January – June 2018
Why do township primary schools resist technology adoption?
Tasneem Motala
Tags Insights, Strategic ManagementArticle written by Tasneem Motala
To ensure that the South African public schooling system remains relevant and competitive in the current information society, the government has formulated policies focused on information and communications technology (ICT) integration in education. The 2004 White Paper on e-Education set a goal that every teacher and learner would be ICT-capable by 2013, and efforts are continuously being made to achieve this goal.
Technologies are, however, not always adopted uniformly by educators. Various studies have been carried out to determine the exact reasons for the resistance of teachers to technology. From the existing literature, the most common reasons for resistance are:
- The fear of students being more competent with technology
- Teachers’ low levels of confidence in technology usage
- Inappropriate device training
- Inappropriate pedagogical training
- Unrealistic existing workload.
Most studies have been performed in a developed world context where schools are well-resourced, teacher-to-student ratios are within acceptable limits, and teachers have access to technical support when required. However, approximately 38% of the South African population reside in townships where children attend schools that range from well-resourced to severely dysfunctional. The purpose of this study was thus to determine whether teachers in the unique context of a township school have any additional reasons for resisting technology apart from the barriers already identified in the literature.
Approximately 38% of the South African population reside in townships, where children attend schools that range from well-resourced to severely dysfunctional.
Research approach
A qualitative case methodology was selected as the most appropriate research paradigm. A private company was deliberately selected as the subject of the study owing to the experience and success that it has had in technology implementation projects at over 200 (urban, township and rural) schools in South Africa. Following a purposive sampling process, a project manager, facilitation manager and facilitators from the organisation were selected for interviewing. To include the views and opinions of the teachers, the facilitators were requested to select a school from the company’s portfolio which they believed would yield rich information arising from the initial resistance experienced towards the initiative, followed by the subsequent success of the programme. This relatively narrow scope resulted in a primary school, located in a township in Gauteng, being identified as the ideal candidate from which to source interviewees. The technology champion (also a teacher) at the school and senior teachers who were involved in the programme since inception were thus selected to be interviewed. Primary data were collected via semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the nine individuals identified in the sampling process. Thematic analysis was used to deduce the findings.
Greater clarity on the barriers
The reasons for resistance to technology integration as identified in previous studies were common to teachers in township schools in South Africa. However, a few additional barriers to technology integration that were not present in the literature were identified following analysis of the data.
No basic infrastructure
Although all schools faced challenges on a daily basis, schools in a township environment faced particular challenges. Resistance to a technology initiative could be expected if a school did not have access to basic infrastructure and amenities such as ablution facilities, desks and electricity. As noted by an interviewee:
‘There may be a community that doesn’t have running water … and all they want is running water. If you go in with technology for the children, it comes across as your idea of their priorities is skewed.’
The resistance in this case might have come not only from the teachers, but also from the community before the project was even implemented. Because the school was part of the community, there was no separation.
The CSI dumping ground
A rural school in which the company was to deploy devices had already been exposed to two technology initiatives, as described by a facilitator:
‘The school had a room with a row of old white computers. In front of this, they had a row of black computers. The problem was that companies had dumped their old equipment at the school, with absolutely no maintenance or support. The school used the computers until they broke, and now had to carry the cost of disposing [of] them. Frankly, it was cheaper for them to let the computers just sit there.’
If a school had had a bad experience with previous technology initiatives, the likelihood of resistance to a new programme increased, especially if the school failed to understand how the proposed programme differed from past initiatives. Resistance from teachers could emerge as a result of a view that the new technology would be a burden on the school itself, much like the previous projects which had been introduced.
Losing control
Primary school teachers tried to maintain an authoritative position and often favoured parent-child relationships with learners in order to stifle unruly behaviour in the classroom. A teacher voiced some frustration with regard to discipline in classes in which the devices were used:
‘Because there are a limited number of devices, every child wants to touch or fiddle with it. They sometimes don’t want to listen because they are so excited and then they talk too much. When this happens, I lose control of the class. I definitely have to exercise extra discipline when using the devices.’
This was a significant finding in an emerging economy context, where class sizes are large and teachers face a daily struggle in trying to provide individualised attention to students.
No personal access to devices
In 2017, World Wide Worx estimated internet penetration in South Africa at 40%. In the present study it was found that some older teachers in township schools still had basic mobile phones which were limited to audio calling and SMS functionality. The teachers who were interviewed did not have access to smart devices during their personal time, and were therefore not granted an opportunity to build their confidence in using such devices.
Principals were often reluctant to allow teachers to take devices home, as the principal was usually held personally responsible and accountable for the devices. Personal access was essential to encourage utilisation in the classroom, as explained by a facilitator:
‘It’s great that the learners have access to [the devices] at school, but when does the teacher actually have time to prepare for lessons? It’s something we’re factoring into our programmes going forward … maybe try to get individual devices for teachers so that they have personal access.’
Two learners per device was proposed by a teacher as the ideal ratio of learners to devices.
Ways to achieve greater success with technology integration
Functioning but under-resourced schools are the prime candidates for technology introduction. Schools that do not have basic infrastructure should not be immediately prioritised for technology projects. The allocated funds should instead be used to address the lack of basic necessities. It is important to identify these cases at the outset to prevent resistance to the programme later on.
The school’s history with technology programmes must also be considered. If past technology programmes were viewed as a burden, the reasons for this view must first be probed to avoid similar attitudes to the proposed programme. It is also the responsibility of corporate South Africa to manage technology donations over the project life cycle, so that schools are not saddled with the responsibility of having to dispose of redundant hardware. The number of devices handed over to the school should be determined based on the number of learners per class. Two learners per device was proposed by a teacher as the ideal ratio of learners to devices. This ratio will allow teachers to maintain classroom discipline while students will learn how to share and how to work together to solve a problem. It is also possible that the assurance of personal access to a device will result in greater buy-in from teachers as they will feel that the programme benefits them not only in their professional environment, but also personally.
‘Resistance to a technology initiative could be expected if a school did not have access to basic infrastructure and amenities such as ablution facilities, desks and electricity.’
There is no doubt that technological devices are tools that can help to level the educational playing field between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Owing to a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic reasons, teachers sometimes resist technology initiatives. Consideration must be paid to unique circumstances, experiences and contexts to reduce the impact of the barriers to technology integration.
Tasneem Motala is a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. Her research interests include Process Improvement, the Impact of Operational Interventions on Organisational Behaviour, and Service Excellence.
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Good day Ms Motala
The study is looking at the very important issue of technology adoption in disadvantged communities. The study pupulation is teachers and their reasons for resisting technology in the classroom.
If I make a comparator of scholars being the driver of technology adoption at their schools, I wonder what would be the outcome?
I understand and respect the used methodology. The results show a generally negative outcome , as described by the teachers. The limitation in this study being that it doesnt give learners an opportunity to give their perspectives on how technology could be integrated into their daily learning.
What would happen if we were to look for an enthusiastic study population, the one that is playing with their phones and tablets in class, and ask them how to bring this enthusiasm into formal learning. Part of that study could look at how many scholars already have cellphones with access to internet and social networks. My subjective probability is thinking a high likelihood. Building on this and creating a positive learning enviroment that is being led by the scholars themselves would make the goal faster to achieve.
My limited insights.
Thanks
Mthetheleli
I am in Uganda
Greenhill academy
I relate With your findings
Do you have a contact in Uganda?
we intend to up grade usage and staff knowledge very soon and need a process
regards
jvm
Is the pdf available of this research?
Thank You
A very important study item, thank you for caring. I live and work in Mdantsane, East London, in the Eastern Cape, this community is previllaged with 25 active high schools and almost each and everyone of these schools has had some technology donated to it in one way or the other; computer labs and tablets collect dust in all these schools.
The inherent challenge which still boggles the mind is that not a single high school has its own website in all these 25 high schools; this translates to the schools administration having no appetite for technology( a Facebook page is not a website) a school managing its own website stimulates even the students to manage a certain aspect of that digital platform.
The generational gap between Teacher and child is just too vast “a teacher who taught me in grade 4 is still teaching the same class 14 years later and there is no real evidence to demonstrate what kind of upskilling has taken place to facilitate the transition of dealing with millennials to working with Digital natives. Kids understand the superiority of the technology available out there but they still go to a classroom of a wooden desk and plastic chair with a chalk board and not a single trace of the technologically advanced world they live in outside the schools walls. Most schools have a rule of no cellphones and school premises and a company goes and installs a WiFi Connection at the school “who uses that internet connection? “.
Visit any teachers stuff room in a township and see their filling system “paper prone” this could be solved by a simple desk top and managing workload on a pc programme. Mindset shift programs could benefit the integration of technology in schools, teachers need to be facilitated to a year in advance before rolling out any technology programme.
Technology alone will not fix our education. Provide technology to schools and teachers first. Once that has been done should technology be introduced to children. I teach at a top school with excellent results and the pupils do not use ebooks nor iPads or other devices. Competent and motivated teachers are the keys to success. The working environment of teachers in the broadest sense will make them stay and perform.
I have read this study with interest but I am very critical of the title which is misleading based on the research methodology used. While the National Governament provides policy objectives these are adopted and implemented by various Provincial departments. A major weakness of this study is that random sampling is used and in the triangulation of data the voice of government ends at strategic policy, these studies will be more objective if you analyze Provincial Government roll out plans. While Gauteng has its own challenges various international bodies such as Unesco acknowledge the massive roll out of ICT in the Province. Gauteng offers onsite support and training to teachers and this has been implemented since 2015. Training is not devise oriented and focuses on subject specific training. We have also introduced online Professional Teacher Development MG Online which is an open educational resource. A phased in approach has been used and a selected number of schools totalling 476 are currently part of the roll out. This study similar to other international studies are silent on roll out plans and milestones of Government. In addition the sampling is often done on schools that are not part of the roll out. I think the writer needs to engage the ICT implementing teams of various Provincial Governments.
I do fully agree with Xolisile