Developing an Information Communication Technology Infrastructure Management Archetype for Effective Integration of ICT in Secondary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to develop an ICT infrastructure management archetype for ICT integration in public secondary schools. The study was guided by three research questions whose objectives were; First, to find out the status of management framework for ICT integration in public secondary schools in terms of ICT infrastructure, implementation of school ICT policy, school leadership and teachers’ ICT competence, secondly to establish if there were significant differences between the status of management framework for ICT integration of public secondary schools which successfully integrated ICT and those which did not succeed in terms of ICT infrastructure, implementation of school ICT policy, school leadership and teachers’ ICT competence and thirdly to determine which ICT management practices can be put in place in schools to enhance successful integrate of ICT. The study was predicated on appropriate technology theory advanced by Reijswould in 2005. A concurrent mixed methods design was used in the study which had a sample of 22 public secondary schools in Kakamega county and 356 respondents drawn from the senior management teams in the schools. A questionnaire was used to collect data, an interview carried out among the ICT champions and a sub county director of education. Observation and documentary analysis were used to triangulate the responses from the questionnaires and interviews. The study findings indicated that schools that integrated ICT had a higher level and status of ICT infrastructure as compared to those that did not integrate, there was significant difference between schools that integrated ICT as compared to those that did not in terms of ICT infrastructure, implementation of school ICT policy, school leadership and teachers’ ICT competence. Schools should adequately plan for procurement of adequate ICT equipment as well as capacity build teachers in order to achieve ICT integration. Measures should be put in place by MoEST and school BOMs to ensure ICT integration. The study recommends that schools should procure adequate and appropriate ICT equipment that should be well maintained. The school leadership should formulate ICT policy to guide the implementation process of ICT integration. School leaders should provide ICT leadership in the school.