Teacher cognition of the integration of Information and Communication Technology in teaching English in Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The relevance of ICTs to English Language instruction stems from the fact that their use can enhance many aspects of education. ICT warrants teachers to adopt innovative classroom activities, thus enhancing the language learning process. ICTs continue to grow in importance and support teachers facilitate language instructions. The pedagogical skills are changing notably and there is increased demand for current set of innovations generating a knowledge gap between development of teachers’ technological knowledge from the programmes language teacher training institutions provide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate teacher cognition of the incorporation of ICT in teaching English in secondary schools in Nairobi County. The objectives of the study were: examine technological knowledge of a teacher of English for ICT integration, establish technological content knowledge of a teacher of English for ICT integration, determine technological pedagogical knowledge of a teacher of English for ICT integration, and find out teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and thinking towards incorporating ICT in teaching English. The study utilised mixed research approach which combined quantitative and qualitative techniques. The study was clamped on Pragmatist underpinned by two frameworks: Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Teacher Cognition. The study population constituted secondary school teachers of English in Nairobi County. The sample comprised 20 teachers of English selected by simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Interview guides and questionnaires were used to collect data. The data collection instruments were piloted and scrutinised by supervisors assured reliability and a triangulation was enforced to warrant validity. The investigation utilised a descriptive statistics (SPSS) V.20 for windows to analyse quantitative data summarised and presented using tables and the qualitative data were evaluated using content analysis techniques and presented in narratives premised on key themes deduced from the analysis. The findings demonstrated that 75% of the surveyed teachers of English had limited TPACK necessary to integrate ICT into their instruction successfully. The required training by English educators to incorporate technology into their instruction or the resources necessary to execute this were insufficient in most of the schools studied. Sixty-eight per cent of English teachers in the study indicated positive views and attitudes concerning incorporating ICT into English language instruction. The study concluded that teachers' mindsets were a necessity for the achievement of integrating ICT in teaching English language, teachers of English required adequate technical and pedagogical content knowledge as well as basic ICT capabilities to integrate ICTs into teaching successfully, and that setting ICT capacities does not inevitably lead to improvements in classroom practices, despite the ambitions of nationwide educational authorities. The study therefore, recommended that teachers get continual professional growth by incorporating ICT into instruction, emphasising the significance of ongoing professional training in ICTs to improve English language instruction. In addition, the study encourages policymakers to contextualise instructional support in a holistic view of ICTs for instructions by developing an ICT strategy that includes vision-building professionals, an ICT-based English content, pedagogical skills, and ICT facilities be enhanced.