Exploring the extent of ICT adoption among secondary school teachers in Malaysia

Since year 2003, a wide range of ICT such as laptop, LCD projectors, trolley with speaker and UBS system, as well as software like power point, flash and interactive courseware have been used to support teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science throughout schools in Malaysia. In some schools, extra effort has been made to provide additional facilities like computer laboratories, wireless internet connection and local area network to assist teachers’ in their teaching and professional tasks. Ideally, teachers should be very receptive toward the adoption and implementation of ICT in education. Effective use of ICT with multimedia and graphics for example, enriches teaching and enhance interactivity in learning. With a large investment in the ICT infrastructure, and increased emphasis on the use of ICT in teaching, teachers are expected to be competent and effective in utilizing these tools. However, are all teachers ready and making full use of the ICT in schools? To what extent are teachers utilizing ICT tools in schools, how have they perceived their competency to be and what are their specific training and support needs, if any? The paper aimed to examine these issues. Surprisingly, results indicated that elderly teachers were eager to adopt ICT in schools. They were receptive to ICT and reported a high extent of ICT use in teaching and professional job. In general, teachers held a reasonably positive attitude towards ICT adoption in school, and those who received either prior to and on the job training recorded a higher competency in ICT. Respondents who were more competent in using computers reported more favorable perception towards ICT. On top of these, teachers who have been using ICT extensively in their daily routines still indicate high training and support needs. Respondents also felt that among the various stakeholders, teachers as the classroom practitioners should have a greater say in deciding how ICT is being used in schools.

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