The Effects of Information and Communication Technology Tools on Teaching and Learning: A Case Study of Presbytarian Boys’ Senior High School, Legon

Abstract

The study examined the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) tools used in teaching and learning, which is a case study of Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School in Greater Accra Region. The study is underpinned by Valsiner’s (1997) zone theory. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research designs were chosen for this study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the senior high school teachers in Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School. In all, 50 teachers were selected for the study and 20 heads of department were interviewed. Self-administered questionnaire was used as an instrument for the study. SPSS version 21.0 was the software used for the data analysis. Specifically, the study revealed that majority of the teachers had positive attitudes towards teaching with ICT tools. The findings of the study revealed that the teachers were confident or very confident with the basics of operating PC (using keyboards, mouse), using word processors (such as MS Word) and using PowerPoint software. However, majority of the teachers are not confident using spreadsheets (such as MS Excel). It was recommended that authorities of senior high schools in Ghana should collaborate with the Ghana Education Service, education stakeholders and development partners to expand ICT infrastructure on various senior high schools. Furthermore, the Government of Ghana should build more computer laboratories; increase the number of computers as well as Internet bandwidth and speed, this would help increase the rate at which teachers use ICT tools for teaching.