E-Learning Readiness in Public Secondary Schools, Tharaka-Nithi County: The Effect of ICT Infrastructure Costs and Availability of Skilled ICT Personnel

Moses Murithi  Ndwiga; J. K.  Too; M.  Kyalo

doi:10.69897/kh3s7778

Original Articles

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2022)

E-Learning Readiness in Public Secondary Schools, Tharaka-Nithi County: The Effect of ICT Infrastructure Costs and Availability of Skilled ICT Personnel

Moses Murithi Ndwiga ^▸^▾
J. K. Too^▸^▾
M. Kyalo ^▸^▾

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Published: 2022-04-18

Abstract

The adoption of e-learning in public secondary schools is a critical aspect of modernizing education and enhancing learning outcomes. Despite significant government investments aimed at integrating ICT in education, many schools still face challenges in adopting e-learning. This study investigates the role of ICT infrastructure costs and the availability of skilled ICT personnel in determining the e-learning readiness of public secondary schools Meru South Sub-County, Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. This study is guided by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, developed by Everett Rogers in 1962. The study employed a descriptive research design and gathers data from 22 schools in the county, with a total of 154 respondents. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the schools while simple random sampling was used to select the respondents. The data was collected using structured questionnaire which was first piloted to determine its validity and reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analysed the data. The study found a significant relationship between the cost of ICT infrastructure and the readiness of public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County to adopt e-learning (χ² = 16.692, df = 4, p < 0.05, Exp (B) = 70.266) indicating that high ICT infrastructure costs are a major barrier to e-learning adoption. Further, results indicated a significant relationship between the availability of trained ICT personnel and the readiness of schools in Meru County to adopt e-learning (χ² = 18.514, df = 4, p < 0.05). The study concluded that both the high cost of ICT infrastructure and the availability of trained ICT personnel are significant factors affecting the readiness of schools in Tharaka-Nithi and Meru Counties to adopt e-learning. The paper offers recommendations for addressing these challenges in schools

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Keywords

ICT
E-learning
school
infrastructure
Skilled ICT personnel

How to Cite

Ndwiga , M.M. , Too, .J.K. and Kyalo , M. (trans.) (2022) “E-Learning Readiness in Public Secondary Schools, Tharaka-Nithi County: The Effect of ICT Infrastructure Costs and Availability of Skilled ICT Personnel”, International Journal of Education, Science and Social Sciences, 1(1), pp. 17–29. doi:10.69897/kh3s7778.

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[1] Bajunid, I. A. (2019). National policies, education reforms, and leadership training and development: towards building a critical force of scholar leaders in Malaysia. Perspectives on School Leadership in Asia Pacific Contexts, 149-170.

[2] Bandyopadhyay, S., Bardhan, A., Dey, P., Bhattacharyya, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Bardhan, A., ... & Bhattacharyya, S. (2021). Emergence of Social Technologies: Social Meets E-Learning. Bridging the Education Divide Using Social Technologies: Explorations in Rural India, 101-132.

[3] Belanger, F., & Jordan, D. H. (Eds.). (1999). Evaluation and Implementation of Distance Learning: Technologies, Tools and Techniques: Technologies, Tools and Techniques. Igi Global.

[4] Bonk, C. (2016). Keynote: What is the state of e-learning? Reflections on 30 ways learning is changing. Journal of Open, Flexible, and Distance Learning, 20(2), 6-20.

[5] Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. WW Norton & company.

[6] Byambaa, T., Janes, C., Takaro, T., & Corbett, K. (2015). Putting health impact assessment into practice through the lenses of diffusion of innovations theory: a review. Environment, development and sustainability, 17, 23-40.

[7] Chau, Y. K. (2018). What predicts workplace self-paced e-learning outcomes?: an exploratory study of motivation, self-regulated learning characteristics, and organisational contextual factors (Doctoral dissertation, University of

[8] Nottingham).

[9] Chen, Y. C. M. (2005). A survey of state policies for online teacher certification courses and programs. Washington State University.

[10] Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. Societies, 10(4), 86.

[11] García-Avilés, J. A. (2020). Diffusion of innovation. The international Encyclopedia of media psychology, 1(8).

[12] Kyambi, F. D. (2019). Effect of pupil-teacher ratio on curriculum implementation practices in public primary schools in

[13] Mwingi north sub-county, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation).

[14] Maloba, J. O. (2019). A comparative study of availability of e-learning resources and pupils’ performance in selected primary schools in Kisumu central and Muhoroni sub Counties, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, Egerton University).

[15] Means, B., Bakia, M., & Murphy, R. (2014). Learning online: What research tells us about whether, when and how. Routledge.

[16] Miller, R. L. (2015). Rogers' innovation diffusion theory (1962, 1995). In Information seeking behavior and technology adoption: Theories and trends (pp. 261-274). IGI Global.

[17] Mothibi, G. (2015). A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between E-Learning and Students' Academic Achievement in Higher Education. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(9), 6-9.

[18] Moubayed, A., Injadat, M., Nassif, A. B., Lutfiyya, H., & Shami, A. (2018). E-learning: Challenges and research opportunities using machine learning & data analytics. IEEE Access, 6, 39117-39138.

[19] Ngugi, M. K. (2015). Development Communication in Education: an Analysis of Elearning in Selected Schools in Nairobi County (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).

[20] Nyamai, P. K. (2015). Views on environmental and classroom factors affecting adoption of information and communication technology in schools: the case of the laptop project in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).

[21] Rafi, M., JianMing, Z., & Ahmad, K. (2019). Technology integration for students’ information and digital literacy education in academic libraries. Information Discovery and Delivery, 47(4), 203-217.

[22] Roszak, M., Kołodziejczak, B., Kowalewski, W., & Ren-Kurc, A. (2016). Implementation of e-learning portal for academic education and lifelong learning. International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life Long Learning,

[23] (2), 135-152.

[24] Serdyukov, P. (2015). Does online education need a special pedagogy?. Journal of computing and information technology, 23(1), 61-74.

[25] Shiels, E. M. (2018). Implementation of emergency preparedness in long term care and Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory.

[26] Shirey, M. R. (2013). Building scholarly writing capacity in the doctor of nursing practice program. Journal of Professional Nursing, 29(3), 137-147.

[27] Xu, D., Huang, W. W., Wang, H., & Heales, J. (2014). Enhancing e-learning effectiveness using an intelligent agent-supported personalized virtual learning environment: An empirical investigation. Information & Management, 51(4), 430-440.