TEACHERS’ PREPAREDNESS IN IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMME IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ preparedness in implementing Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) in public primary special schools in Nairobi County. The study sought to achieve the following research objectives: find out the teachers’ ICT competency, availability of ICT resources, teachers’ perceptions, factors hindering the implementation of ICT, and strategies for improving DLP implementation in public special schools. The study was guided by the diffusion of innovation theory by Everett Rodgers. The study used mixed methods research (MMR). Specifically, the convergent parallel data bases variant was adopted where descriptive cross-sectional survey and phenomenology research designs were used concurrently. The target population consisted of teachers, headteachers from public special schools in Nairobi County, and Ministry of Education (MoE) officials. The sample consisted of one hundred and ninety (190) participants who included 136 teachers, 49 headteachers and 5 MoE officials. Data were collected through questionnaires, interview guides, observation guides, and document analysis guides. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages while qualitative data were analysed using thematic and content analysis. Chi-square test of association was used to test the three hypotheses at a minimum of 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that teachers in public primary special schools and units in Nairobi County were not adequately prepared to implement digital literacy programme (DLP) as expected. Findings indicated that lack of basic infrastructure such as lack of connection to stable power supply and inadequate ICT devices contributed to teachers’ inadequacy. In addition, most teachers were skilled in ICT use and most MoE officials had positive perception on ICT integration. Inadequate and inappropriate ICT devices in majority of special schools and units make it difficult to precisely determine teacher preparedness to implement digital literacy programme for children with disabilities. In addition, teachers who were technophobic feared that ICT devices could break or get stolen, and they would be forced to meet the replacement cost. The study recommends that the central government should uniformly provide adequate ICT resources to all public primary special schools in Nairobi County and by extension Kenya. The government should constantly build the capacity of teachers to keep them abreast with current technologies.