Perception of Religious and Moral Education Tutors towards Technology Integration

Abstract

: This study sets out to investigate the perception of RME tutors in the Colleges of Education in the Volta and Eastern Regions of Ghana towards technology integration. The research design employed for the study was a descriptive survey. Twenty-four (24) RME tutors were involved in the study. The census method was used to involve all the 24 RME tutors in the Colleges of Education in the two regions for the study. The main instrument used for data collection was questionnaires. Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS version 16.0) was used to process the data. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to analyse and discuss the data. The study revealed that RME tutors have positive perception (in terms of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) towards technology integration. It is recommended that RME tutors be encouraged and motivated to use technology frequently in teaching-learning activities. Again, tutors should do well to provide a conducive and technology-enabled classroom in order to give pre-service teachers the opportunity to learn how to integrate technology into their lessons. Further research should also be conducted on a nationwide basis to provide a more in-depth study into issues relating to technology integration in the Colleges of Education. teachers have positive perception towards technology integration. The teachers ‘appreciated the role of technology in promoting teaching and learning’ (p. 50). It was found that the use of technology assists students in improving their academic achievement and grades. Again, the study indicated that students’ motivation increases as a result of using technology in teaching. Thus, the teachers view technology as an essential requirement for their classes. Moreover, a study conducted by Amengor (2011) on history teachers’ perception of ICT showed that the use of technology promotes teaching and learning in that it makes teaching more effective (95.6%); it helps to meet the varying needs of learners (80.6%); and increases productivity (85.1%). The study was a census survey and was conducted among 78 history teachers in both Cape Coast and Kumasi Metropolises. The questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The results of the study showed that respondents had fairly good perception towards technology. Sim and Lau (2014) researched into teachers’ perceptions of the use of information technology as an instructional tool in Mathematics and Science in Malaysia. The study made use of survey method to collect basic data on the current practice of ICT in the teaching of Mathematics and Science in secondary schools, and to investigate teachers’ needs for training and support in relation to the effective use of ICT. In all, 250 Mathematics and Science teachers from 18 public schools in Kuching, Sarawak participated in the study. The findings revealed that the use of technology has a positive impact on teaching and learning, in that it makes teaching and learning more effective. It was also found that the use of technology makes teachers more organised in their work, and better able to meet the varying needs of learners. The findings further indicated that 85% of teachers were willing to integrate more ICT applications into their teaching. Use of technologies such as interactive whiteboard, projectors, videos, digital cameras, computers, and the Internet is intended to enable teachers to facilitate learning more effectively and enhance students’ understanding of concepts which are expected to translate into expansion of knowledge and improved examination outcomes.