The access and effective use of information technology resources by students in senior high schools in Kumasi Metropolis

Abstract

The use of technology has seen a widespread integration into our day-to-day life, where access to vast amounts of information is now available with ease. Today’s generation of students have grown up with technology all around them in an ever-increasing manner. The effective use of ICT resources in teaching and learning in the second cycle of Ghanaian education is much less to be desired. The study was to analyze the availability, accessibility and user-ability of ICT resources by students of Senior High Schools in Ghana. The descriptive survey design with quantitative method was used in the study. The total population of the study was 6,692 SHS students, teachers and administrators. The study employed stratified, simple random and convenient sampling technique for selecting the sample size. The total sample of respondents was 180. The data collection instrument was questionnaire. The researcher used descriptive statistical tools to analyze data collected. The results revealed that students’ access to ICT resources in schools continues to remain a challenge. The researcher concluded that there was significant impact of the availability of ICT resources and ICT policies on effective use of ICT. It was recommended among others those policy makers and school administrators must consider again the process and implementation of ICT integration into teaching and learning in Senior High Schools in Ghana.