Information And Communication Technologies Uptake Research Articles

Understanding Language Teachers’ ICT Uptake from Ecological Perspectives


 
 
 
 
 
 
 This paper summaries factors affecting teachers’ decision to use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in teaching modern languages. This paper tries to understand the teachers’ ICT uptake from ecological perspective discussing that teachers’ attitudes are influenced by environments in different levels (e.g. micro, meso, macro). In this paper, the environments refer to micro as teacher, meso as institution, and macro as beyond institution levels. Teacher levels define the aspects related to teachers’ psychological and demographic characteristics. Institutions levels describe the teachers’ decision from the influence of support and social circle in the institution. Beyond institution levels discuss the influence from wider environments such as government and public demand.
 
 
 

Assessing the potential of ICT to increase land and labour productivity in agriculture: Global and regional perspectives

AbstractIncreasing agricultural productivity in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is an important channel for reducing poverty and food insecurity. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to boost agricultural productivity by lowering transaction costs and enhancing access to information. Even though there are several micro‐level studies analysing the effects of ICT on agricultural productivity, there is scant research addressing the role of ICT in agricultural productivity at the global and regional levels. Using data from 86 countries for the period 2000 to 2019 and utilising a fixed effect panel regression with a feasible generalised least square approach, we find that globally there is a positive and significant association between ICT uptake and both land and labour productivity in agriculture. In each case, however, the magnitude of the effect is much smaller than other important determinants, such as human capital, access to inputs or environmental factors. At the regional level, the relationship between ICT uptake and land productivity is not significant in Africa and Asia, while we find a significant effect on labour productivity. This finding indicates that while ICT can provide valuable information and tools for land management, the effect on land productivity might be less immediate in these regions. Finally, we revisit the question of whether ICT expansion increases agricultural productivity gaps between high‐income nations and LMICs. In contrast to previous research, this study does not find significant differences in the effects of ICT on land and labour productivity between higher‐income and lower‐income countries.

Person, context and judgement: Exploring the potential of a theoretical model describing the role of information and communication technology in the doctoral research process

This paper presents an early exploration of the utility of a theoretical model of internal and external factors that influence and determine relationships between doctoral researchers and information and communication technologies (ICTs). We discuss feedback gathered from three iterations of a voluntary, online, open programme called 23 Things International to illustrate how the components of the model emerge through participants’ reported experiences of the programme; a key is understanding how context-dependent uptake of specific ICTs can be closely connected to whether participants can relate materials directly to their own situation. Although further investigation of the model is warranted, there are indications that it will be useful for guiding not only improvements to future iterations of 23 Things International, but also for designing, developing and implementing learning environments that meet the needs of participants from a variety of (doctoral research) settings. It will also help those responsible for providing such support to understand the varied responses doctoral researchers may have to professional development programmes and support. Implications for practice or policy The model provides insights into factors that influence and determine learner response to incorporating ICTs within doctoral research processes. Examples and discussion of learner responses to doctoral research ICT-focused professional development programmes are useful to course designers. Course design should enable learners to translate ideas into meaningful thinking and practice within their own research contexts. Improvement to the model's applicability requires systematic analysis of its components using a relevant test base (i.e., 23 Things International).

Examining the linkages between ICTs, economic development and the sustainable development goals: evidence based on the ICT4D value chain

Purpose Globally, information and communication technology (ICT) is regarded as a reliable tool that facilitates economic development and propels sustainable development. However, little empirical work exists on the specific effects of ICT access and usage on economic and sustainable development. This paper aims to investigate the nexus between ICTs, economic and sustainable development at the global level. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents ICT for Development (ICT4D) value chain empirical evidence on the linkages between ICTs, economic development and sustainable development goals (SDGs). The research model based on the capability approach is validated by using archival data from 130 global countries and partial least squares–structural equation modelling. Findings The findings reveal that ICT access and usage significantly influence a country’s attainment of the SDGs. Whilst ICT access plays a crucial role in promoting economic development, ICT usage does not. Also, findings show that economic development significantly mediated the nexus between ICT access and SDGs but not between ICT usage and SDGs. This calls for countries to ensure that access to ICTs is accompanied by a low cost of usage to achieve the full benefits of economic and sustainable development. Originality/value Using the ICT4D value chain, this paper empirically shows how ICT readiness and availability in the form of ICT access and ICT uptake (individual ICT use) promote economic development and SDGs (impact). Furthermore, with many studies conducted on SDGs at the country level, this study provides a broader understanding of the roles of ICT access and use on SDGs at the global level. This allows for easy generalisability and reproducibility of results.

Differential impact of ICT on MSMEs' productivity in Africa’s emerging market

The observed low level of information and communication technology (ICT) usage among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) firms in many African countries may serve as a major constraint to their productivity. The productivity of service and manufacturing firms is impacted differently due to this low uptake of ICT. This paper seeks to examine the differential effects of ICT on MSMEs’ productivity in emerging African economies, specifically Egypt and Nigeria. This study evaluates the effects of ICT on MSMEs’ productivity across different sectors (services and manufacturing), by size and aggregated. The estimated results support the positive impact of MSMEs’ website presence and use of email on their productivity, though the magnitude varies across different analyses and sectors. This appears to support the differential sectoral impacts of ICT on MSMEs’ productivity across countries in emerging markets. Specifically, this study finds evidence for a higher impact of firms’ website presence on productivity in the manufacturing sector than the services sector across emerging economies. The study, therefore, recommends that emerging markets economies that want to implement appropriate national technology policies to enhance their firms’ productivity should always consider their differential effects on various sectors, as universal ICT policies may not achieve the desired objectives.

Effects of ICT in Hotel Industry in South Africa

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in creating competitive advantage in selected hotels in Johannesburg.
 Methodology: Descriptive research design was adopted by the study while stratified random sampling was used to stratify the 104 respondents into 4 categories which included: Operations, reservations, Marketing and ICT managers. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data while descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
 Findings: The results showed that there was significant uptake of ICT in all categories of the hotels.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that organizational, environmental and technological innovation factors significantly influenced ICT uptake of Johannesburg Hotels.
 Recommendation: The study recommends engagement in online marketing and diversification of the types of online marketing in order to optimize on visibility, enhance marketing funnel and ultimately increase profitability.

Harnessing Information Communication Technology to Promote Healthcare Access by Women Living in Rural Areas : Opportunities and Challenges

In today’s world, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the driving force behind all economic, financial, technological and social developments. It is a tool that has reached and impacted individuals, organizations and nations globally. In the last couple of decades, ICT has revolutionized the medical field in a tremendous way. ICTs have impacted healthcare sector through sharing of public health information, diagnosis and treatment, facilitation of collaboration and cooperation among healthcare workers, remote consultation, effective health research, monitoring health incidences and improving overall efficiency of healthcare facilities. In this paper, desktop exploratory study was conducted to find out how ICT can be harnessed to promote healthcare access by women in rural areas considering associated opportunities and challenges. It looks at uptake of ICT in healthcare in developed countries versus developing nations. It concludes by outlining the opportunities and challenges associated with the application and use of ICTs by women living in rural areas.

ICT uptake and use and social connectedness in rural and remote communities: a study from Sarawak, Malaysia

ABSTRACT Lack of access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is a key determinant of disadvantage among rural and remote communities in the developed and developing world that can limit economic development and obstruct digital forms of social and political participation. In this paper, we discuss how the ability – or inability – to access ICTs affects everyday life in Indigenous communities in remote Sarawak, Malaysia. We focus on social connectedness and on the role of relationships and networks as motivating factors for ICT uptake, for enabling new livelihood strategies and in supporting the maintenance of social networks. The paper is based on data collected between 2015 and 2017 in 20 villages located in the north-east of the state. Methods of data collections included semi-structured interviews, group discussions and participant observations carried out during multiple visits to these villages over a two-year period.

Digital Irrigated Agriculture: Towards a Framework for Comprehensive Analysis of Decision Processes under Uncertainty

Several studies address the topic of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption in irrigated agriculture. Many of these studies testify on the growing importance of ICT in influencing the evolution of the sector, especially by bringing down information barriers. While the potentialities of such technologies are widely investigated and confirmed, there is still a gap in understanding and modeling decisions on ICT information implementation. This gap concerns, in particular, accounting for all the aspects of uncertainty which are mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the reliability of ICT and on the errors of ICT-information. Overall, such uncertainties might affect Decision Makers’ (DM’s) behavior and hamper ICT uptake. To support policy makers in the designing of uncertainty-management policies for the achievement of the benefits of a digital irrigated agriculture, we further investigated the topic of uncertainty modelling in ICT uptake decisions. To do so, we reviewed the economic literature on ambiguity, in the context of the wider literature on decision making under uncertainty in order to explore its potential for better modeling ICT uptake decisions. Findings from the discussed literature confirm the capabilities of this approach to yield a deeper understanding of decision processes when the reliability of ICT is unknown and provides better insights on how behavioral barriers to the achievement of potential ICT-benefits can be overcome. Policy implications to accompany the sector in the digitalization process include mainly: (a) defining new approaches for ICT-developers to tailor platforms to answer heterogeneous DMs’ needs; (b) establish uncertainty-management policies complementary to DM tools adoption.

ICT Uptake and Technology Linkages in Rural Africa

This report focuses on how quickly and creatively electronic communication is spreading and transforming rural areas in Africa and, particularly, two selected communities in Zambia as case studies. The report also shows ways in which communities are adapting information and communication technologies (ICTs). And this research is interested in studying how quickly electronic communication is spreading and transforming rural areas in Africa and, in particular, the Republic of Zambia. The impact of social networks is being used in dynamic, creative ways to not only spread business opportunities but to energize economies and society. They want to gather community and household information to understand the many ways communities are adapting these technologies. Their methods of adoption and adaptation of technologies do not resemble high-tech societies where governments support massive infrastructure projects. For example, highly creative uses of low-tech cell phones are energizing commerce and spawning new ways of building creative solutions, making African countries some of the fastest growing economies in the world today.

Factors Influencing Information and Communication Technology Use by Women Research Scientists in Universities of Agriculture in Nigeria

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a veritable tool for sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria. This paper analyzed the factors that influenced ICT use by women research scientists in the Universities of Agriculture in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 40 respondents per university from a population of 300 women research scientists across the three universities. This gave a total of 120 women scientists for the study. Data were generated using questionnaire and presented with descriptive statistics and Logit regression. Major findings show that the mean age of the respondents was 40 years 77% were married with mean household size of 4 persons, while a good number (46%) possessed MSc degree. The respondents spent between 1-4 hours in accessing ICT while, Global System of Mobile Communication (x = 3.49) and use of modem (x=3.27) were most preferred channels of ICTs used. Respondents’ educational level (0.190), primary assignment (0.151), year of working experience (0.097) and training on ICT (0.315) were significant and positively related to ICT uptake, at 1% level of probability. Respondents’ major challenges in accessing ICT were time (x =3.27), Network error (x= 3.08) and too many family problems (x= 3.08) respectively. The study recommends that researchers should restructure their work schedule to accommodate ICT practice and use in order to enhance ICT use.

Factors Influencing the Adoption of ICT by Teachers in Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become part of everyday life for the many people in business, entertainment, education and many other areas of human activity. Students in primary school are just beginning to learn and accept new ideas, show a maturing creativity, develop critical thinking and decision making skills. ICT enriches all these processes. In education, the successful integration of ICT into learning and teaching depends on teachers’ attitudes and their ability to use communication technologies, not just competently, but with skill and imagination. Experience is required with the medium, however, but ICT use in education has been largely ignored in Saudi Arabia. The study described here investigated the factors influencing the adoption of ICT as a teaching tool by teachers at Saudi Arabian primary schools. Analysis of the data showed computer literacy and confidence with technology registered a significant positive effect on the study, participants’ effort expectancy, which in turn positively influenced their behavioural intention to adopt ICT. On the other hand, Saudi culture, social conditions, system quality, and other obstacles discourage the uptake of ICT by primary school teachers. The findings of this study will assist the Saudi government to enhance the positive factors and eliminate or reduce the negative factors to ensure successful adoption of ICT in primary education by teachers.

The Adoption of e‐Commerce in the Lesotho Tourism Industry

AbstractOver the years, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been revolutionising global markets. In developed nations, for example, there has been a push for developing countries to adopt ICT as leverage towards improving their economic development. However, in the current era, ICT adoption has not been as widespread as anticipated in some parts of the world, with its use in developing countries especially, lagging behind. This is particularly so amongst the small, medium, micro‐enterprise (SMME) sector, important drivers of the economy in the developing world. SMMEs in developing countries have been hindered in the uptake of ICTs, largely due to underlying issues such as the high cost of ICT, inadequate and unreliable infrastructure, as well as lack of policy necessary to promote competition and growth within the ICT sectors.Amongst varying applications of ICTs, e‐commerce is one area in particular which SMMEs have been relatively reluctant to adopt. Presently, many African countries have already taken firm steps to address infrastructure and ICT access issues. However, improved access on its own will not result in economic growth. It is important, therefore, to also understand aspects of ICT adoption in developing countries. The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors affecting e‐commerce adoption in a typical developing country. Lesotho presented itself as an ideal case to investigate e‐commerce adoption amongst SMMEs, specifically within the Lesotho tourism industry. This study, then, provides a detailed explanation of the factors influencing e‐commerce uptake in the Lesotho tourism sector. In the extant literature, several studies and a number of generic models and frameworks on technology adoption offer a generalised understanding of technology adoption. None of these, however, provide a contextualised perspective prevalent to businesses in the typical developing country environment. Evidence for the study was collected using interviews with businesses. Data collected via interviews was used to examine the actual adoption issues amongst tourism SMMEs in Lesotho. In addition, where applicable, each organisation's online activities or websites was assessed. The study was premised on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model as its framework. The findings revealed that dimensions of the UTAUT model provided a sensible explanation regarding behavioural intention to adopt and use e‐commerce amongst tourism SMMEs within the Lesotho tourism sector. In addition, a new dimension in respect of adoption was identified, viz. national culture. In this regard, masculinity, type of business ownership, and orientation to online purchasing were found to be mitigating factors against e‐commerce adoption amongst SMMEs in the Lesotho tourism industry. Finally, an adapted UTAUT model is proposed for further study of e‐commerce adoption in a developing country context.

Information and Communication Technology, Well-Being, and Ethnicity.

The relationship between use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and well-being is an increasingly debated public health issue. Currently, there is limited understanding of how the ethnic digital divide influences this association. Thus, this study assessed how ethnicity has historically moderated relations between ICT (mobile phone, computer, and TV) uptake, and several well-being indicators: (a) long-term health (chronic illness), (b) cigarette smoking, and (c) self-perceptions of personal health. Archived data from a U.K. Office for National Statistics household survey 2007-2011 (97,697 participant records) were analyzed, controlling for multiple sociodemographic confounders. Mobile phone dependence was associated with poorer health perceptions in Caucasian women, but more favorable appraisals in ethnic minority females (OR = 0.51). Furthermore, mobile phone uptake was more strongly related to increased behavioral risk (cigarette smoking) in Caucasian men compared with ethnic minority males (OR = 1.68). Ethnicity did not influence relations between ICT uptake and long-term health. Overall, ethnicity was implicated in relations between mobile phone use and well-being indicators: unfavorable associations occurred primarily in Caucasians.

Ethnic differences in diabetes prevalence and ICT use.

Uptake of information and communication technology (ICT) by individuals with diabetes can assist nursing care delivery, and improve patient outcomes. However, it is unclear how such uptake relates to ethnic differences in diabetes risk. To assess the moderating effects of ICT uptake on South Asian excess diabetes prevalence over a specific elapsed timeframe, accounting for selected environmental, socio-economic, and behavioural risk factors. Archived data from a UK Office for National Statistics household survey 2006-2011 (120 621 partly non-orthogonal participant records) were analysed using hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses. ICT uptake qualified ethnic differences in diabetes prevalence. Non-smoking diabetes cases living in terraced housing with a home computer were more likely to be South Asian than Caucasian. By contrast, such cases were more likely to be Caucasian if a computer was unavailable (OR: 0.61; CI: 0.43-0.86; P=0.005). Furthermore, diabetes cases from low-income, mobile-dependent homes were probably South Asian (OR: 0.05; CI: 0.00-0.50; P=0.012). Home computing was linked to better tobacco control among South Asians with diabetes living in terraced properties. Mobile phone dependence was pronounced in those that received income support. Implications for nursing care are considered.

Technology mentors: enablers of ICT uptake in Australian small business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the innovative employment of students as technology mentors as part of a Blended Learning Program (BLP) that supported a group of owner-managers of small businesses to adopt appropriate information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance their work practices. Design/methodology/approach – This discussion uses various evaluations undertaken throughout the project to examine why the technology mentor role is vital in supporting small businesses to develop digital literacies. The participants’ self-reporting of their ICT skills as well as their progress in using ICT was also assessed by technology mentors in the course of the program and reported in mentor reflections. Academic staff also evaluated the performances of technology mentors in relation to each business. Findings – Participants in the BLP pilot program singled out the technology mentors as being essential in promoting their uptake of ICT and in their ability to use specific technologies at work. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based on a pilot program involving six learners and two technology mentors. While this is a statistically insignificant number of evaluations, both the findings and the model of the BLP remain of interest. This model has the capacity to address a long-standing and global challenge to support small businesses in the use of ICT. A scaled up version of the program is required to validate the findings. Practical implications – In the final evaluation, participants all self-assessed as having increased ICT knowledge and skills. They provided specific examples of how they now use ICT. The BLP could be taken up by local and state governments who periodically attempt to support small businesses in the uptake of technologies. The BLP could also be applied to vocational education students in business, information technologies or information systems. As well as supporting small businesses to adopt ICT, this model also provides an important alternative to resource-intensive work-placement programs that are designed to develop students’ employability skills through work-integrated learning. Originality/value – Less effective attempts to support small businesses often involve face-to-face training for unrealistic periods of time that foreground technology rather than real world, useful and relevant outcomes (IBSA, 2013). This BLP successfully supported owner operators of small businesses to identify, apply and evaluate a range of software applications (“apps”) and online programs to enhance their work practices.

Integrating eHealth in HIV/AIDS intervention programmes in South Africa

Background:With an estimated 12.2% of its population infected in 2012, South Africa has the highest percentage of people living with the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the world. Although the mortality rate of the epidemic is decreasing, it has adverse impacts on the socio-economic development status and human capital of South Africa.Objective: The key aim of this article is to explore the status quo of the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in selected intervention programmes in the South African HIV/AIDS care delivery value chain. The contribution of this article is the mapping of key intervention activities along an HIV care value chain and to suggest a roadmap towards the integration of ICTs in service delivery programmes.Method: 20 managers of HIV/AIDS intervention programmes were surveyed, followed by semi-structured in-depth interviews with these respondents. A further five in-depth interviews were conducted with experts in the ICT area for exploring the uses of and barriers to integrating ICTs in the HIV/AIDS care delivery value chain.Results: The researchers mapped the barriers to implementation and ICT tools utilised within the HIV/AIDS care delivery value chain, which proves to be a useful tool to explore the status quo of technology in such service delivery programmes. The researchers then considered the wider policy environment and provided a roadmap based on the analysis and the South Africa eHealth strategy for driving development in this sector.Conclusion: The authors found that South Africa’s eHealth environment is still nascent and that the South African eHealth strategy does not place enough emphasis on systems integration and stakeholder engagement or the planning and process of uptake of ICTs by target audiences.

A Holistic Approach for Managing School ICT Competence Profiles towards Supporting School ICT Uptake

Globally, large-scale national initiatives are being implemented towards promoting the level and quality of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) use in school education. However, despite these efforts, the current level of ICT uptake from schools remains low. A wide range of factors have been identified as barriers, including lack of teachers' ICT Competences and lack of ICT infrastructure. Typically, these barriers are tackled separately without taking into consideration the ecosystemic nature of schools as organizations. This paper introduces a holistic approach on School ICT Competence based on combining both individual teachers' ICT Competences and schools' eMaturity. Furthermore, it presents the design of a web-based School ICT Competence Management System which aims to capture and monitor schools' overall level of ICT uptake and facilitate effective management of resources and strategic planning towards improvement, by jointly processing these data.

Scenario Thinking Approach for Leveraging ICT to Support SMEs in the Indian Construction Industry

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a number of significant strategic and operational roles in the construction sector. However, studies have highlighted a series of challenges within this sector, from value-proposition aversion (regarding ICT expenditure), through to lack of aptitude (capability), and inability to ‘measure’ tangible outcomes (benefits) associated with ICT deployment. Given these issues, and also acknowledging the levels of nested fragmentation that exists in sectoral disciplines – especially within small to medium enterprises (SMEs); this paper presents a chronology of interrelated factors peculiar to the sector which has directly/indirectly engendered this slow (low) technology adopter positioning of these organisations. This paper argues that there is a need to break the status quo use of ICT by SMEs in the Indian construction industry, and a need to realise the benefits garnered in other sectors as a means of not only enhancing the existing business, but also creating new innovation opportunities (especially in the early adopter S curve). Using a scenario thinking approach, this research presents a framework which highlights the causal “deficits” associated with low ICT penetration in the sector. This framework also identifies the key forces that influence and impact upon ICT usage in the construction sector, especially the interplay of key pivotal forces (through the competing push-pull continuum). A series of different scenarios for ICT uptake, adoption and diffusion are envisioned. These were developed with the help of industry experts in order to embed relevance and establish priorities against tangible indicators. This framework presents a future state ICT vision for SME's, one which places direct emphasis on SMEs’ perspectives (operational and strategic) and their future business aspirations.

Enhancing the facilities management process through the application of building information modelling as a tool for managing the Irish public sector estates

The Irish Government manages estates faced with increased pressure on their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as poorly managed assets that leave it increasingly difficult for an effective facilities management (FM) process to be operated. In order for Ireland to realise a smarter and better-equipped public estate which can respond to increased staffing demands, it is critical that a new dimension of FM be explored. Such an avenue, as highlighted by Forfás — Ireland's policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation — can come in the form of information and communication technology (ICT), which can enable companies to remain competitive. One action proposed by Forfás is to work with industry organisations to drive increased adoption of ICT uptake such as building information modelling (BIM). The UK has begun to apply such a strategy, which has been evident from the development and partnership of the Government Soft Landings (GSL) policy and BIM. This paper will review the current state of the Irish FM sector and investigate how adopting a similar approach to the combined UK GSL policy and BIM implementation strategy could help to move the Irish Government towards a more enhanced estate. The data collation methodology adopted by the authors in this paper included the use of a questionnaire survey that was designed and distributed in collaboration with the Irish Facilities Property Management sector. It is hoped that the research findings will demonstrate the business case for the implementation of BIM and, in particular, the adoption of a similar soft landings policy in advancing the Irish FM sector.