Technology Accessibility and Confidence: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Schools

This study examined the technology accessibility and the confidence level of Basic School teachers in using ICT tools in the Awutu Senya District of Ghana. The study further sought to find the differences in public and private schools in terms of technology accessibility and teacher confidence in using ICT tools for teaching. A two-stage sampling was used to select 350 Primary and Junior High School teachers for the study. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. The data was gathered by the administration of questionnaires and subjected to analysis using statistical measures such as means, standard deviation, and independent samples t-test. The results showed that there is low technology accessibility in most of the schools. That notwithstanding, the confidence level of most teachers in the use of ICT tools for teaching was moderate.  A significant difference was found between public and private schools in terms of technology accessibility but not in the confidence of teachers to use ICT tools. The study recommended that teachers should employ various strategies including the use of “one-computer classroom” strategy to integrate ICTs into their teaching in spite of the lack of resources. Additionally, more ICT integration workshops must be organized in a bid to increase the confidence level of teachers in using ICT tools. On the provision of ICT resources, it is necessary for education authorities to prioritize and allocate more funding for ICT infrastructure in schools. Finally, a public-private partnership between public sector, private sector and non-governmental organizations can supplement resources and expertise in ICT integration.