Information Communication Technology (ICT) Integration in Teaching and Learning in Selected Rural Secondary School in Burera District, Rwanda

Abstract

Studies conducted on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education posit its importance in all life domains, without exception to education. ICT has been a vehicle for aspiration, innovation, and quality academic achievement. This paper aimed to investigate the use of information and communication technology in the teaching and learning process at Ecole Secondaire Kagogo in Burera District, Rwanda. The study had two objectives: (1) to assess the benefits of using ICT in rural secondary schools, and (2) to examine the challenges preventing effective ICT integration in secondary schools. The study is descriptive, adopting a mixed-methods approach. Guided by the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DOI), the study involved a population of 114 participants with a purposive sample size of 52 respondents. Data were collected through a questionnaire and interviews with teachers and school leaders. Findings revealed that ICT enables teachers to share assessments with students and deliver the lessons; helps learners engage in peer assessments and independent learning; and that school leaders use ICT to share resources. Reports identified inadequate infrastructure and a lack of professional development as barriers to the effective integration of ICT into schools. It was recommended that the required facilities, resources, and ICT gadgets be supplied for rural secondary schools so they would not still lag behind in the use of ICT in teaching and learning.