Factors influencing principals’ integration of information communication technology in administration of public secondary schools in Isinya sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Throughout the globe, there has been a soaring recognition of the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the field of education. Principals emerge as the prime enforcers of the deliberate measures put in place by governments to facilitate the implementation of ICT in schools. Principals are able to champion the integration of ICT into learning and teaching in their specific schools. This research was devoted to examine the factors that influenced the principals’ integration of ICT in their administrative tasks. The study sought to determine the extent to which principals’ ICT literacy, attitudes towards the use of ICT, availability of ICT infrastructure and availability of technical support influence integration of ICT in administration of secondary schools. The objectives of the study were; to determine the extent to which principals’ ICT literacy, availability of ICT infrastructure, principals’ attitudes towards ICT, and availability of technical support influence principals’ integration of ICT in administration of secondary schools in Isinya Sub-County. A descriptive survey design was employed for the study. The target population of the study involved all the 12 public secondary schools in Isinya Sub-County. However, simple random sampling was utilized to select a sample of 10 public secondary schools to participate in the study while the other two secondary schools were reserved for pilot study. From the sampled 10 public secondary schools in Isinya Sub County, 10 principals, 10 deputy principals and 10 senior teachers were considered for the study. A self-designed questionnaire was utilized to collect data from the respondents between the month of May and June 2015. The Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data and the data was presented using frequency tables, pie and bar graphs. The findings of the study showed that ICT competency among the principals, attitudes of principals towards the use of ICT, the availability of ICT infrastructure and technical support influenced their integration of ICT in administrative task areas, especially financial management. Given this, the research report suggested strategies on how to prompt the principals to integrate ICT into their administrative task areas in secondary schools.