Integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the teaching and learning of geography in selected schools of Petauke district of eastern province.
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Date
2021
Authors
chirwa, cosmas
Chirwa, Cosmas
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
This research was an attempt to establish how effective the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning of Geography was being done in selected schools of Petauke district. The aim of this study was to establish how best ICTs could be integrated in the teaching and learning of geography by teachers and learners in selected schools of Petauke district to ensure relevance of the Geography subject to the current and ongoing technological developments that are shaping the country’s social and economic growth. The objectives of the study were to identify ICT facilities that were available in the selected schools, to explore the extent to which ICT devices/platforms were being integrated in the teaching and learning of geography, and to establish the preparedness of teachers and learners in the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning of geography in selected schools of Petauke district.
The study was purely qualitative with a descriptive design and consisted of 28 participants. To achieve the study objectives, interviews and classroom observations were used to identify the available ICTs in schools and how effective their use was by both learners and teachers in the teaching and learning of Geography in the selected schools of Petauke district. Data collected was then analyzed thematically.
The study revealed that there was no convincing pedagogy developed yet by teachers to enable effective ICT integration in a constructivist approach and teachers were still stuck in the pedagogy of yester years. The study showed that perceptions about the value of ICTs for teaching did not tally with the realities of trying to integrate ICTs in the classroom. This was evident with learners just as much as with the teachers. There were a few barriers noted leading to the failure of effective integration of ICTs in Geography, which included limited ICT knowledge from the learners and the teachers, the cost of running and maintaining ICTs, power disruption, and non-availability of ICT resources.
It is therefore, recommended that there is need to set up Continuous Professional Development (CPD’s) programs as well as workshops for Geography teachers to educate and train them on pedagogical skills that will equip them with strategies to effectively integrate ICTs in lessons. Furthermore, schools through Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, should sensitise guardians of the learners on the benefits and demerits of ICTs so that learning should be an on-going process that does not just start and end in the classroom.
Description
Masters of Education in Geography Education
Keywords
Information and Communication Technologies --Geography--Study and teaching.