Instructors’ Patterns of ICT Use and the Associated Factors at a Public University in Ethiopia

Tadesse, Genene Abebe (2015) Instructors’ Patterns of ICT Use and the Associated Factors at a Public University in Ethiopia. PhD thesis, Addis Ababa University.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore instructors’ patterns of ICT use in the teachinglearning process and to examine what factors influence such patterns of ICT use. The study was conducted at one public higher education institution in Ethiopia. The study site was selected based on its relatively earlier adoption of ICT in the teaching-learning process. The theoretical framework that was used in this study was a composite of three theories: Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory, the model of teacher thought and action by Clark and Peterson, and the theory of reasoned action. Empirical evidences from previous studies were also used to guide this study. Exploratory research question, mixed methods research question, and confirmatory research question, which require the application of a mixed methods research approach, were addressed in this study. Semi-structured interview and observation were used to collect qualitative data. The Academic Vice President, Representative of the ICT Directorate Office and 14 instructors participated were interviewed. Questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. It was distributed to 300 randomly selected instructors. Out of these, responses from 230 instructors were used for analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the quantitative data. Five categories of instructors’ patterns of ICT use in the teaching-learning process emerged from this study: ICT as a course preparation tool, ICT as a presentation tool, ICT as an information-exchange tool, ICT as a collaboration tool, and ICT as a cognitive tool. The study also identified variables that influence instructors’ patterns of ICT use in the teaching-learning process. Six variables were found to have significant contribution to explain variance in instructors’ patterns of ICT use. These variables included instructors’ competence in ICT use, instructors’ age, instructors’ personal innovativeness in the domain of ICT, instructors’ pedagogical belief, instructorperceived nature of course, and instructor-perceived readiness of students to use ICT in their learning. Two major conclusions were drawn from this study: (1) Instructors’ patterns of ICT use in the teaching-learning process fall in a continuum between use of ICT as a course preparation tool and use of ICT as a cognitive tool; (2) Instructors’ patterns of ICT use can be predicted by their age, competence in ICT use, pedagogical belief, level of innovativeness in the domain of ICT, perception about nature of the course they teach in relation to ICT use, and perception about readiness of students to use ICT in their learning. This study has made three major contributions. One of the contributions of the study is the development of a model that helps to illustrate instructors’ patterns of ICT use in the teaching-learning process. The second is the development of a regression model that can be used for predicting instructor’s patterns of ICT use. The third contribution is the development of a model that explains variance in instructors’ patterns of ICT use.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Uncontrolled Keywords: ICT, Pattern of ICT use, ICT as a cognitive tool, personal innovativeness in the domain of ICT, Pedagogical belief
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2361 Curriculum
Divisions: Africana
Depositing User: Vincent Mpoza
Date Deposited: 22 Jun 2018 08:13
Last Modified: 22 Jun 2018 08:13
URI: http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/5560

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