Primary teacher education trainees’ preparation for integration of information communication technology in their pedagogical practices in Uganda

Abstract

Teacher Trainees’ Information Communication Technology (ICT) competencies influence the application of educational technologies in teaching and learning. ICT has a significant impact on the changing scenario of education. It is a necessity for student teachers. The purpose of this study was to assess Primary Teacher Education (PTE) Trainees’ preparation for integration of ICT in their Pedagogical Practices in Uganda. The objectives of this study were; To assess PTE trainees’ ICT competencies for ICT Integration in their pedagogical practices; To explore the quality of ICT Infrastructure in PTE for trainees’ preparation in ICT integration in their pedagogical practices; To determine instructional modes used by tutors in preparation of PTE trainees for ICT integration in their pedagogical practices. The study used a cross-sectional, correlational survey design to collect data and establish the relationship between variables. For colleges, disproportionate stratified sampling technique and for students per selected college, convenient sampling was opted for. Geographically, this study was conducted in Primary Teachers Colleges, in the Central, Southwest, Western, Eastern and Northern Uganda. Only 2nd-year Primary Teacher Trainees (finalists) participated in this study. Out of 686 teacher trainees targeted, only 627 (91.4%) willingly returned the questionnaire. The study used a questionnaire to collect quantitative data. The data collected from the self-administered questionnaire were sorted, categorized and computerized using the 23.0 version of IBM SPSS for generation of descriptive and inferential statistics. Correlations were run to predict the relationships between the study variables, and moderation analysis was done using multiple regressions. Findings have indicated that there is a positive significant relationship between teacher trainees’ ICT competencies and their pedagogical practices. This relationship was found to be moderated by the tutor’s mode of instruction and ICT infrastructure. Recommendations have been made to all stakeholders in teacher education.