Bringing Digitalisation in the Classroom: A Study of Secondary School Teachers’ Perception towards ICT Integration in Classroom Activities in Bangladesh
Download_PDF Article
Download Graphical Abstract
Bringing Digitalisation in the Classroom: A Study of Secondary School Teachers’ Perception towards ICT Integration in Classroom Activities in Bangladesh
Abstract
Integration and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in education is a widespread phenomenon in the pedagogical approach nowadays. Though this concept has been relatively new in the field of secondary education in Bangladesh, the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to adapt to technology-based education. Therefore, this small-scale qualitative study focused on finding how teachers react to integrating ICT into educational practices. The main objective of the study is to analyse the level of teachers’ acceptance of ICT as their teaching tool. The data was collected by interviewing 11 teachers from six different public and private secondary schools in Bangladesh. Despite many educators expressing agreement with the revised instructional approach, their motivation remains subdued due to various obstacles and a lack of recognition for the execution. To attain the objective of sustainable ICT integration in secondary schools across Bangladesh, teachers advocated for incentives and consistent oversight, alongside the enhancement of school infrastructure.
Keywords
Technology in education, Teacher’s perception, Secondary education, ICT, Bangladesh
JEL Classification
I20, I21
1. Introduction
ICT is the acronym for Information and Communication Technology, which can also be defined as a combination of computer, video, and telecommunication technologies, as observed in the use of multimedia computers and networks and services that are based on them (Van Damme, 2003). ICT in education is the mode of education that uses this technology to support, enhance, and optimise the delivery of information (Voogt & Pelgrum, 2005; Farhana, 2023). In this new era of globalisation, the implementation of ICT in education has become increasingly prominent (Nair & Hindle, 2013). The integration of ICT into education possesses the capacity to transform, contemporary, and overhaul pedagogical procedures, effectively connecting conventional and technological methodologies (Mulimani & Naikar, 2022). Governments across numerous developing nations have undertaken endeavours to enhance the standard of education by integrating ICT tools and methodologies (Kaur & Aggarwal, 2017). Hereafter, in this study, the term ICT refers to using digital content and presenting it in the classroom by using computer and multimedia devices.
Hence, like tens of thousands of educators in numerous other developing nations, secondary school educators in Bangladesh adhered to traditional teaching approaches. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the integration of ICT into the educational process inspires students and instructors to engage in practical discussions and fosters a greater desire for knowledge (Goswami, 2014). Certain scholars have characterised ICT as an innovative and engaging instructional instrument (Watson & Watson, 2011). The Government of Bangladesh subsequently issued a new education policy in 2010 that emphasised the incorporation of ICT as a means of instruction. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has implemented internet connectivity and established multimedia classrooms in a significant number of institutions nationwide (a2i, 2022).
During the digitisation process, experts from the Ministry of Education determined that teachers are the most crucial group to train in the implementation of these technologies in the classroom. Following that, the training was implemented via a range of government initiatives, and a portal for teachers was created, serving as an open resource for digital content created by educators throughout the nation (a2i, 2022). Bangladesh has almost 23,000 secondary schools and over 500,000 teachers adopting technology as a new teaching tool (BANBEIS, 2022), however, the perceptions of educators regarding the integration of technology into their teaching and learning activities after receiving training from various authorities remain the subject of very few studies.
This study aims to investigate the perspectives of teachers regarding the integration of technology in education, with a specific focus on their level of readiness for digitising the classroom, their drive to implement technology in the classroom, and the challenges they face when attempting to utilise technologies for instructional purposes.
Research question:
- To what extent are teachers prepared and motivated to integrate technology into their teaching practices and develop digital instructional materials?
- What are the perceived benefits and challenges of using technology in teaching, as identified by teachers?
2. Literature Review
Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are one of the main initiators of the use of technologies in instructional settings (Almusalam, 2001). According to Mumtaz (2000), teachers’ beliefs about integrating ICT in teaching and learning are the core part of ICT implementation in education.
Secondary school educators in Bangladesh encounter a multitude of obstacles when attempting to integrate ICT into the classroom. The challenges encompass inadequate teacher training, unfavourable socio-economic conditions, limited internet access and speed, scarcity of ICT equipment, insufficient technological exposure among students, and power supply disruptions (Kugelman, 2023). In addition to teaching ability, the availability of ICT laboratories, and teachers’ preferences and usage of ICT, the efficacy of school are the elements that affect ICT integration in schools’ teaching learning (Baten, Hossain & Zabir, 2022). Moreover, numerous obstacles hinder the implementation of ICT in classrooms worldwide, including in Bangladesh (Kabir, Biswas & Begum, 2021).
Farid et al (2021), found that a lack of expertise in using technology pushes teachers to compromise their authority in class. Lack of technical support and the expectation of making mistakes while using technology in the classroom during teaching have reduced teachers’ confidence and caused teachers to avoid its use (Khan et al., 2012). In other words, training for teachers is one of the essential elements of implementing ICT in the teaching-learning process. It also solves pedagogical issues for the teachers. Other things, such as ICT skills, computer self-efficacy, government policies on ICT literacy, and infrastructure facilities (Ali, Haolader, & Muhammad, 2013), can also change people’s views on using ICT in the classroom.
Lower knowledge about computers or other technology is correlated with lower exposure to using technology. With the assistance of ICT, many teachers utilised computers to prepare lectures, access educational materials, and lead multimedia classes. Nevertheless, a considerable proportion of educators were not utilising ICT tools, potentially attributable to classroom computer shortages (Farhana & Chowdhury, 2018; p.28). Teachers with previous experience in ICT usually use technology frequently in their teaching. They think ICT has made their instruction process more manageable and smoother (Isman, Evirgen, & Cengel, 2008; Tondeur et al., 2007).
A young teacher using ICT can enhance lesson preparation and classroom activities by utilising word processors for drafting and editing lesson plans, spreadsheets for student performance tracking and analysis, and presentation software for delivering engaging and interactive lectures with multimedia elements. This approach improves productivity, quality, and student engagement in teaching.
If a young teacher uses ICT to enhance lesson planning and classroom activities, they can use word processors to write and edit lesson plans, spreadsheets to track and analyse student performance, and presentation software to give interesting, interactive lectures with multimedia elements. This method makes training more productive, better, and more engaging for students (Majumder, 2015). Teachers’ confidence concerning their pedagogical use of ICT mostly depends on finding related and useful materials for class; they may be taken from the internet or any other sources. Teachers’ competence in using ICT also affects the adoption of classroom practices (Law & Chow, 2008).
3. Methodology
This exploratory study aims to investigate and comprehend the perspectives of participants. Qualitative research methods were utilised due to the narrative that qualitative data conveys and the ability to scrutinise issues that require meticulous consideration of context, subtlety, and detail.
The researcher has chosen twenty-one teachers from eight separate educational institutions located in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Schools were chosen at random from the register supplied by the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. The researcher selected teachers who have completed in-service training on the development and implementation of digital pedagogy training. For the remaining materials for instruction to partake in the interview. In one educational institution, a mere two instructors possessed seven schools, the researcher selected trained teachers through simple random sampling to participate in the interviews.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. To acquire thorough information pertaining to each subject matter, an interview guide was formulated, comprising open-ended inquiries. Due to the open and fluid nature of the discussions, it was possible to take up and share ideas raised by previous interviewees with subsequent interviewees, which led to a process of improvement (Beardsworth & Keil, 1992). Additional follow-up questions had arisen from the interviewee’s discussion.
Considering the literature evaluation, the investigator utilised open coding and developed instruments utilising the resulting codes for this investigation. Synthesising the literature review helped determine important preliminary themes and categories related to the study issue. The researcher used these topics as an initial foundation for the open-coding process. The researcher then conducted a preliminary reading analysis on the collected data to identify the subject. This stage did not involve the application of specific codes. Instead, the main objective was to become familiar with the data and identify any emerging concepts that were consistent with the themes highlighted in the literature research. The open-coding technique included a meticulous analysis of the qualitative data to find distinct text sections that constituted significant information units.
We assigned a descriptive code that encompassed the content of each segment. This procedure was iterative and required many readings of the data. The logical derivation of codes indicates their direct origin from the data, rather than their conventional origin. According to Corbin and Strauss (2008) establishing themes that indicate the correct status of data should always be supported.
Ethical Considerations
The objective of the research and its purpose were explained to the participants. Consent had been sought from the participants before starting the interview. Respondents were assured and guaranteed that the collected data would be managed with the highest level of confidentiality and that each of them was free to withdraw themselves from the study at any time without any explanation to the researcher. The respondents were also informed about their right to have access to the result of the study. Finally, others’ work included in the study has been properly referenced to avoid plagiarism.
Limitations
This data of the study has been collected only from the schools in Dhaka education board. This does not represent the overall situation of the whole country. The scenario can be different in the rest of the country. Admittedly, there is more space to conduct further research on this topic.
Findings
Teacher’s preparation for digitising the classroom
Teachers now get one to three weeks of training from government projects on the implementation of ICT in their teaching process. They evaluate this training as highly intensive and impactful. On the other hand, as most of the teachers have no previous idea about ICT inclusion in pedagogy, they demand some reading materials before they join training, which may help them participate in training activities more conveniently. They also appreciate the chance to share their knowledge with other teachers during the training. Teachers who do not get early access to the training facilities from government stakeholders can also get “in-house training” through trained teachers in their own schools. One teacher who participated in this research claimed she trained almost fifty teachers through “in-house training”.
As digitalisation in education is comparatively a new idea in Bangladesh and there are thousands of teachers who still have not gotten the training, making digital content according to the curriculum is an unrealistic expectation for them. Thus, the Ministry of Education provides a common online platform for teachers where one can share their content and other teachers can use it in their class by downloading it. Though there is a good amount of content now in the digital portal, with the change of curriculum a lot of them will not be useful anymore. In the meantime, teachers are trying to make content by themselves, but it is also time-consuming and, in some cases, not possible as they must take more than 25 classes in a week. Time constraints are a massive barrier to their way of implementing technology in the classroom. Moreover, most schools are not equipped with the necessary infrastructure and devices, which can lead the teachers to be obliged to use modern technology as a part of their instruction methods.
Teachers’ motivation to use technology in classroom practice
Teachers believe that incorporating current technologies like multimedia into their lessons makes the class more student-centred compared to older techniques. They contend that using actual objects in the classroom helps learners engage fully with their senses and attention. They attentively listen to the teacher and complement it with visuals to have a deeper comprehension of the subject. While teachers acknowledge that students are more involved in classroom activities when technology is included in teaching and learning, some educators are still hesitant to employ technology consistently.
According to most participants in this study (16 out of 21), the absence of instruments such as multimedia projectors, computers, and the Internet in every classroom is hindering their frequent use of technology. The government has supplied laptops or projectors to schools; however, the quantity is insufficient for each school. It is not feasible to simultaneously use technology in many classes. Besides, the teachers who are interested in using technologies often get no recognition or compensation from the school administration or managing committee for teaching using digital materials. Instructors assert that the consistent use of ICT in the classroom requires covering expenses such as internet, computers, and energy, which is not feasible for many instructors. Teachers prefer spending more time at private coaching centres rather than developing digital material at home.
All instructors included in the study emphasised the significance of evaluating teachers’ classroom performance throughout their advancement. Currently, advancements or promotions are only based on the length of time in the profession, which fails to encourage instructors to use technology and create more interactive and student-focused classrooms. Furthermore, they said that without the ability to control the expenses related to the internet and other technical equipment independently, it would be impossible to encourage instructors to include digitalisation in the classroom.
Teachers’ dilemma on using technologies in teaching
Integrating modern technologies in the classroom remains a perplexing concept for many senior and seasoned instructors in Bangladesh. Although schools choose instructors based on their seniority for training, experienced teachers are sometimes reluctant to incorporate new technology into their classroom practices due to their long-standing reliance on old techniques.
Some instructors who are close to retirement lack enthusiasm for adopting new teaching methods or using new instructional technologies due to just completing their training. One instructor included in the study stated, “I was selected for the training by the school administration due to my seniority. However, I plan to retire next year and prefer not to alter my teaching approach at this time.” Students’ focus shifts away from my speech when presented with visual material, hindering the progression to the following subject.
Discrepancies occur among untrained or domestically educated teachers due to differences in the utilisation of technology. If a proficient educator lacks excitement for incorporating technology into their teaching approach, it might discourage other instructors from adopting technology in the classroom. The social science instructor said that they had not used multimedia technology in their classrooms, relying mostly on lecture techniques and teaching with the use of poster sheets and chalkboards. Nevertheless, “My pupils are doing well on the exam in my subject”. The insufficient arguments for my wish to adapt to a new instructional framework hindered my choice of technology.
4. Results and Discussions
Teachers consider their training very well designed and helpful, but they want more follow-up training in school to develop their skills in using technologies in everyday teaching. Under the teacher-led digital content development initiative, teachers learned to develop and present digital content for their classroom and use it in the multimedia classroom to explain difficult concepts with text, pictures, and animations. Though all the teachers understand the benefits of using modern technologies in the teaching-learning process, half of them are still not convinced enough to use them on a regular basis. Teachers who are interested in implementing technology are still learning to make digital content according to their teaching subjects, and the rarity of ready-made content is pushing them back to some extent. Teachers also find making digital content time-consuming, for which they do not get any reward or appreciation from authority.
Because of the excessive workload, they cannot give time to improve or develop new digital content. Though few teachers are engaged with different government projects and get a little financial benefit from them.
Lack of resources is the most common barrier for schools, according to teachers, and this issue demotivates most of them. Despite the growing presence of electronic equipment in schools, there is still an inadequate amount to be used consistently in every classroom. Besides, highly experienced teachers have the confidence to manage and teach students without digitising classroom activities; in some cases, they are quite strict with their long-time methods and materials. On the other hand, there is a lack of monitoring or supervision from government authorities who trained teachers to implement ICT in their teaching process, which gave teachers more flexibility not to use technologies in their activities.
According to the findings above, teachers do not have enough positive opinions regarding using technology in their daily classroom practices. Based on the findings, the author provides the below recommendations to maximise the implementation of ICT in secondary education:
-
- A teacher should be provided follow-up training and supervision, which can help them make improved digital content according to the curriculum.
- School management and administration need to motivate teachers to use technology on a regular basis and give them the proper recognition for managing digital classroom activities (for example, giving them credentials or awarding them in annual programs)
- There should be a particular budget at the school level for the maintenance of the technological devices and for adding necessary devices as needed.
- School management should pick comparatively young teachers for sending in training who are interested in new ideas for the teaching learning process. Besides, they need to encourage the teachers who have received pertinent training through government initiatives to share their expertise with their coworkers through “in-house training” in their respective schools.
- Infrastructure development is necessary to present digital content for all the classes in the schools. Providing more resources such as computers, projectors, and uninterrupted internet connection will encourage more teachers to use technologies in their classroom teaching.
5. Conclusions
When it comes to digitalising its industries, Bangladesh is still in its infancy. If it comes to the education sector, appropriate stakeholders are quickly realising that digitisation has many advantages. Furthermore, the effective digitalisation of education necessitates the application of information and communication technology to its fullest extent. Teachers are among the most essential stakeholders because their perceptions of and willingness to use information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching activities have the potential to significantly alter the way teaching and learning are carried out. Although it is feasible for educators to comprehend the advantages of such an integration of information and communication technology (ICT), several obstacles prevent them from making full use of its potential. Although the government of Bangladesh incorporated an ICT integration education strategy back in 2010, its use is restricted to certain circumstances. Attempting to achieve complete digitisation while also challenging the status quo is a challenging endeavour. Nevertheless, in the not-too-distant future, the situation may be improved by enhancing the infrastructure, giving instructors sufficient training and resources, and acknowledging the efforts that they put forth.
About the Author
Imran Iqbal Imon
Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Turku, Finland
References
Ahsan, M. T., Sharma, U., & Deppeler, J. (2011). Beliefs of pre-service teacher education institutional heads about inclusive education in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Education Journal, 10(1), pp. 9-29.
Almusalam, S. (2001). Factors related to the use of computer technologies for professional tasks by business and administration teachers at Saudi technical colleges. The Ohio State University.
BANBEIS. (2022). Bangladesh Education Statistics 2022, Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) Ministry of Education, Dhaka. P: Retrieved from: https://banbeis.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/banbeis.portal.gov.bd/page/6d10c6e9_d26c_4b9b_9c7f_770f9c68df7c/Bangladesh%20Education%20Statistics%202022%20%281%29_compressed.pdf.
Beardsworth, A., & Keil, T. (1992). The vegetarian option: varieties, conversions, motives and careers. The Sociological Review, 40(2), pp. 253-293.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks.
Farhana, Yousuf. (2023). Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education. International Journal For Science Technology And Engineering. doi: 10.22214/ijraset.2023.54269.
Farid, Mutahhari., Herminarto, Sofyan., Muhammad, Nurtanto. (2021). Technological Competencies: A Study on the Acceptance of Digital Technology on Vocational Teachers in Indonesia. doi: 10.4108/EAI.6-3-2021.2305971.
Geeta, Nair., Robert, Hindle. (2013). Use of ICT in Education. International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development, 5(4):10-19. doi: 10.4018/IJICTHD.2013100102.
İşman, A., Evirgen, H., & Çengel, M. (2008). Barriers to Internet use among teachers employed in the provincial directorate of MNE in Sakarya. Paper presented at the 8th International Educational Technology Conference Proceedings.
Khan, M., Hossain, S., Hasan, M., & Clement, C. K. (2012). Barriers to the introduction of ICT into education in developing countries: The example of Bangladesh. Online Submission, 5(2), pp. 61-80.
Law, N., & Chow, A. (2008). Teacher characteristics, contextual factors, and how these affect the pedagogical use of ICT. Pedagogy and ICT use, pp. 181-219.
Majumdar, S. (2015). Emerging trends in ICT for education & training. Gen. Asia Pacific Reg. IVETA.
Mallikarjun N. Mulimani., Satishkumar, Naikar. (2022). Use of ICT in teaching and learning: A role of institutions, teachers, students and technology. Pearl: A Journal of Library and Information Science, 16(2):121-128. doi: 10.5958/0975-6922.2022.00014.6.
Md., Azizul, Baten., Md., Kamrul, Hossain., Abdullah, Al, Zabir. (2022). Impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Secondary Schools’ Efficiency in Barisal Division of Bangladesh: Teachers’ Preference and Perceptions. The Eurasia Proceedings of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, 19:108-119. doi: 10.55549/epstem.1219182.
Md. Awal, Kabir., Subrata Kumar, Biswas, Mst. Fatema, Begum. (2021). Retracted: Realistic Perspectives to the Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the Education System of Bangladesh. doi: 10.9734/AJESS/2021/V16I430406.
Michael, Kugelman. (2023). Education System in Bangladesh Amid COVID-19: Traditional Scenario, Emergency Protocols, Challenges and a Proposed Sustainable Conceptual Framework. Sustainability. doi: 10.3390/su15108126.
Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers’ use of information and communications technology: a review of the literature. Journal of information technology for teacher education, 9(3), 319-342.
Navpreet, Kaur., Sangeeta, Aggarwal. (2017). Information communication technology in the Indian education system. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(7):139-148. doi: 10.5958/2249-7315.2017.00373.2.
Pelgrum, W. (2008). School practices and conditions for pedagogy and ICT Pedagogy and ICT use (pp. 67-120): Springer.
Tondeur, J., Van Braak, J., & Valcke, M. (2007). Curricula and the use of ICT in education: Two worlds apart? British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(6), pp. 962-976.
Tondeur, J., Van Keer, H., van Braak, J., & Valcke, M. (2008). ICT integration in the classroom: Challenging the potential of a school policy. Computers & Education, 51(1), 212-223.
Watson, S. L., & Watson, W. R. (2011). The role of technology and computer-based instruction in a disadvantaged alternative school’s culture of learning. Computers in the Schools, 28(1), pp. 39-55.
Zeba, Farhana., Sabbir Ahmed, Chowdhury. (2018). Use of ICT by Biology Teachers in the Secondary Schools: Bangladesh Perspective. Journal of Culture, Society and Development, 45:25-31.
Gallery
