ABSTRACT
The use of computers world over has changed the way we do many things. In the developed world, the integration of computers in teaching and learning has proved to be a worthwhile experience. This study sought to establish the availability and utilization of computers for teaching and learning Business Studies in Nairobi County‟s Westlands district – Kenya. The objectives of this research were: (i) to investigate the availability and accessibility of general purpose computers to teachers and learners of Business Studies in Westlands district secondary schools of Nairobi County. (ii) To ascertain the ways in which teachers and learners use computers for teaching and learning purposes in Business Studies. (iii) To probe the attitude of Business Studies teachers and learners towards the use of computers in teaching and learning of Business Studies. (iv) To explore the main benefits of using computers in teaching and learning of business studies in Nairobi County‟s Westlands secondary schools.
(v) To investigate the challenges that teachers and learners of Business Studies experience in relation to the use of computers for teaching and learning respectively. The study was significant because its findings can be used to help teachers, students and teacher training institutions to improve the availability, accessibility and use of computers in education and eventually help in achieving Kenya‟s economic blueprint Vision 2030. This study was guided by Bates ACTIONS theory. The independent variables were teacher and learner characteristics, computer as a teaching/learning resource and teaching strategies. The dependent variables were; improved teaching environment, class participation and improved performance in exams. This research was a descriptive study that used both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The target population was made up of all the head teachers, Business Studies teachers and students of the 23 secondary school in Westlands District. The researcher used stratified sampling in order to ensure all types of schools were represented. In each category, simple random sampling was used to pick the sample population. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and observation then analysed using percentages, frequencies and charts. This study found that head teachers were aware of the general trend towards the use of computers in education. It also found that although both teachers and students have a positive attitude toward the use of computers in the teaching and learning 62.5% of teachers did not use them for instructional purpose. The most pressing challenges were; low literacy levels, lack of time within teaching time and a fact that teachers were not taught how to use the computer as a teaching resource. The researcher concludes that there is willingness to use computers to teach but patience is required as the positive attitude precedes the implementation of teaching resources such as the computer. One of the recommendations of this study is a revision of the curriculum to allow integration of this emergent technology in our classrooms at all levels and in all subjects because computers are now an inevitable tool of trade in all spheres regardless of the career choice of any person.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Computers‟ role in learning is simplification of reality, often with exaggerated cause-effect linkages which can be very effective in a teaching context (Garson 1987). Reid & Rushton (1985) recognise that there is little room for scepticisms over the growing importance of computers in education. Useful as teaching resources are, they cannot replace the teacher (Twoli et al. 2007); and the computer is one such resource. However, a lot depends on the availability and utilization of computers in the classroom.
According to Shue (2009), computers were introduced in American schools in 1965 and were mostly used for administrative purpose. Molnar (1997) explained that computers were not widely accepted in American schools during the 1950s and 1960s because it was difficult and expensive to house the huge machines that they were during that period of time. However, Apple II computers found widespread acceptance in education around the year 1983 (Murdock & Desburg 1994). David (1991) in her report presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association described a research and development collaboration among public schools, universities and research agencies that Apple
– the Computer Company – initiated in 1985 and sustained through 1995 with outstanding results. It was named the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT). Its goal was to examine how the routine use of technology especially the computer- related technologies by teachers and students would change teaching and learning.
Virtually, no modern public or private school could exist in the United States of America without a computer lab and computer instructions in the 90s (Murdock & Desburg 1994).
The assumption that computer technology has become an essential part of the basic school curriculum was summed up in the report of the United States Department of Education (1996); the report referred to computers in the classroom as “the „new basic‟ of American education,” and to the Internet as “the blackboard of the future”. Murdock & Desberg (1994) says that in 1985, California Legislature passed a senate bill that established a technology component in the state‟s teaching credential requirements for California teachers. Emphasis was on computer based technology; thus an organization called the Association of State Technology Using Teacher Educators (ASTUTE) was formed and became an instrumental force in helping improve the way teachers were taught to use educational technology.
In Britain, computers were used in many schools around the year 1984 (Hermes 2008). Candau, Hannafin, Doherty, Judge, Kuni and Yost (2003) wrote a manual in Britain with the goal of helping teachers learn how to use the computer technology to effectively create a learning environment that would provide opportunities for students to interact with content in a meaningful way. According to Candau et al (2003), preparing young people for the future goes beyond the issue of getting them ready to work; they also need new skills as computer technology continues to be woven into their daily lives.
A study done by Afshari, Bakar, Luan, Fool, & Samah, (2010) in Pakistan showed that the Ministry of Education in Iran invested a great deal of funds to facilitate the integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in schools. They observed that school leaders and teachers in Iran were key factors in ICT implementation in schools – because teachers make decisions on whether or not to integrate resources in schools. Lara & Whitter (1996) explain that using computer technology improves students‟ learning process. In Nigeria, Fakeye (2010) say that beginning and experienced teachers can benefit from the role that computers play; beginning teachers can access a wealth of teaching resources while old teachers can share their knowledge with those who seek it. He also outlines the fact that the Nigerian federal government conducted a pilot project of integrating computers in sixty secondary schools and colleges with reasonable success although access to computer resources was the biggest barrier in both rural and urban areas.
In Kenya a study done by Wabuyele (2006) investigated teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions and experiences towards computer use in Kenyan classrooms. Results from his in-depth interviews, participant observations and document analysis revealed that both teachers and administrators view the use of computers in Kenyan classrooms as worthwhile; computer-using teachers were enthusiastic and spoke positively about computer use, whereas non-computer- users felt left behind technologically. According to Wabuyele (2006), teachers reported feeling unprepared by teacher training colleges in the area of the use of computers in the classrooms, and they expressed the need to provide both practising and pre-service teachers with professional development opportunities in
teaching technology. He suggested that teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions and experiences play a significant role in the use of computers in Kenyan classrooms and hence the need to provide pre-service and in-service training programs to enable them to successfully teach using computers in the classrooms.
Ivers (2003) confirmed that beginning and experienced teachers can benefit from the role that computers play in teaching and learning; beginning teachers can access a wealth of teaching resources and learning opportunities via the internet as well as collaborate online with other teachers. Experienced teachers have these same benefits, as well as the opportunity to share their expertise with others. Ivers (2003) further confirms the situation in Kenya; that many veteran teachers have had to learn how to use computers on their own.
In Kenya, teachers are not required – as a matter of policy – to instruct using the computer and its related technologies. However, one of the flagship projects for education and training in Kenya Vision 2030 is to establish a computer supply programme that will equip students with modern Information Technology (IT) skills (the government of the Republic of Kenya 2007). The ministry of Information and Communication (2006) drew up an ICT policy document touching on different areas including education. In this policy, the government agrees that there is need to strengthen and streamline ICT training through promoting ICT in education at primary, secondary, tertiary and community levels. Many teachers agree that the use of computer technology enhances teaching and learning a conclusion well drawn by Wabuyele (2006) in his research.
While the use of Computer Based Instructions is prolific in most developed world schools, it is still a dilemma that poses great challenges to the majority of Kenyan teachers with regards to their perception and the roles they should play as they cope with this emergent technology. (Tanui, Kiboss, Wabala & Nassiuma 2008). According to Smerdon et al. (2000) advances in modern computer technology have changed the way we do many things including the way we learn, study and communicate. What goes on in the classroom today is impacted upon by the computer technology and will likely affect the skills that today‟s children learn in schools and the way they are taught to function in the world (Kashorda, Waema, Omosa, & Kyalo 2007).
Computers have been used at the university level in Kenya to teach Business Studies related courses such as Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Banking and others. However, at the secondary school level it is not very clear whether Business Studies teachers use computers where they are available to them. It is clear though that some teachers of Business Studies may be using computers even if it is only for the preparation of examinations and or for social purposes. This research therefore endeavoured to establish whether computers were available at the secondary school level and if so verify whether they were used by Business Studies teachers and their learners for teaching and learning purposes.
Statement of the Problem
Computers are useful in teaching and learning because they make the work of teachers easier; for example computers are used in demystifying complex concepts in different subjects. Computers help students learn better by enhancing
their learning environment and increasing learning resources. Availability of computers to Business Studies teachers is the first stage in the successful adoption of computers in teaching the subject in secondary schools. This is because teachers can only be competent and interested users of computers as teaching tools if they are available and easily accessible. Teachers will not adopt computer technologies into their instructional tasks if computers are not available in the first place.
There are many challenges that hinder the process of using computers in the classroom. However, when effectively used, computers have a dramatic effect on teachers and learners as concluded by Reid & Rushton (1985). But, where computers are not used effectively, they do not add value to teaching and learning.
The role played by computers in the teaching of Business Studies in Kenyan secondary schools is not obvious. This study was done to establish the extent to which computers were available to teachers and learners and whether they used them for teaching and learning Business Studies in Westlands secondary schools. The evolution of microcomputers in the classrooms has been influenced by many factors. Candau et al. (2003) observes that teachers are the critical link in achieving effective computer technology integration in schools. Positive teacher attitude encourages the use of computers while a negative one hinders their use in the teaching and learning environment. The researcher therefore sought to reveal whether it is worthwhile using computers in teaching and learning of Business Studies where they are available and accessible to teachers and learners.
