Integration of Information and Communication Technology in Instruction of Geography

A Study of Public Secondary Schools in Manyoni District, Tanzania

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a significant aspect of teaching and learning. Despite its significance, ICT is not fully integrated into the teaching and learning of Geography in Tanzania. The purpose of this study was to investigate ICT integration in teaching and learning of Geography in public secondary schools in Manyoni district, Tanzania. The objectives were: to establish ICT resources available for teaching and learning Geography; to assess Geography teachers’ preparedness to integrate ICT in teaching and learning and to determine the frequency and use of ICT resources in the teaching and learning of Geography. The Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) by Fred Davis guided the study. The target population for this study was all the public secondary schools in Manyoni district which has a total of 16 schools. The study used simple random sampling to select 9 secondary schools and 185 students in addition to purposively selected 30 Geography teachers and 9 headteachers as the study respondents. The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and used a mixed-methods research approach. A concurrent triangulation mixed design was used where data was collected using questionnaires, document analysis, interviews and observation schedules. The quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using frequencies, tables and percentages, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically through content analysis. The study revealed that ICT resources for instruction of Geography in secondary schools were insufficient, Geography teachers had limited ICT skills, and many Geography teachers had never used ICT in their teaching. This study concluded that a number of factors have interacted to negatively impact and retard the integration of ICT in the instruction of Geography in secondary schools in Tanzania. The study therefore recommended that a serious effort should be put in by the different stakeholders to increase the provision of ICT tools to all schools and Geography teachers to be encouraged through in-service training to acquire not only skills but also enthusiasm to enable them effectively integrate ICT in their teaching.