The administrative staff of the College of Education in Lesotho who allowed me to conduct this study at their place and the college lecturers who participated in this study. To my mothers, 'Malinkeng Mofephe and 'Matsetsana Khobotlo for remembering me in their prayers when I was stuck in the middle of this study.
LIST OF TABLES
Information Systems Information Technologies Millennium Development Goals Ministry of Education and Training National Curriculum Development Center New Partnership for African Development National University of Lesotho.
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
Preface to the study
- Introduction
- Background and Rationale
- The College of Education in Lesotho (CEL)
- Motivation of the study
- The statement of the problem
- The importance of the study
- The scope of the study
- The research questions
- The structure of the study
- Conclusion
Although the college is currently autonomous, it still adopts the principles of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) whose mission is to 'Develop and implement policies that ensure the acquisition of functional literacy among all Basotho and the development of productive, quality human resources. base with education and training" (Kingdom of Lesotho, 2001). The scope of the study deals with the research site and focus which is the research of ICT integration.
CHAPTER TWO
Introduction
Concepts used in this study
- Teaching and learning
According to Kolb (1984) and Zhenhui (2001), teaching and learning is knowledge by acquaintance, where teachers/teachers through direct experience use teaching and learning resources to help students of different learning styles acquire knowledge.
Doing
Doing (Hands-on activist learners)
Kolb (1984) refers to 'doing' in teaching and learning as knowledge through cognition which he believes occurs through direct experience where teachers and students use resources. ICT-related activities used in this teaching and learning style are web-based survey research, online learning, online role-playing, and wikibook projects (Bonk & Zhang, 2008).
Reading (Verbal and auditory learners)
Information and Communication Technology (lCT)
The term is somewhat more general in the phrase used to describe a range of technologies for the collection, storage, retrieval, processing, analysis and transmission of information (Mammo, 2006). In relation to the definitions given above; one would think that the concept of ICT could be defined differently in different contexts where it is used as an essential tool for service delivery.
ICT literacy
Information and Communication Technology Integration
Moore and Brown (2005) encourage lCT integration and argue that it can be used successfully in an inclusive education classroom. Today, reading and reading instruction are more broadly conceived concepts of literacy that can be accessed through lCT integration (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Commack, 2004).
Communication skills are acquired, where students can communicate with each other through chat rooms and discussion forums. Benzing and Christ (1997) argue that ICT does not have much impact on educators and the methods they use in the education system.
The role of Educators in leT Integration
This argument is also reflected in the writings of Roblyer, Edwards and Havriluk (2004) and Govender (2006), who argue that teachers' perceptions of the use of technology to improve existing educational practices tend to determine the extent and effectiveness of ICT integration in the classroom. Teachers' intentions regarding the integration of ICT in teaching and learning do not end only in the classroom.
The Adoption and Integration of leT in Higher Education
Some of the activities where ICTs are integrated into teaching are not popular, and in most cases are used by very competent lecturers. These activities are used by lecturers to design multimodal material (integration of text, image and audio).
The Impacts of Using leT in Higher Education
- Learning styles
- Interaction
- Learning resources
- Institutional factors
Maguire (2005) argues that the pragmatic motivation for the adoption and integration of ICT includes the desire of academics to respond to students' needs for greater access, flexibility and convenience in using ICT for their learning purposes. Academics' perception of technology influences their decision to use ICT in education (Moser, 2007).
Barriers to leT integration
- First-order barriers
- Second order barriers
- Other leT integration barriers
According to Lim and Khine (2006), second-order barriers cause more problems than first-order barriers. The examples of second-order barriers include educators' lack of belief that ICT promotes the learning process.
Managing leT integration barriers
ICT that responds to the vision and mission of the organization, developing a systematic method for efficient use, lack of adequate management of information resources and appreciating the critical phases in the implementation of information systems are some of the fundamental barriers that hinder the integration process to obstruct. Lim and Khine (2006) argue that there should be a number of established strategies that should be used as solution management for most, if not all, barriers to ICT integration.
- leT integration in the Korean Ministry of Education
- leT Integration in German Education
Although ICT integration in Germany is progressing, von Hellens, Clayton, Beekhuyzen and Neilsen (2009, p. 11) state that. His view is that a great deal of success has been achieved with ICT integration in America.
Developing Countries and ICT Integration in Schools
According to Sang, Valcke, Van Braak and Tondeur (2009, p.7) "ICT integration is influenced by the complex of student teachers' constructivist teaching beliefs". To help promote the comprehensive ICT integration-related national policies, the United States administration financially supported the various programs that made initiatives for successful ICT integration (Lee, 2003).
ICT Integration in African Countries
- The Integration of leT in African Higher Education Institutions
- leT Integration in South Africa
African schools, the importance of sufficient access to lCT has been considered a priority in the lCT integration process. It is because of educators' attitudes that the integration of lCT in South African schools has not yet been effective.
The Lesotho National leT Policy
- The Implementation of Lesotho leT Policy in Lesotho Education
Mammo (2006) outlined that all Lesotho institutions should integrate lCT into the teaching and learning of all school subjects. The conclusion Marumo reaches is that lCT is not effectively integrated into teaching and learning in Lesotho secondary schools.
Lesotho Education and Training Background
It states that the aims and objectives of the PSSP include the improvement and accessibility, efficiency and equity of education and training at all levels, improving the quality of education and training in all schools in Lesotho and ensuring that curricula and materials meet the needs of Lesotho and comply with relevant standards and take gender into account. As a way to achieve the outlined objectives of the PSSP, Mofokeng claims that the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has recognized the need to improve the quality of teaching and training in the country. The ICT policy states that ICT will be used to facilitate education and lifelong learning and.
Conclusion
To verify Mofokeng's findings, the researcher decided to take measures that would explore lCT integration in the College of Education in Lesotho. The above literature, along with the theoretical framework, was used to inform this study. In the next chapter, this study focuses on explaining the theoretical framework used to guide this study.
CHAPTER THREE
Theoretical Framework
Introduction
Activity theory
- Mediating tools
The purpose of this study is to use activity theory principles to classify cognitive (intentions and goals), physical (activities that educators engage in when integrating lCT), and social (stakeholder involvement) tasks that occur in the lCT integration process . In this study, the researcher intends to understand how the following rules have been applied in the lCT integration process. As part of the college community, the college's lCT staff prepares a strategic plan and sets rules for developing lCT integration.
Conclusion
CHAPTER FOUR
The research design of the study
- Introduction
- Research design
- Mixed Method Approach
- The Case Study
- The Exploratory paradigm
- Target Participants
- The Description of the Research Sample
- Sampling Method
- Data collection methods
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
- Non-participatory observation
- Facts and interpretations
- Reliability and Validity
- Reliability
- Validity
- Triangulation
- Permission to undertake the study
- Ethical considerations
- Data Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation
- Data interpretation
- Presenting data
- Pilot study
- Limitations of the study
- Conclusion
The observation checklist was used to help the researcher focus only on the issues that would answer the research questions. The content of the requisition letter explained that the researcher intended to interact with the relevant faculties of the college during the development of the research. The final steps in which the researcher was involved were to analyze (explain what the data informs or indicate), interpret (explain what the data means) and present (outline) the findings of the data.
CHAPTER FIVE
Data analysis and Interpretations
Introduction
Analysis and interpretation of data
Microsoft Word was used as an introduction to the new lesson on using Microsoft Excel. Students were engaged in an activity where the teacher introduced Microsoft Excel as a way to make mathematical calculations. The students had to complete mathematical tasks where they were asked to use Microsoft Excel to make some calculations.
Interview data
The group of people (community) as members of ICT integration provide support for the integration process. 34; It is through the use of ICT that my students have the opportunity to discuss social".
Data collected through questionnaires
Of the twenty lecturers that were investigated, sixteen indicated that managerial support is a source of failure regarding the ICT integration process. Nineteen out of twenty lecturers indicated that the lack of infrastructure was delaying the integration of ICT in their college. Inadequate training of lecturers, together with other obstacles discussed earlier, hinder the process of ICT integration in CEL; therefore a substantive approach should be considered as a priority to achieve the effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in college.
- ICT personnel
- Theme two: Educator-Learner involvement
- Collaborative learning
- Lack of Lecturer training
- Lecturers' incompetence
- Insufficient leT resources
Lim and Hang (2003) assert that non-ICT tools consist of anything other than ICT resources that can be used to facilitate the ICT integration process. This includes determining the procedures to be used in the ICT integration process (Lim & . Chai, 2003). Wood and Smith (2005) state that lecturers' inability to use ICT facilities hinders the ICT integration process where these lecturers lack ICT skills suitable for the integration process.
Implication
The lecturers claim that in addition to the ICT available in the higher education computer lab, there are some resources in the lab that they claim are only accessible to students. Their issue of ICT use is that students have greater opportunities to use higher education ICT resources, so they always encourage their students to use all available ICT for their academic work, regardless of the subjects they are studying.
The review of the chapter
Conclusion
CHAPTER SIX
The Purpose of the study
Materials and the research methods
- Consolidated activities used at CEL
- Activities gradually being implemented
- ICT-related activities
Baskin and Williams (2006) insist that for effective ICT integration; Factors to be addressed include issues such as curriculum, spatial, temporal, pedagogical and attitudinal integration, which the college does not seem to have considered when deciding to integrate ICT into teaching and learning. The findings of this study show that the integration of ICT in CEL is at an adoption stage where lecturers and students begin to show concern about the integration of ICT. The ICT integration of teachers is also hindered by the limited amount of resources which are mainly intended for the use of students.
The theoretical framework
This study also aims to use concepts from activity theory for analysis, with the intention of understanding how the interpersonal activities in the university are affected by innovations and transformations in the field of ICT integration. Activity theory has also been used to analyze how different parties, as part of the university community, contribute to ICT integration. Leonti'ev's (1974) activity model was used to analyze human relations and university objectives within the university setting, where the university community as the subject of this study is involved in the ICT integration process.
Commentary
From the researcher's point of view, some lecturers were not even invited to the opening of STIC, and as a result, they were not aware that such an occasion was taking place. Amazingly, the students make use of the center and the library where they use all the available ICT to complete academic tasks for all their subjects, not just for computer studies where they are guided on the use of ICT resources.
Gaps
Recommendations
34;Integrating technology in the classroom: eight keys to success."Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 34;Examining teacher beliefs about the role of technology in the elementary classroom."Journal ofResearch on Computing in Education. 34;Learning to Teach with Technology: A Comparison of Teacher Development Programs." Journal of Technology and Teacher Education 9(3): 349.
34; Investigating teacher beliefs about the role of technology in the elementary classroom." Journal of Research on Computing in Education. 34; Learning to teach with technology: A comparison of teacher development programs." Journal of Technology and Teacher Education 9(3): 349 .
