Teachers' Perceptions about their Own and their Schools' Readiness for Computer Implementation: A South African Case Study

This case study, involving 30 participating teachers from six previously disadvantaged South African schools, provides data on teacher perceptions of the challenges related to implementing Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The schools had minimal resources as a residual result of the South African apartheid policy prior to 1994 and are located in areas that lack basic infrastructure. Twenty computers were provided to each of the schools by a donor solicited to support an ICT training intervention conducted by academics at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa. A quantitative Likert scale questionnaire, qualitative interviews and a qualitative open-ended questionnaire were used to gather data. These data suggest that, despite the fact of the schools were provided with computers and teacher training, several first and second order barriers still exist. Examples of these barriers are insufficient ICT resources for the large classes that have to be taught, lack of project leadership within the schools, and a need for ongoing training and support. These barriers appear to have not allowed the teachers and schools to go beyond an initial integration phase. The data generated, the literature consulted, as well as the involvement of the authors in the ICT implementation and training process over a period of two years, underpin the suggestions made for consideration when attempting to implement ICT focused interventions, particularly in schools with limited infrastructure and support. An implementation heuristic is proposed for consideration by those involved with ICT implementation in comparable situations.