Lecturers’ acceptance and use of ICT tools in Ghanaian Colleges of Education

Abstract

In today’s modern world, technology has permeated every area of human existence. The education sector has been at the centre of technology acceptance and use. In my study, I investigated lecturers’ acceptance and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in teaching pre-service teachers at Colleges of Education in Ghana, using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the research framework. I employed a concurrent nested mixed-method research approach, in which quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were carried out independently yet concurrently. My research was carried out at 25 of Ghana’s 46 public colleges of education. For Phase I of my study, 400 lecturers from the 25 public institutions of education were purposefully sampled using nested concurrent sampling. Out of the 400 lecturers, 136 were conveniently sampled for Phase II of my study. A survey and lesson observations were used to collect data. The closed-ended questions of the survey constituted the quantitative data for my study, whereas the open-ended questions of the survey and the lesson observations constituted the qualitative data for my study. Quantitative data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that the constructs in the TAM, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude towards computers, were instrumental in determining the lecturers’ intention to use technology. A positive attitude towards using ICT tools influenced the lecturers’ intention to use technology. Moreover, each construct of TAM was shown to be real and capable of being represented by all indicators. As a result, the TAM model was found to be a valid model to explain the acceptance to use ICT tools among lecturers in Colleges of Education in Ghana. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the Ghanaian government must continue to make the necessary pedagogical ICT tools available for lecturers to use, and the lecturers must be trained to have the knowledge and abilities essential to effectively support their students’ use of ICT tools in learning.