Page 1 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 03
March 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 388
A Review of Adaptation and Integration
of ICT in Education System
Mr. Parveen
Department of Computer Science
E-Mail: parveenbarak1988@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
A number of studies have identified the school principal as a critical and pivotal person for
establishing and maintaining learning environments driven by technology. This paper
examines the function of school principals as institutional managers and the role they play in
the adoption and integration of Information and Communication Technologies in the process
of teaching and learning. It was conceptualized that presence of ICT integration plans,
maintenance and renewal plans, extent of community access to ICTs and proficiency in ICTs
of school managers have an influence on extent of ICT integration in teaching and learning .
To obtain a detailed and clear picture of the use of ICT, the mixed methods approach was
used. Semi directed interviews, focus group discussions audiotapes of discussions, videotaped
classroom observations and photographs of school environments, review of school
documents on ICT and teacher and student productions were used to collect data. Out of the
ten schools studied, five schools had ICT integration and maintenance and renewal plans,
while only two schools shared their computers with the community and eight head teachers
reported that they had the ability to use ICT skills. From the findings, it appears the
development of ICT skills and knowledge among school principals is slow and may explain
the low levels of ICT integration in the selected schools. It seems the success or failure of
integration of ICT in teaching and learning rests largely on institutional managers and
school managers need to take professional responsibility and accountability to ensure that
they are well trained in ICT and that their institutions have management strategies to enable
them achieve appropriate ICT integration in teaching and learning.
Keywords: ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Integration, Framework,
Teaching.
INTRODUCTION:
It is becoming increasingly apparent that
all aspects of people’s lives including the
way education is taught and delivered are
greatly influenced by developments in
Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs). In an effort to keep
up with these new developments, through
its key ministries of Education, Science
and Technology and Information and
Communication Technology, has
developed several policy and strategy
documents to guide the integration of ICT
in education. These efforts are also out of
the realization that there are many
initiatives being championed by various
government agencies, private sector, non- government organizations and even
individuals, that are not well coordinated,
are disjointed, lack focus and sometimes
duplicate each other. The e-content being
developed for schools at primary and
secondary levels is expected to increase
access and improve the quality of
education in the country. While this is a
laudable initiative, the required penetration
in schools both in breadth and depth is yet
to be realized.
Among the various studies carried out to
establish the status of ICT integration and
the variables influencing it, some have
focused on the role of the School Manager,
Page 2 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 03
March 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 389
in the adoption and use of ICT in
education. Many scholars and policy
makers seem to agree that School
Principals as institutional managers have a
key role to play in the facilitation of
educational change especially in this
decade when Information and
Communication Technologies are
increasingly finding application in
teaching and learning. It appears that ICTs
and especially the computer, has moved
from being the object of study to a
learning tool in the classroom and teachers
are increasingly being expected to have
basic ICT skills and able to apply them in
their teaching. By playing an active role in
the adoption of ICT as an educational tool,
principals can create an environment that
will benefit their teachers and students.
They are also seen as curriculum and
pedagogy leaders and are considered by
stakeholders as central figures in leading
processes for creating the conditions to
teach and learn with ICT. From these
arguments, it appears school leadership
plays a key role in ICT integration in
education. The competence of the School
Manager in the use of ICT and a broad
understanding of the technical, curricular,
administrative, financial, and social
dimensions of ICT use in education is
important to the effectiveness and
sustainability of ICT integration program.
In addition, access to electricity and
internet connectivity, introduction of other
technologies such as the mobile phone,
Acquisition of a limited number of
computers initially by schools for
management purposes appears, to have
created the conditions necessary to
introduce, albeit gradually, integration of
ICT in teaching and learning. It could be
argued, therefore, that once management
adopts ICT in its practices, it diffuses and
spreads to other institutional members and
they become interested in its use. As such,
even without a plan or designed way of
integration, some teachers with the
inclination and interest in ICT end up
finding innovative ways of using it to
enhance their teaching capacities. Initially
it may be used for recording and analyzing
marks, typing lesson plans and eventually
actual teaching and learning by searching
for information and displaying learning
content. Learners, equally, given the
opportunity and access, are able to use ICT
to enhance their learning. This article is
guided by four main objectives:
a) To identify the influence of ICT
integration plans on ICT
integration in teaching and
learning.
b) To establish the influence of ICT
maintenance and renewal plans on
ICT integration in teaching and
learning.
c) To assess the extent to which
community access to ICTs
influences the integration of ICTs
in teaching and learning.
d) To examine how the proficiency in
ICTs of school managers
influences ICT integration in
teaching and learning
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
This literature review looks at the
theoretical underpinnings of ICT adoption
and empirical findings on use of ICT by
school managers. Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) is
pervasive within organizations. It is
brought into organizations by people and
is put to work by people. The ways in
which technology is used and the purposes
for which it is used, is a result of the
decisions taken by members of the
organization especially its leaders. It is
essential, therefore, that managers have an
understanding of the nature of new
technology, the organizational needs and
objectives. From an organizational
context, several approaches to
conceptualizing technology in general
have been advanced. Burnes observes that
the outcomes of technological change are
Page 3 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 03
March 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 390
socially chosen and negotiated within
organizations by organizational actors.
Pettigrew examined organizational politics
and decision-making associated with the
development and structuring of computer
applications and found that managers are
able to influence decisions in the
computerization domain through taking up
a ‘gatekeeper’ role, which allows them to
shape the information reaching key
managerial decision-makers. Political
behavior associated with organizational
and human resource issues arising out of
technological change, demonstrates a
range of choices available with respect to
work organization and control of jobs. It
appears, therefore, that the outcomes of
technological change within organizations
are dependent on the way workers
respond, adapt and try to influence the
outcome.
Most of the existing technology
acceptance theories focus on the cognitive
aspects of human beings, presuming that
users must discard their affective selves to
work efficiently and rationally with ICTs.
Thus, technology acceptance models are
restricted in their specified context,
resulting in lack of generic applicability,
especially on non-utilitarian or work- related systems. Unlike most preceding
technologies which were thrust upon the
user communities, ICT technology is
individually available to diverse users who
can use their own systems to serve their
own purposes. The impetus for the
innovation frequently grows from
individual users of the technology, and as
their communication and influence moves
laterally through their contacts, a body of
support can grow and exert "pressure" on
the institutional administration to commit
to adoption of the technology. There is,
therefore, a high potential for a "bottom- up" or "grass roots" adoption process to
succeed. From this argument, the
importance of participation by school
leaders in the adoption of ICT in teaching
and learning processes in schools is
important. .
The pace of change confronting
organizations today has resulted in calls
for more adaptive, flexible leadership.
Adaptive leaders work more effectively in
rapidly changing environments by helping
to make sense of the challenges confronted
by both leaders and followers and then
appropriately responding to those
challenges. In other words, such leaders
are influential in approving or
disapproving new ideas. Adaptive leaders
work with their followers to generate
creative solutions to complex problems,
while also developing them to handle a
broader range of leadership
responsibilities.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:
From the literature review, certain actions
that must be carried out by the school
manager as part of providing leadership in
the adoption and use of ICT in teaching
and learning include creating teams to
implement use of ICT, supporting
professional development of teachers and
harnessing resources required to install
ICT infrastructure, It has also emerged
from the literature that working with an
ICT integration plan, having an ICT
maintenance and renewal plan, having a
policy on sharing ICT facilities with the
school community and school leader’s
proficiency in the use of ICT are
important factors in the ICT integration
equation. It is envisaged that all these
factors will have an influence on the extent
to which a school integrates ICT in
teaching and learning. These relationships
are illustrated in Figure.
