Promotion of ICT and students performance in History and Government in public secondary schools in Langata Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the promotion of ICT and students performance in history and government in public secondary schools in Langata sub-county, Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to examine the extent to which ICT is being used to teach and learn History and Government; to identify the resources in place to support ICT integration on teaching and learning History and Government; and to find out the challenges and opportunities of using ICT to teach and learn History and Government in public secondary schools in the Langata Sub- County. Davis' (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), was adopted for the study. The study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design. The target population consisted of eight principals, 64 teachers from eight public secondary schools and one sub-county director of education. The schools and principals were selected using non-probability purposive selection, while census sampling guaranteed that all instructors were included. The sub-county director of education was automatically included because of their administrative control responsibility. Closed and open-ended questionnaires for teachers were used to collect data, as were semistructured interviews with principals and the sub-county director. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages) in SPSS (version 29), and the findings were displayed in tables, graphs, and pie charts. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed and conveyed using narratives and direct quotations related to the study themes. Ethical considerations were followed including adherence to the use of APA Seventh Edition in referencing of the used material. The study found that effective ICT promotion has the potential to dramatically improve students' performance in History and Government. However, various challenges to ICT integration exist, including poor ICT infrastructure (e.g., insufficient internet access and restricted computer availability), instructors' weak digital literacy, and aversion to using ICT tools in pedagogical practice. The study found that school administrators did not take aggressive initiatives to encourage teacher training in ICT integration and establish a favorable climate for technology adoption. Based on these findings, the research suggests that the Ministry of Education develop required ICT training programs for teachers, with an emphasis on digital literacy, multimedia tool use, and subject-specific ICT integration techniques. Continuous professional development opportunities should be prioritized to guarantee instructors' proficiency in developing technology. Furthermore, school administrators are advised to take a more active role in encouraging ICT adoption by providing suitable resources, fostering teacher cooperation, and developing venues for exchanging best practices and tackling integration difficulties. These ideas seek to increase the efficacy of ICT in teaching and studying History and Government, resulting in better educational outcomes in Kenyan secondary schools.