Factors That Influence and Impede Implementation of Information Communication Technology in a Secondary School’s English Language Arts Classroom: Selected Tobago Teachers’ Perspectives
Date
2017
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Abstract
This qualitative case study investigated teachers’ perspectives regarding factors that influenced or impeded the implementation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom at a secondary school in Tobago. Data were collected through interviews with three teachers of the school. The findings indicated that although the teachers generally saw the need for, and the relative advantages of, ICT in the classroom, only one demonstrated an effort to employ the innovation. Of the other two teachers, one indicated that she did not use ICT, while the other indicated minimal use. The factors that were influential in the use of ICT in the classroom were found to be: 1) teachers’ understanding of the need and relative advantage of the innovation, 2) teacher effort, 3) team teaching, 4) prior teaching experience, 5) assistance from ICT experts, 6) teacher training, 7) the availability of ICT tools at the school, and 8) administrative support. Barriers to the use of ICT were identified as: 1) teacher competence, 2) the lack of infrastructure, 3) the lack of tools, 4) the lack of connectivity in the classroom, 5) the lack of training, and 6) the lack of time.