Beyond Connectivity: School-Based Teacher Support and Internet Integration in Teaching Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Rwandan Secondary Schools

The integration of internet-based technologies in education has transformed instructional practices globally. However, their adoption in developing countries such as Rwanda has been limited because of factors such as a lack of teacher support. This question is especially consequential for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), a sensitive, cross-cutting subject in Rwanda’s Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) for which teachers often lack specialised preparation. This study examined the association between school-based teacher support and internet integration in teaching CSE among 207 teachers in internet-connected Rwandan secondary schools, using a cross-sectional survey with a four-point Likert-scale questionnaire. Six items measuring school leadership and peer support were combined into a composite school-based teacher support variable (Cronbach’s α = 0.822), while an analogous eight-item composite variable measured internet integration in CSE teaching (α = 0.706). Each composite variable was categorised into ordinal levels of low, moderate, and high. The two ordinal variables were cross-tabulated, and the strength of their association was assessed using Somers’ D. The findings reveal that teachers reported high levels of both leadership support (M = 3.05, SD = 0.77) and peer support (M = 3.17, SD = 0.70). Yet only 2.4% reported high internet integration in CSE teaching, with 42.03% and 55.6% reporting medium and low integration, respectively. A statistically significant, positive association was nonetheless found between school-based support and internet integration (D = 0.270, p < .001). These findings suggest that school-based support, while a significant enabler, is not by itself sufficient on its own to influence teachers’ high level of integration for a subject as sensitive as CSE. Therefore, other factors, including lack of time, teachers' digital competence, confidence in teaching sexuality education, availability of appropriate online learning resources, and professional development, should be addressed.