devices and complex applications such as crop sensing tools, the internet of things (IoT) and AI; however, there is a strong acceptance among farmers to implement new ideas and agriculture approaches.Originality/valueThe Arabian Gulf Countries, which are characterized by an arid environment, sporadic vegetation, weak soil and a lack of water supplies and arable land, have few studies that explore the crucial role of ICT in growing the agricultural sector. Considering the influence of ICT on the provision of more productive agriculture in a challenging and complicated environment, the study contributes to the body of knowledge by conducting an empirical investigation that addresses an urgent issue. The study is considered one of the few in the countries of the Arabian Gulf to address this subject.

The Impact of Digital Media Learning Apps on Students' Behaviors in Distance Learning During COVID-19 at the University of Jordan

The Corona pandemic created many challenges for all sectors. However, confronting these challenges was easy due to the availability of Information Communication Technology. ICT penetration and usage are largely facilitated especially, in the educational arenas are attaining several benefactions. In the current research, the researcher focused on the Microsoft Team application and the extent to which students accept the e-learning process through it. To achieve the research objectives, the experimental method was adopted by designing an electronic questionnaire distributed among n= 250 students from the College of Languages, University of Jordan. The researcher further executed Structural Equation Modelling for the data analysis and assessing the study model. The results revealed that usability, perceived ease of use, and usefulness, all are major factors that motivate students to use Microsoft Teams Application. As they widely depend on the Microsoft Teams application, it also helps them to continue their educational activities through digital means.

Challenges and Experiences of Pre-service Teachers in Teaching Internship during the New Normal

Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the Philippines were enjoined to implement the necessary modifications in the delivery of teaching internship given their context and available resources during the global Covid- 19 pandemic. Teaching internship courses were made experiential, using the different new normal learning modalities; developmental through coaching and mentoring, and aligned with the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) and Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs). This study aimed to determine the challenges and experienced encountered by the Apayao State College (ASC) pre- service teachers in their internship during the pandemic. The study made use of the mixed approach or combination of qualitative and quantitative approach of research. Results revealed that the mean age of the respondents is 24 years old and pre- dominantly female respondents. They were involved in the various activities of the schools during their internship. They had encountered challenges such as ICT integration, new modalities of teaching- learning, social interactions, internet connectivity and instructional material preparations. Furthermore, they identified positive learning experiences during their internship but encountered problems along ICT skills and usage, time management, skills of the students with new platforms and adjustment to no face-to-face classes during their teaching internship.

Usage of ICT among Social Educators—An Analysis of Current Practice in Spain

The objective of this study is to identify the usage of ICT tools among social educators within their professional activity. Technology among social educators is currently a very up-to-date topic. This is a professional group with its own characteristics that are different from those of teachers or other professionals in formal education. A mixed sequential two-phase method was proposed for the study: both quantitative and qualitative. In the first phase, the EdSocEval_V2 questionnaire was applied to a sample of 504 social educators from 17 autonomous communities. In the second phase, four focus groups were formed. The results presented reduced and basic usage of ICT: in management and administrative tasks and for communication with conventional tools. The COVID-19 pandemic has likewise increased the need for the use of ICT in socio-educational interventions, although their use for intervention among these groups is still very scarce. Training in and raising awareness of ICT among professionals for social interventions are priorities, as is the construction of a referential framework for professional training.

Predicting Preservice Science Teachers' TPACK through ICT usage.

Designing effective and efficient learning environments by integrating recent educational technologies into the teaching process has become an important goal of education for nearly two decades. However, earlier studies showed that a higher level of technology knowledge does not guarantee the development of TPACK. At this point, studies guided by the transformative approach defining TPACK as a unique knowledge revealed encouraging results for a better understanding of technology-integrated instruction. This study aims to investigate to what extent ICT usage categories predict preservice science teachers' TPACK. Totally 326 preservice science teachers with a mean age of 21.62 (SD = 1.41) from seven different universities participated. For that purpose, a correlational study was conducted. The ICT-TPACK-Science Scale and the ICT Usage Questionnaire were used to collect data. Six separate multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict TPACK measures using ICT measures. Results indicated that approximately a third of the variability in total-TPACK scores can be accounted for by three ICT measures. The relative importance of individual predictors is arranged in the following order desktop software, emerging ICTs, and hardware. As for the dimensions of the ICT-TPACK-Science Scale, the overall effect of the ICT predictors decreased in the following order: Designing, implementing, planning, proficiency, and ethics. Emerging ICTs made the highest contribution to the designing and proficiency dimensions; while desktop software made the highest contribution to the implementing, planning, and ethics dimensions. To sum up, this study describes the association between ICT usage and TPACK in the view of the transformative ICT-TPACK-Science framework. The utilization and transformation of ICT tools as a cognitive partner for effective and efficient science teaching in different TPACK dimensions needs further investigation.

Information and Communication Technology towards Improving Teaching and Learning Process in Selected Hai District Secondary Schools

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usage of ICT towards improving the teaching and learning process in selected secondary schools in Hai District. The study established the extent to which teachers and students are endowed with skills in ICT use in enhancing teaching and learning process. Descriptive survey research design was employed in the study applying primary data drawn from a sample of 128 respondents. The findings revealed that majority of teachers have basic ICT skills or training in ICT, although the ICT knowledge is not necessarily linked to teaching and learning process. Moreover, majority of sampled teachers were confident in word processing, although not confident in other aspects such as creating and designing presentations that could have assisted in improving the teaching and learning process. Although majority of school heads had enough working experience, most of them had not attended in-service training in ICT. On the other hand, most students have demonstrated little experience on the use of computers and other ICT facilities. Furthermore, the findings revealed that majority of the respondents particularly students had little access to computers. The study recommends action from the education authorities to consider providing more pedagogical training to teachers in the area of ICT skills. It is envisaged that the integration of ICT will improve the teaching and learning process in schools. The study also recommends for the action from the education authorities to invest in providing and maintaining maximum and appropriate ICT facilities in schools to enable sustainable use of ICT in the teaching and learning process.

Positioning Technostress in the JD-R Model Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review.

This paper aims to describe the effects of Technostress on employees' well-being and productivity. We adopted the Job Demands Resources Model as a theoretical framework to analyze the "Technostress" phenomenon in order to clarify whether and how technology can be considered a job demand, a job resource, or part of the effects of personal resources in the workplace. The sources search and selection process was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and regarded papers published from 2010 to 2022. Overall, the findings show that most selected papers consider ICT a job demand negatively affecting human behavior, thoughts, and attitudes. In contrast, some report that ICT acts as a job resource, thus reducing the impact of job demands and their physiological and psychological costs. Finally, a third category of studies does not consider the effects of ICT itself but gives more space to the interaction among ICT, the organizational context in which it is used, and the personal characteristics of ICT users. More specifically, the findings show how individual features and organizational procedures can shape the interpretations employees make about their ICT-related experiences at work and, consequently, their performance or well-being. Findings suggest that when ICT tools are strategically planned and used within organizations, they can enrich the employee experience at work, positively affecting the individual and the organizational level.

Usage of ICT in relation to self-efficacy among secondary school teachers

One of the most striking features of ICTs is their ability to transcend time and space. With the gradual rise of internet, a profusion of learning resources on virtually any topic and in a variety of mediums may now be accessed by an infinite number of individuals from anywhere and at any time of the day. This is especially important for many secondary schools in underdeveloped nations, where library resources are scarce and obsolete. The present study was undertaken to explore the Usage of ICT in relation to Self-Efficacy among secondary school teachers. The investigator collected data from 76 teachers of private and 45 teachers teaching in government secondary schools of Varanasi. Two sets of questionnaires consisting of usage of ICT and self-efficacy based on the Five-point Likert Scale were used to collect data from the secondary school teachers in Varanasi. Percentage analysis was used to explore the levels of self-efficacy and ICT usage among secondary school teachers. Furthermore, product-moment correlation and t-test were employed to find out the relationship and significant differences between ICT usage and self-efficacy between private and government secondary school teachers of Varanasi city. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of secondary school teachers came under the category of average level of ICT usage and Self-Efficacy. The study also revealed that there was a significant relationship between high and average levels of ICT usage and the self-efficacy of secondary school teachers. The study also revealed that there was a significant difference in the ICT usage and self-efficacy of government and private secondary school teachers.

Extending unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to understand the acceptance of digital textbook for elementary School in Indonesia

The rapid development of technology has led to the change of textbooks from printed to digital forms accessible by students irrespective of their location, thereby improving their overall academic performance. This change is appropriate to the sustainable learning program, where digital textbooks support online learning and students can access material from anywhere and at any time. This research aims to analyze the factors affecting the intention of elementary school teachers to use digital textbooks. Quantitative data were collected and measured from 493 elementary school teachers in Riau, Indonesia, and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that performance expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), Perceived learning opportunities (PLO), Self-efficacy (SE), and Facilitating Condition (FC) positively affected teachers’ intention to use digital textbooks. SI was found to be the factor with the greatest effect on BI. However, attitude, affective need (AN), ICT usage habits, gender, age, and education level did not affect teachers’ intention to use digital textbooks. This research provides important information for the government, decision-makers, and schools on using digital textbooks at the elementary level in the future.

Application of smart visualisation in the analysis of Hungarian Agriculture ICT

Agriculture has a certain specialty in information technology, and the application of new ICT technologies is inevitable. First, we discuss the idea behind data, concepts such as data storytelling, types and proper use of visualisation. There are several well-known visualisation types, but we would like to point out some AI (Artificial Intelligence) based ones (decomposition tree, treemap, Q&A). Our institute has prepared a survey to investigate ICT usage and attitudes of companies in the agri-food sector. The importance of business processes that can be supported by ICT had to be evaluated by the companies. In this study, we evaluated the importance of some ICT indicators. To ensure the use of the mentioned intelligent visualisation, we present some examples from our institute's questionnaire on ICT use in agriculture. We found the smart visualisation usable and the idea of smart dashboards seems to be usable in practice.