An assessment of public primary schools preparedness for the implementation of e – learning programmes in Emuhaya sub county Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the preparedness of public primary schools for the implementation of e – learning programmes in Emuhaya Subcounty in Kenya. Four specific objectives guided this study as follows: To establish the physical structures available to facilitate e – learning, quantities of electronic hardware and software available in schools, teacher preparedness in terms of knowledge and skills and the challenges which implementers were likely to face. The study employed an ex-post facto design with Critical Success Factors (CSFs) theory designed by Freund (1998). The target population of the study was 664 class teachers from 83 public primary schools, each school providing eight teachers. Simple random sampling method was used to select 25 public primary schools from 83 schools in the subcounty. The sample size comprised 200 class teachers as respondents selected from middle and upper primary classes. Questionnaires were administered to class teachers and their responses presented in frequencies and percentages for the purpose of data analysis. Pilot study was carried out in two schools. Chi-Square(x2) was used to test relationships between variables while Spearman’s rank correlation was employed to test the null hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed that 95% of public primary schools did not have computers and 79% had no electricity. The results of the study also revealed that 73% of teachers in public primary schools had not handled an e – learning lesson. The study recommends that implementation of e – learning programmes requires adequate provision of teaching and learning resources. Teachers’ engagement with materials from the internet needs the competency on how to use the new technologies effectively in the classroom for the benefit of the learners. Since e – learning is uniformly standardized, it is important to note that implementation of the innovation would eliminate excessive reliance on traditional methods of instruction. A paradigm shift in education would be created focused on integrated instructional approaches. This study would be found useful to policy makers and primary school teachers.