Contextual Factors’ Correlates on Teachers’ ICT Beliefs and their ICT Use in Urban Slum Public Basic Schools in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the implementation of Information and Communications Technology for Education (ICT4E) in public basic schools situated in urban slums in Ghana. The research focused on contextual factors, teachers' ICT beliefs, and the extent of ICT usage in these educational settings. The primary objective is to investigate the relationships between contextual factors, teachers' beliefs about ICT, and their actual use of ICT in the classroom. Data were collected from 179 randomly selected teachers through a structured questionnaire using a cross-sectional survey design. The collected data were then analyzed using IBM SPSS v.26 and Pearson's correlation coefficient to examine the associations between the variables. The results reveal a weak but statistically significant relationship between contextual factors and teachers' ICT usage, suggesting that the environmental context plays a role in ICT adoption, albeit with limited influence. The study also finds a weak and statistically insignificant relationship between contextual factors and teachers' ICT beliefs, indicating that external conditions may not heavily impact teachers' attitudes toward ICT. Furthermore, the study identifies a very weak but statistically significant relationship between teachers' ICT beliefs and their ICT usage, implying that teachers' beliefs do have a minimal role in how they integrate technology into their teaching. The findings underscore the significance of considering contextual factors when implementing ICT in schools, particularly in resource-constrained environments such as urban slums. The study advocates for comprehensive and targeted interventions that address both the contextual challenges and the need to foster positive ICT beliefs among teachers. These interventions are crucial for establishing equitable and high-quality technology-enhanced learning environments that can yield long-term educational benefits.