Technical Support for Integrating Information and Communication Technology in Secondary Schools in South Africa: Teachers’ Perspective

Effective technical support is an essential component of the ICT whole-school approach. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that teachers’ usage of ICT in the classroom is influenced by the technical support that schools offer. The study’s goal was to determine how teachers feel about technical assistance for integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in secondary schools. A qualitative case study research methodology was used in the investigation. The Unified Theory for Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model serves as the theoretical foundation for the research. This study covered three schools. Three (3) principals and twenty-seven (27) teachers took part in the study. The participants were given an open-ended questionnaire to get their opinions on the technical assistance for incorporating ICT into their schools. The study’s data was subjected to a thematic analysis. According to the data, two out of three schools obtained technical support staff, whereas only one school did not. The findings also showed that schools’ computers needed to be fixed by professionals. Thus, the study concluded that problems with technical support, improper upkeep of ICT resources, and a lack of subject-area computer programming hampered schools’ attempts to incorporate ICT into teaching and learning. According to the result, it is recommended that schools should receive technical ICT support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE), and ICT resources should receive regular and sufficient maintenance. The study contributes to the literature by showing the importance of technical support in integrating ICT in the school for the maintenance of technological equipment. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, integration, technical support, ICT resource maintenance, teaching and learning