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EXPLORING THE EXTENT OF ICT ADOPTION AMONG

SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN MALAYSIA

BEE THENG LAU*

School of Computing and Design, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia

CHIA HUA SIM

School of Business, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia

Since year 2003, a wide range of ICT such as laptop, LCD projectors, trolley with speaker and UBS

system, as well as software like power point, flash and interactive courseware have been used to support

teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science throughout schools in Malaysia. In some schools, extra

effort has been made to provide additional facilities like computer laboratories, wireless internet connection

and local area network to assist teachers in their teaching and professional tasks. Ideally, teachers should

be very receptive toward the adoption and implementation of ICT in education. Effective use of ICT with

multimedia and graphics for example, enriches teaching and enhance interactivity in learning. With a large

investment in the ICT infrastructure, and increased emphasis on the use of ICT in teaching, teachers are

expected to be competent and effective in utilizing these tools. However, are all teachers ready and making

full use of the ICT in schools? To what extent are teachers utilizing ICT tools in schools, how have they

perceived their competency to be and what are their specific training and support needs, if any? The paper

aimed to examine these issues. Surprisingly, results indicated that elderly teachers were eager to adopt ICT

in schools. They were receptive to ICT and reported a high extent of ICT use in teaching and professional

job. In general, teachers held a reasonably positive attitude towards ICT adoption in school, and those who

received either prior to and on the job training recorded a higher competency in ICT. Respondents who

were more competent in using computers reported more favorable perception towards ICT. On top of these,

teachers who have been using ICT extensively in their daily routines still indicate high training and support

needs. Respondents also felt that among the various stakeholders, teachers as the classroom practitioners

should have a greater say in deciding how ICT is being used in schools.

Categories and Subject Descriptors: K.3 [Computing Milieux]: Computers and Education

General Terms: ICT, secondary education

IJCIR Reference Format:

Bee Theng, Lau and Chia Hua, Sim. Exploring the extent of ICT adoption among Secondary school

teachers In Malaysia. International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp.19-36.

http://www.ijcir.org/volume2-number2/article 3.pdf.

Author s Address: Bee Theng Lau, School of Computing and Design, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus,

Malaysia (****@*********.***.**)

Chia Hua, Sim, School of Business, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia

Permission to make digital/hard copy of part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the

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appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the ACM, Inc. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or to

redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research 2008.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, ISSN 1818-1139 (Print), ISSN 1996-1065 (Online), Vol.2, No.2, pp. 19-36.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

1 INTRODUCTION

In Malaysia, the role of English as a secondary language taught in school has been changed into the

medium of instruction of Mathematics and Science subjects when the government decided that these two

subjects are to be taught in English from 2003 onwards. One of the major challenges to the implementation

of this policy is teacher s proficiency to deliver the two subjects in English (Pillay & Thomas, 2004).

Teachers in Malaysian schools had varying English proficiency as most of them received their education

entirely in the national language, Bahasa Melayu, right from the primary to the tertiary level. In order to

overcome this problem, the Ministry of Education (MOE) had developed a retraining programme (ETeMS)

to enhance teachers English language proficiency. In addition, ICT are used to support the teaching and

learning of these two subjects in schools throughout the country. Under the national budget, RM5 billion

has been allocated for the year 2002-2008, to provide training, launching grants, and educational aids to

schools nationwide for smooth implementation of the policy.

Specifically, Mathematics and Science teachers, together with English language teachers have been

given laptop computer, and teaching courseware to assist them in teaching and professional tasks.

Classrooms are equipped with LCD projector, screen, and trolley with speakers and an UPS system. In

addition, a launching grant of RM5000 to RM15000 was given to each school to acquire additional

reference resources. This represented a massive investment to kick start the use of ICT in schools across

the country. Under this policy, teachers are not only required to be proficient in English, but also to be

savvy in the use of ICT in classroom. With such an increased emphasis on ICT, and a large investment in

its infrastructure, teachers are expected to be competent and effective in adopting it. However, after six year

of implementation, are all teachers making full use of the ICT in schools? To what extent have teachers

been utilizing the ICT in schools, how have they perceived their competency to be, and what are their

specific training and support needs in ICT? The paper sought to investigate these issues.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

A review of 219 studies on the use of technology in education consistently found that students in

technology rich environments experienced positive effects on performance in all subject areas (Look,

2005). In particular, Becta (2003) pointed out that ICT provide fast and accurate feedback to students, and

speed up computations and graphing, thus freeing students to focus on strategies and interpretation. Further,

use of interactive multimedia software, for example, motivates students and leads to improved

performance. In fact, studies showed that more students finished high school and many more consider

attending college where they routinely learned and studied with technology (Becta, 2003). Barak (2004)

pointed further revealed that the use of ICTs in education would promote deep learning, and allows schools

to respond better to the varying needs of the students.

Despite the apparent benefits of the use of ICT for educational purpose, studies showed that in many

cases, the learning potential of ICT is deprived as many teachers are still not fully ICT literate and do not

use it in their teaching. Studies on teachers readiness for ICT generally, suggest that there is still a long

way to go before schools in the region will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by

21st century technology (Ya acob et. al.,2005; So & Paula, 2006). Barak (2006) reveals that while teachers

exploit ICT for their own learning, they are cautious about integrating advanced technologies in schools.

The study also suggests that while teachers recognize the potential of technology in stimulating students

learning and making school studies relevant to real-life contexts, they do not think that ICT is preferable for

class-based instruction for promoting cooperation and reflection in learning.

To investigate the factors hindering teachers readiness and confidence in using ICTs, Tella, et al.

(2007) found that inadequate knowledge to evaluate the role of ICT in teaching and learning, lack of skills

in the use of ICT equipment and software had resulted in a lack of confidence in utilising ICT tools. This is

consistent with Preston (2000) who concluded that lack of technical support to be key inhibitor to the use of

ICT in classroom. As shown by Bradley and Russell (1997), recurring faults, and the expectation of faults

occurring during teaching sessions have reduced teachers confidence and caused teachers to avoid using

technology.

In addition, obstacles such as access to equipment, time pressures, lack of mentor and opportunities

for apprenticeship of observation also have an impact on teachers ability to use ICT (Slaouti & Barton,

2007). Further, teachers workload and time management was found to be inhibiting the implementation of

computer instruction in classroom (Guha, 2000). While there is a great deal of studies about how ICT is

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

being used in developed countries, there is not much information on how ICT is being integrated into

schools in developing countries (Beukes-Amiss and Chiware, 2006).

3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES

Hence, the aims of the study were:

To describe the level of ICT use by teachers among schools in Malaysia.

To determine teachers perceived competency and perception of ICTs.

To describe the obstacles faced by teachers in ICT use, and

To identify teachers training and support need.

In a study by Jennings and Onwuegbuzie (2001), teachers of younger age were found to be

associated with more positive attitudes towards ICT. This is in agreement with the report by the U.S.

National Center for Education Statistics (2000) which indicated that younger teachers score higher on their

perception of ICT, and have translated their positive perception into higher degree of ICT use in education.

Thus, it was hypothesized that teachers of younger age make more use of ICT in schools, compared to the

elderly counterparts. On the other hand, Atan et al. (2002) found that users exhibit greater competence

computer when they made frequent use of it. Hence, it was predicted that teachers who make daily use of

ICTs are more competent in ICTs compared to those with a lower rate of adoption. Further, Preston (2000)

revealed that lack of technical support as a key factor inhibiting the use of ICT in classroom. As pointed out

by Bradley and Russell (1997), recurring faults, and the expectation of faults occurring during teaching

sessions, reduced the teachers confidence and caused teachers to avoid using technology. It is therefore

predicted that teachers with a lower ICT rate of adoption demand more ICT training and support.

The aim was to find out the validity of these hypotheses at 95% level of confidence using p-Test. The

constant is ICT use by teachers with three variables teachers age, their ICT competency, and their

training and support needs. The hypotheses were formulated as below:

H1: Young teachers demonstrate a higher rate of ICT adoption in their profession.

H2: Teachers with higher ICT competency shown greater ICT adoption rate in their profession.

H3: Teachers who demands more ICT training and support have a lower ICT adoption rate in their

profession.

4 METHODOLOGY

A survey was conducted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on ICT adoption of teachers

in schools. The instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire consists of six sections. Section 1 is

on the demographic information of the respondents, followed by Section 2 on teachers ICT competency

and Section 3 on the extent and frequency of ICT use in schools. Section 4 examines their perceptions of

ICTs, the next section focus on the obstacles faced, and the last section on their training and support needs.

The questionnaires were randomly distributed to some 250 secondary schools teachers of Mathematics and

Science. All items in the first five sections were measured on a five-point, closed-ended Likert scale, while

the last section with open-ended questions for teachers to add their inputs. A total of 212 completed

questionnaires were received and data were analysed using SPSS version 15.

5 DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND DISCUSSION

5.1 USE OF ICTS IN SCHOOLS

Respondents were asked to indicate how frequent had they used ICT in each case for teaching and

instructional support, classroom management, communication and personal development. Each item was

measured on a five point rating scale from 1 (never) to 5 (daily).

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Use of ICTs for Classroom Management Activities

Use of ICTs for Teaching & Instructional

Support

Occasionally Never 2.80%

Daily 18.90%

21.70%

Occasionally

Never 0.50%

13.70%

Daily 41%

Monthly

10.80%

Monthly Weekly

26.90% 29.70%

Weekly 34%

Use of ICTs for Personal Development

Use of ICTs for Communication

Daily, 2.80%

Never 21.70% Daily 7.50% Weekly Weekly, 9.40%

17.90% Never, 36.80%

Monthly,

9.40%

Monthly

Occasionally 12.70% Occasionally,

37.70% 39.60%

Figure. 1 Use of ICTs by Teachers in Schools

As shown in Figure. 1, respondents were reported to make frequent use of ICT, either daily or

weekly for teaching and instructional support (75%) and classroom management activities (49%).

Respondents however, reported less frequently use of ICT for communication with peers (26%), and for

personal development (12%). This is contrary to the findings of The Gordon University Aberdeen (2004)

which revealed that secondary school teachers at Scotland made use of ICT as much or more for

professional development and communication as in the classroom. Thus, mechanisms need to be put in

place to ensure that teachers utilize computer technology for further development and communication, such

as seeking peer-to-peer advice or participating in online professional development.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Use of Tecahing Courseware Use of Presentation Tools

1-2 times a Never

Never 2.40%

year 9% 14.20%

Monthly Daily 20.30%

Daily 30.20%

14.60%

1-2 times a

year 17.50%

Weekly

22.60%

Monthly

Weekly

22.60%

42.90%

Use of Internet browsing

Use of Spreadsheets

Never

Daily 8% Never 7.50%

13.20% Weekly 1-2 times a Daily 17%

23.60% year 12.30%

1-2 times a

year 17%

Weekly

Monthly

35.80%

26.40%

Monthly

30.70%

Figure 2a: Use of ICT Application by Teachers

When asked about ICT application most frequently used either on daily or weekly basis, higher

ratings were given to teaching courseware (73%), presentation tools (43%), internet browsing (53%), and

spreadsheets (32%) [Fig. 2a]. As shown in Fig. 2b, the corresponding Fig.s were lower for graphical

visualizing tools (24%), hypermedia/multimedia (22%), simulation programmes (14%) and online demos

(7%).

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Use of Graphical Visualising Tools

Use of Online demos

Daily 7.10%

Daily 0.90% Weekly 5.70% Monthly Weekly

9.40%

16.50%

Never 37.30%

1-2 times a

year 10.40% Monthly

Never 69.30% 14.60%

1-2 times a

year 19.30%

Use of Hypermedia/ Multimedia Use of Simulation Programmes

Daily 7.10%

Never 29.70% Weekly

Never 29.70% Weekly 14.60%

14.60%

Monthly

23.10%

1-2 times a

1-2 times a 23.10%

year 19.80%

Figure 2b Use of ICT Application by Teachers

It might appear that teachers do not make use of graphical visualizing tools, hypermedia/

multimedia, and simulation programmes because they consider the applications to be specialized software

and require advanced skills from users. This suggests that teachers need training in a wider range of ICT

applications for them to make full use of technology in teaching. Programmes like simulation for example,

allow teachers to show experiments that would not otherwise be possible, and have great educational

potential to enhance teaching (McFarlane and Sakellariou, 2002).

5.2 ICT COMPETENCY

For teachers ICT competency, respondents were asked to rate their perceived competency in basic

computer applications which include word processing, spreadsheets, presentation tools, e-mailing, internet

browsing, statistical tools, and teaching courseware. Each item was measured on a five point rating scale

from 1 (no capability) to 5 (excellent).

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Perceived competency - Word Processing

Low No Capability

Capability at all 0.90% Excellent

4.70%

14.20%

Fair 22.60%

Good

57.10%

Perceived Competency - Courseware

Perceived competency - Presentation Tools

No Capability

No Capability at Low

at all 0.50%

all 3.30% Capability 8%

Low Capability Excellent 9% Excellent

9.40% 9.90%

Fair 27.40%

Good 41.50%

Fair 36.30% Good

52.80%

Figure 3a Computer competency of Teachers

Fig. 3a indicated that teachers considered themselves to be more competent, either excellent or

good in the use of word processing (71%), teaching courseware (63%), presentation tools (50%). The

results suggest that teachers computer competency is possibly related to their frequent use of word

processing, presentation tools and courseware in preparing teaching materials and presenting lessons. The

result is in agreement with those of Cuckle et al. (2000) and Jegede et. al. (2007) who found teachers to be

most competent in word processing compared to other applications.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Perceived competency - Internet Browsing Perceived competency - Emailing

No Capability at Excellent No Capability at

Excellent

all 2.80% 10.40% all 7.10%

Low Capability 7.50%

13.70% Low Capability

Good 33.50%

15.60%

Good 36.30%

Fair 35.40%

Fair 34%

Perceived competency - Spreadsheets Perceived competency - Statistical Tools

No Capability at

Excellent

all 7.50% Excellent

all 8%

4.20% 2.80% Good 20.30%

Low Capability

12.30% Good 34.90%

Low Capability

22.60%

Fair 35.40% Fair 40.10%

Figure 3b Computer competency of Teachers

On the other hand, a lower proportion of respondents perceived themselves to be broadly good in

internet browsing (47%), emailing (41%), and spreadsheets (39%). As shown in Fig. 3b, most of the rating

fell between the range of fair and good, i.e. moderate level of skills in these applications. It is however,

not surprising for teachers to feel less competent as these applications are most likely not used in daily

teaching and instruction, e.g. spreadsheets are normally used by teachers to manage student grades and

results.

Overall, the results are consistent with the findings of Slaouti & Barton (2007) who concluded that

ICT most commonly used by teachers was word-processing, PowerPoint and the WWW. According to their

research, Video conferencing and synchronous communications had again not been used, email had only

been used by four of the group and most had made no use of databases or text reconstruction software. It

also appears that respondents feel least competent in statistical tools (31%), as shown in Fig. 3b. It might be

that these are technical areas that need to be learned by teachers, and that current training courses do not

address teachers training need in this area.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

5.3 TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF ICT ADOPTION IN SCHOOLS

In general, teachers broadly agree that use of ICTs makes them more effective in their teaching

(75%), more organized in their work (80%) and better able to meet the varying needs of students (48%). In

general, teachers broadly agreed that with the use of internet and technology, their lesson plans are richer

(55%) [Fig. 4]. This is in agreement with the findings of Slaouti & Barton (2007) which reported that ICT

can motivate students in their learning by bringing variety into the lessons, and at the same time, sustaining

teachers own interest in teaching .

Teachers' Perception - ICTs make teaching Teachers' Perception - ICTs help in organising

more effective profession tasks

Strongly

Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree 0.90% Strongly Agree

Disagree 3.30%

1.90%

4.70% Agree 12.30% 12.70%

Neutral 15.10%

Neutral 17%

Agree 62.70%

Agree 67%

Teachers' Perception - ICTs Helps to meet the

Teachers' Perception - ICT makes lesson plans

varying needs of studens

richer

Strongly

Disagree Disagree 0%

Disagree 0% Strongly

8.50% Disagree 9% Strongly Agree

Agree 5.70%

2.40%

Agree 45.80%

Neutral

Agree 49.50 Neutral

33.50%

39.20%

Figure 4 Teachers Perception of ICT

A further positive sign is 85% of them indicated that they would like to integrate more computer

applications into their teaching. It appears that teachers perceptions toward ICTs are encouraging, where

most of them showed positive perceptions on computer use in teaching and instruction. It is believed that

teachers can see the value of the ICTs in enhancing teaching and learning, and they are positive towards

further integration of technologies into classroom instruction.

Responses 30

Very Somew hat Neutral Somew hat Unimportant at

Important Important Unimportant all

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Figure 5 The importance of ICTs in teaching

Responses 30

Teachers Students Principals Parents District

administrator

Figure 6 Who should have a greater voice in deciding how ICTs are being used in schools?

Overall, a high 87% of the teachers perceived ICTs as an important tool to accomplish their

professional tasks (Fig. 5), and 69% of them felt that among the various stakeholders, teachers as classroom

practitioners should have a greater voice in deciding how ICT is being used in schools (Fig. 6).

5.4 ICT TRAINNING AND SUPPORT NEEDS

In addition, most of the teachers considered themselves as having limited knowledge to make full

use of ICTs, or to integrate ICTs fully into teaching.

Responses 30

Professional ICT seminars/ Release time for ICT support

development conferences exploring personnel

course

Very Important Somewhat Important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant Unimportant at all

Figure 7 Perceived needs for ICT training and support

When asked to indicate the important channels for improving their ICT skills, respondents had given

higher ratings to the need of school-based professional development (80%) and ICT seminars/conferences

(64%) [Fig. 7]. The result suggests that school leaders should initiate industry-teachers partnerships to

deliver ICT training programmes that are appropriate to teachers needs. Other than courses organized by

the central agency, more effective ICT training could be obtained locally through smart partnership with

industry and institutions of higher learning. As Ya acob et. al. (2005) has suggested, training should be

offered to teachers on a continuous, rather than a one-off, basis so that their IT knowledge is upgraded over

time.

5.5 MEAN SCORE OF ICT USE

When analysed according to age group, result indicated that elderly respondents (aged over 45

years) made more frequent use of ICT in schools (M = 3.22; S.D. = 0.57) on a five-point rating scale [Table

1].

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Table I ICT Use by age groups

Mean Std. Deviation

Age

Below 35 2.74 0.51

35 45 3.00 0.53

Over 45 3.22 0.57

The main reason could be, senior teachers having vast teaching experience, sound classroom

management skills and good knowledge of the curriculum, can easily digitize their materials with ICTs,

hence more flexibly apply ICTs in classroom instruction. This also suggests that they feel comfortable with

ICT and see its value in education, and have tried to enrich their lesson and make teaching lively with texts,

sounds and images. The result is in agreement with Novak and Knowles (1991) who found that younger

beginning teachers struggling to survive and settle into their new role as teachers do not emphasize the

usage of computer as they view computers as extra, and not as a tool to enhance teaching.

5.6 MEAN SCORE OF ICT COMPETENCY

Teachers perceived competency was also analysed according to their age groups (Table 2). On a

five point rating scale, young teachers aged below 35 recorded a higher mean of competency (M = 3.68;

S.D. = 0.55) than the other two groups. The result is consistent with a report by the U.S. National Center

for Education Statistics (2000) which revealed that new teachers, having grown up with computers, have

greater computer skills to enhance their teaching and instructional practices.

As shown in Table II, teachers computer competency tended to increase with increased hours of

training. Mean competency was found to be highest for those who had received more than 20 hours of

training in ICT (M=3.66; S.D.=0.56). Furthermore, teachers who make daily use of ICTs are more

competent in ICTs than all the other groups (Table 2). Mean competency was reported to be highest for

those who made daily use of computer (M=3.44; S.D.=0.77).

Table II Perceived computer competency

Mean Std. Deviation

Age

Below 35 3.68 0.55

35 - 45 3.45 0.67

Above 45 2.95 0.77

Prior ICT Training

3.32

None 0.70

3.39

1-5 hours 0.80

3.39

6-10 hours 0.58

3.45

11-20 hours 0.63

3.66

More than 20 hours 0.56

Frequency of use

3.34

Occasionally 0.58

3.36

Monthly 0.71

3.41

Weekly 0.62

3.44

Daily 0.77

5.7 MEAN SCORE OF ICT PERCEPTION AND PEARSON CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS

Results also indicated that the more time teachers spent using computers, the more positive their

perception toward ICT. As shown in Table III, those who made daily use of computer held a more positive

perception of ICT (M=3.69; S.D.=0.33).

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Table III Teachers Perceptions of ICT

Mean Std. Deviation

Frequency of Use

Daily 3.69 0.33

Weekly 3.49 0.32

Monthly 3.43 0.24

Occasionally 3.19 0.44

When analysed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient, results showed that there is a moderately

positive correlation between teachers perception and ICT use (r = 0.56). The result suggests that a more

positive perception had led to increased use of computer in education. This is in agreement with previous

studies which found teachers attitude toward computers as a key factor in predicting the frequency of

technology use (Becker, 2000; Zhao and Frank, 2003). As far as age was concerned, there was a higher

degree of correlation, r = 0.6 between the perception and ICT use among teachers aged above 45 years

(Table IV). When teachers were grouped according to the academic level taught, a higher degree of

correlation, r = 0.64 was observed for those teaching Form 1 3.

Table IV Pearson Correlation Coefficients - Teachers Perception Vs ICT use

Age Perception * ICT use

Below 35 0.55

35 45 0.35

Above 45 0.60

It also appears that a positive perception of computer in education was positively related to the

ability to apply ICTs (Table V). The results suggest that a higher ability to use ICT means there will be

more positive perception of computer use in education. This may mean that in order to change teachers

perception and increase their computer usage, it is vital to develop their computer skills, and providing

them with hands-on experience of ICTs. The result is consistent with the findings of previous study which

concluded that teachers who are more competent in using computers have also more favorable attitudes

towards computer (Sa ari et.al. 2005; Jegede et. al., 2007). As far as age was concerned, there was a high

degree of correlation, r = 0.57 between competency and perceptions of computer technologies among

teachers above 45 years old as depicted in Table V.

Table V Pearson Correlation Coefficients - Teachers Competency Vs Perception of ICT

Age Teachers Competency * Perception of

ICTs

Below 35 0.33

35 45 0.42

Above 45 0.57

When teachers were grouped according to the academic level taught, there was a higher degree of

correlation (r = 0.57) between competency and ICT adoption for those teaching form 1 3.

6 HYPOTHESES EVALUATION

As shown in Table VI, the use of ICT by teachers recorded an overall mean of 3.0583 (S.D.= 0.83)

over a five-point rating scale. This suggests that teachers in general, had demonstrated a reasonably positive

attitude towards ICT use in schools.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Table VI Mean and standard deviation of the constant (ICT Use) and variables (teachers age, ICT

competency, training and support needs)

Mean Std. Deviation N

ICT Use 3.0583 .83109 212

Age 2.0142 .84584 212

Competency 3.3540 .71557 212

Training Needs 4.2928 1.62698 212

As for teachers computer competency, an overall mean of 3.3540 (S.D. = 0.71) on a five point

rating scale, indicates that teachers generally feel competent in utilizing ICT tools in school. However, it is

interesting to note that respondents still demand for high training and support in ICT (M=4.2928;

S.D.=1.62) on a five-point scale. The standard deviation which is greater than one suggests most of the

respondents indicated high needs, whereby a small portion of the sample indicated very low needs.

Table VII Pearson Correlations and 1-tailed Significance Test of the constant (ICT use) and variables

(teachers age, ICT competency, training and support needs)

Extent Age Competency Needs

Pearson Correlation ICT Use 1.000 -.161 .507 .127

Age -.161 1.000 -.117 .021

Competency .507 -.117 1.000 .039

Training Needs .127 .021 .039 1.000

Sig. (1-tailed) ICT Use . .010 .000 .033

Age .010 . .044 .378

Competency .000 .044 . .286

Training Needs .033 .378 .286 .

Table VIII Model Summary

Change Statistics

Adjusted R Std. Error of R Square

Model R R Square Square the Estimate Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change

1 .161 .026 .021 .82224 .026 5.566 1 210 .019

.517b

2 .267 .260 .71496 .241 68.751 1 209 .000

.528c

3 .279 .269 .71075 .012 3.481 1 208 .063

Table VIII shows the summary of models from the study to predict the relationships between ICT

use and the three main variables - age, ICT competency and training needs. Model 1 consists of predictors

that are ICT use and age. Model 2 predicts ICT use against age and competency. Model 3 predicts ICT use

against age, competency and training needs.

The ANOVA test in Table IX shows the three models formed for regression and residual analysis

to be significant (Sig.), from 0.000 to 0.019 (less than 0.05). Furthermore, F test conducted for these three

models shows positive value of 5.566 for Model 1, 38.057 for Model 2, and 26.833 for Model 3.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

Table IX ANOVA analysis of the constant (extent of ICT adoption) and variables (teachers age,

competency and ICT professional training needs)

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

.019a

1 Regression 3.763 1 3.763 5.566

Residual 141.977 210 .676

Total 145.740 211

.000b

2 Regression 38.906 2 19.453 38.057

Residual 106.833 209 .511

Total 145.740 211

.000c

3 Regression 40.665 3 13.555 26.833

Residual 105.075 208 .505

Total 145.740 211

Table X shows the components in the three models. Model 1, 2 and 3 which suggests that age has

a negative relationship with the extent of ICT use among teachers. This finding is valid as the significance

is less than 0.05. This result however, is opposed to hypothesis 1 in the study. Senior teachers were found

to be highly positive towards ICT use in their teaching and professional work, and had translated this into a

greater use of ICT in schools. This suggests that teachers of elderly age are very open to new technology

like ICT which is contrary to the findings in other developing countries (Jennings and Onwuegbuzie, 2001).

Table X Standardized coefficients, Beta and t-Test results for each model

Standardized

Coefficients

Model Beta t Sig.

1 (Constant) 23.102 .000

Age -.161 -2.359 (.019)

2 (Constant) 4.819 .000

Age -.103 -1.720 .087

Competency .494 8.292 (.000)

3 (Constant) 3.738 .000

Age -.106 -1.779 .077

Competency .490 8.255 (.000)

Needs .110 1.866 .063

As for competency against the ICT use in Model 2 and 3, confidence level of 95% is fulfilled. Both

demonstrate positive relationship. This agrees with hypothesis 2 in the study that is, a higher competency

results in higher ICT use in school. Lastly, the training and support needs variable is only significant at the

level of 90%. It shows a positive relationship with ICT use, and this violates hypothesis 3 in the study. It is

interesting to find that teachers who have been using ICT extensively in their teaching and professional

tasks still demand for a wider range of training and support in this area. The eagerness to learn more and

acquire further support is high among the teachers. This is in agreement with the findings of Gray and

Souter (2004) who reported that Science teachers in Scotland were reasonably confident in their use of ICT,

but felt that they needed much more ways of support and professional development in order to maximise

the use of ICT in the classroom.

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

7 BARRIERS TO ICT USE IN SCHOOLS

Teachers were also asked to indicate their reasons for not using a broader range of ICTs in

classrooms. 205 teachers responded and the obstacles faced were ranked in order of importance, as shown

in Table XI.

Table XI Main obstacles hindering ICT use in Education

Obstacles Rank

Lack of technical support 1

Lack of time 2

Limited knowledge on how to make full use of ICTs 3

Limited understanding on how to integrate ICTs into teaching 4

Lack of software or websites that support state standards 5

The results suggest that lack of technical support was perceived by teachers as the key barrier to

the further uptake of ICT in schools. This is consistent with the findings of a study by Cox et al. (1999)

which reported lack of technical support as the school-level barrier in the uptake of ICT in teaching. As

pointed out by Cuban (1999), the lack of available technical support is likely to lead to teachers avoiding

ICT, for concern of a technical fault occurring cannot be rectified, and lessons being unsuccessful.

Mechanisms therefore, need to be put in place to ensure that teachers have adequate access to

technical support. It is suggested that a teacher with ICT competency be appointed as ICT coordinator in

each school to provide technical and pedagogical support to teachers. This is crucial in order to support

teachers to make full use of ICT in classroom, and not losing time fixing configurations or other technical

problems.

As depicted in Table XI, lack of time was reported by the teachers as another strong ICT barrier in

schools. The result is in consistent with the finding of Preston et al. (2000) who revealed the lack of time to

explore ICT and prepare ICT resources as a teacher-level barrier in implementing ICT in schools. Teachers

are sometimes unable to make full use of technology because they lack the time needed to prepare ICT

resources for lessons. Time is also needed for teachers to become more familiar with hardware and

software.

8 TEACHERS INPUT ON ICT USE

Teachers who responded to this survey have also given some valuable insights on how ICT usage in

schools could be improved. Among others teachers demand for internet access, local area networks,

wireless Internet to be made available in schools to allow them to explore information besides books and

courseware; They also expressed the need to have a centralized database or a ICT network for teachers to

facilitate sharing of materials, to post important announcement, events and school results.

In general, factors like lack of time and technical support, limited knowledge to integrate ICT fully in

teaching were identified as the key factors affecting uptake of ICTs in schools. School-based professional

development and ICT conferences were perceived by the teachers as important channels for improving

their ICT skills.

The following are the ways in which teachers think they can get more involved with ICT decisions

within their school and district:

Provide suggestion box and recommendation to be read by principals during staff meetings, with

proper follow up actions.

Questions and answers about ICTs through e-mails.

Discussion through school web site.

Organize staff development programs regularly to share knowledge and skills on ICT.

Conduct monthly meetings on discussions regarding ICT use (ATK ICT).

Teachers cooperate among themselves, within school and district, and always meet to discuss

issues arise.

Respondents were also asked to indicate areas where they would like to learn more, and results were

summarized according in the order of importance. As summarized in Table XIII, respondents prior

International Journal of Computing and ICT Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, December 2008

concerns was to improve their skills in making charts and graphs, enhancing documents with pictures,

followed by their enthusiasm to obtain lesson plans and learning activities from internet sources.

Table XII Areas where Teachers want to learn more about

Obstacles Rank

Making charts and graph, and enhancing documents with pictures 1

Obtaining lesson plans and activities from electronic/internet sources 2

Make slide presentations to share information with students 3

Use internet to participate in discussions about teaching and learning 4

Create a website to share classroom activities 5

9 RECOMMENDATION

Overall, a high 75% of the teachers considered a collaboration portal to be suitable in promoting

further use of ICT in school (Fig. 8). In response to this finding, it is proposed that a nationwide website

namely, the e-Blackboard, be introduced to all teachers in order to extend the use of ICTs among teachers.

Fig. 8 Suitability of a Collaboration Portal for teachers

Not suitable

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