The status of the integration of technology into junior high school science teaching in Wa Municipality

Abstract

This survey study explored the status of the integration of ICT in the teaching of integrated science in selected Junior High Schools in the Wa Municipality. The study explored the availability and use of ICT in teaching and the challenges encountered in the integration process. A Sample size of 96 respondents were purposively selected to provide information regarding their perception and views on the use of ICT to facilitate teaching of integrated science in the Wa municipality. Questionnaire and interview schedule were used to collect data for the study. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Even though, the Government of Ghana recognized the need for ICT in education through the implementation of policies, the state of ICT infrastructure and tools on the ground is not encouraging as access is below standard in the Wa Municipality. The study revealed that most of the schools in the Wa Municipality do not have ICT infrastructure to support the integration of technology in teaching. The study also revealed that most of the Junior High School science teachers do not possess adequate ICT competencies to integrate ICT in the teaching and learning process. However, many of the respondents were ready to integrate ICT in teaching if they are given the necessary training and ICT resources to support teaching. It is recommended that Science teachers in the Wa Municipality should be trained on how to integrate ICT in their teaching and not only on the general use of ICT tools. The stakeholders of Education in the Municipality should work towards providing a projector, laptop, standby generator and internet connectivity to every Public Junior High School in the Municipality to facilitate ICT integration in teaching at least three times a week. All public Junior High Schools should be connected to the National grid and also provided with a standby generator to power ICT equipment in the school.