Teachers’ Perceptions of ICT Integration and Its Influence on Pedagogical Practices Among Public Secondary Schools in Karongi District, Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53983/ijmds.v15n06.005Keywords:
ICT integration, teachers' perceptions, pedagogical practices, Rwanda, Technology Acceptance Model, ICT self-efficacy, professional development, Karongi DistrictAbstract
This study investigated teachers' perceptions of ICT integration and their influence on pedagogical practices in public secondary schools in Karongi District, Rwanda. Four dimensions were examined: teachers' perceptions of ICT usefulness, teachers' attitudes toward ICT, teachers' confidence in ICT use, and ICT-related training and technical support. The study was grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Constructivist Learning Theory and adopted a mixed-methods descriptive survey design. From a target population of 1,600 participants across 59 public secondary schools, a sample of 320 was drawn using Taro Yamane's (1967) formula: one District Education Officer (purposive), 11 headteachers (stratified random), and 308 teachers (simple random). An overall response rate of 95.6% (n = 306) was achieved. Data were collected through five-point Likert-scale questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using SPSS Version 26.0 through descriptive statistics and simple linear regression; qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Teachers' perceptions of ICT usefulness were broadly positive (mean = 3.95; R = 0.612; R² = 0.375; F = 175.54; p < 0.001), explaining 37.5% of variance in pedagogical practices. Teacher ICT attitudes were the most consistently positive dimension (mean = 4.00; R = 0.634; R² = 0.402; F = 196.47; p < 0.001), accounting for 40.2% of variance. Teacher ICT confidence showed the most moderate profile (mean = 3.57; R = 0.657; R² = 0.432; F = 223.01; p < 0.001), explaining 43.2% of variance; the null hypothesis of no significant relationship between confidence and instructional methods was rejected at p < 0.001. ICT-related training and technical support was simultaneously the strongest predictor (R = 0.683; R² = 0.467; F = 256.88; p < 0.001) and the most deficiently provided dimension (mean = 3.45), with in-lesson technical support (mean = 3.20) and subject-specific training relevance (mean = 3.26) as the most critically underserved areas. No school in Karongi District employs a dedicated ICT technician. The study concludes that teachers' perceptions significantly and positively influence pedagogical practices, but full realisation of ICT's transformative potential is constrained by inadequate training quality, absent technical support, and underdeveloped ICT self-efficacy. Recommendations target subject-specific CPD frameworks, dedicated ICT technician provision, peer mentoring structures, and low-risk ICT practice environments.
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