1

ATTITUDES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARDS

THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BIOLOGY

BY
NDAWULA SOLOMON
05/U/3472

A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE MAKERERE UNIVERSITY IN

FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE WITH EDUCATION

NOVEMBER 2008

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AUTHOR'S DECLARATION AND APPROVAL

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this Dissertation. This is a true copy of the
dissertation, including any final revisions by my supervisor.

Signed .....................................................................

Date .....................................................................

APPROVAL

I certify that this dissertation has been submitted to the school of Education of Makerere
University under the supervision, approval and moderation of Dr. Oonyu Joseph

Signed ……………………………..

Dr. Oonyu J.C

Date ……………………………..

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ABSTRACT

The study investigated the attitudes of secondary school students towards the use of Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning Biology. The objectives of the
study were; to assess the availability of ICT resources and levels of ICT use by secondary school
students, to find out students attitudes towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology and the
challenges facing students in using ICT in secondary schools. A cross sectional survey approach
was adopted for the study in which Questionnaires, observations and interviews were used to
collect the data. A total of 100 students responded. Analysis of data from the three tools revealed
that schools had purchased some of the basic ICT resources like computers, projectors,
scanners, printers. However some schools were still lacking white boards. Students had positive
attitudes towards the use of ICT to support the teaching and learning of Biology and the main
challenge facing students in using ICT was a large number of students per single ICT resource
like high student to computer ratio. Taken together with our experience of funds available to
Ugandan schools, these results indicate that ICT integration into the teaching of Biology is a
complex and expensive process. However the most important thing is that students are ready for
it since they have displayed positive attitudes towards its use in teaching and learning Biology. It
was recommended that schools should purchase more ICT resources.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am indebted to my supervisor Dr. Joseph Oonyu who guided me from the start to the
completion of this dissertation. I am very grateful for the work that he has done and the time that
he spared for me.

I would also like to thank all my lectures at DOSATE that had equipped me with the necessary
knowledge and skills that I have used to work on this dissertation. I also thank the Department
Of Science And Technical Education for their support.

I also thank all my colleagues who offered their assistance in reading through, advising me and
making correction to make my piece of work a success.

I also thank my family for all the support they have offered me right from the day of my birth.
God bless you and may u live so many years to come.

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this dissertation to my mother Mrs. Nakazzi Deborah and my brother Alex Mugenyi.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR'S DECLARATION AND APPROVAL..........................................................................2
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................4
DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................5
TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................6
LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................................9
LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................10
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................
1.1 Background.............................................................................................................. ...........................
1.1.1 ICT and its importance..................................................................................................................
1.1.2 Importance of ICT in education................................................................................... .................
1.1.3 ICT and its growth in Uganda.............................................................................................. .........
1.1.4 Introduction of ICT to secondary schools in Uganda......................................................... ...........
1.1.5 Development of curriculum-based ICT Learning Materials in Uganda........................................
1.1.6 Attitudes towards ICT......................................................................................................... ..........
1.2 Problem statement......................................................................................................... ......................
1.3 Purpose of study.............................................................................................................. ....................
1.4 Objectives of study.............................................................................................................. ................
1.5 Significance of study...................................................................................................... .....................
Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................. ................
2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... ....................
2.2 Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary schools..............
2.3 Students’ attitudes towards ICT use in the teaching and learning Biology....................................... ....
2.4 Challenges facing Ugandan students in using ICT to support Biology learning..................................
Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................................... ..
3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... ....................
3.2 Research design..................................................................................................................... ..............
3.3 Study area............................................................................................................................... .............

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3.4 Sampling........................................................................................................................................... ...

3.4.1 Sampling schools.............................................................................................................. ............
3.4.2 Sampling method............................................................................................................. .............
3.4.3 Sample size........................................................................................................................ ...........
3.5 Data collection Instruments............................................................................................. ....................
3.5.1 Questionnaire......................................................................................................................... .......
3.5.2 Observation guide............................................................................................................... ..........
3.5.3 Semi- Structured Interview Guide...................................................................... ..........................
3.6 Procedure for Data collection........................................................................................ ......................
3.7 Data collection and Quality control measures................................................................................... ...
3.8 Data analysis and presentation...................................................................................................... .......
3.8.1 Data from Questionnaire......................................................................................................... ......
3.8.2 Data from Observation and interviews......................................................................................... .
Chapter 4 PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS........................... ..........................
4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... ....................
4.2 Background characteristics of respondents....................................................................... ...............31
4.3 Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary schools.....
4.3.1 ICT devices used for teaching and learning.............................................................. ....................
4.3.2 Number of computers and computer laboratories available to the students..................................
4.3.3 Internet connectivity and use.................................................................................. ......................
4.3.4 Accessibility to ICT resources in Biology................................................................................ .....
4.4 Attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology................................ .............
4.5 Challenges facing students in use of ICT in learning Biology......................................... ....................
4.5.1 ICT availability................................................................................................................... ..........
4.5.2 Technical support from Staff.................................................................................................... .....
4.5.3 Other challenges facing students in learning Biology with the use of ICT....................................
Chapter 5 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................... .......
5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... ....................
5.2 Discussion............................................................................................................ ...........................42
5.2.1 Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary schools.......

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5.2.2 Attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology..................... .................
5.2.3 Challenges facing students in use of ICT in learning Biology.............................. ........................
5.3 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. .........48
5.3.1 On the Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary
schools.................................................................................................................................... ...........48
5.3.2 On the Attitudes of students towards ICT in teaching and learning Biology.................... .........48

5.3.3 On the challenges facing students in the use of ICT in teaching and learning Biology.............49
5.4 Recommendations............................................................................................... ............................49
5.4.1 On the Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary
schools.................................................................................................................................... ...........49
5.4.2 On the Attitudes of students towards ICT in teaching and learning Biology.................... .........50

5.4.3 On the challenges facing students in using ICT to support the learning of Biology..................51

5.5 Recommendations for further Research................................................................................. ..........52

REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................... .........
Appendix A Questionnaire........................................................................................................................... ..
Appendix B Observation Guide.................................................................................................................. ...
Appendix C Interview Guide.................................................................................................................. .......

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Pie Chart showing how often students use the internet in the surveyed secondary schools.............
Figure 2 Pie Chart showing places where students access ICT at school................................................. ......
Figure 3 Bar Graph showing students’ responses to computer numbers in the surveyed schools..................
Figure 4 Bar Graph showing student to computer ratios for selected countries............................... ..............

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Showing Growth of ICT infrastructures for the period 1996 – 2003.......................................... .......
Table 2 Showing Characteristics of Respondents from the sampled schools................................... ..............
Table 3 Showing ICT devices that support teaching and learning of Biology in the secondary schools.......
Table 4 Showing Computer laboratories and number of computers available to students.............................
Table 5 Showing attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology............................
Table 6 Showing student to computer Ratios for the various schools.............................................. ..............

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 Chapter1
INTRODUCTION

1.1Background

1.1.1ICT and its importance

Information and communications technology has become an essential aspect of everyone’s daily
life with almost every sector advocating for the use of ICT to accomplish its tasks on every inch
of this planet. Nevertheless, some people would still ask themselves, “What is ICT?” There are
various definitions of ICT according to different people and organizations.

According to the ITAA, “Information Technology is the study, design, development,

implementation, support or management of a computer-based “Information System” particularly
software applications and computer hardware.” Recently the term has been broadened to
explicitly integrate the aspect of “Electronic Communication” so that people prefer to abbreviate
it as ICT.

A broader definition of ICT is, It is the combination of informatics technology with other, related
technologies specifically communication technology (UNESCO, 2002). This definition of ICT
consists of three subunits that have been collapsed into a single definition and they include;
Informatics, Informatics Technology and Communication technology. UNESCO defines
informatics as the science dealing with the design, realization, evaluation, use, and maintenance
of information processing systems, including hardware, software, organizational and human
aspects, and the industrial, commercial, governmental and political implications of these. It is a
term derived from computing science. Informatics technology is the technological application of
informatics in the society. Hence the definition of ICT implies that ICT will be used, applied and
integrated in activities of working and learning on the conceptual on the basis of informatics
methods and conceptual understanding.

OECD member countries in 1998 agreed to define the ICT sector as a combination of

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manufacturing and services industries that capture, transmit and display data and information
electronically. The above definitions of ICT are examples of how it has become an important
global aspect in the field of information and communication. ICT is a revolution which links
different sectors and modes of communication.

1.1.2Importance of ICT in education

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become common place entities in all
aspects of life. Across the past twenty years the use of ICT has fundamentally changed the
practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavour within business and governance.
Within education, ICT has begun to have a presence but the impact has not been as extensive as
in other fields (Oliver R, 2002).

The use of ICT in and for education is now seen worldwide as both a necessity and an
opportunity (UNESCO). Today ICT has great prospects and far reaching uses in the education
system.

The main purpose of the Strategy for Information and Communication Technology
Implementation in Education is to provide the prospects and trends of integrating information
and communication technology (ICT) into the general educational activities. The following
summarizes the aims and objectives of ICT implementation in education (Saverinus Kaka, 2008)

 To implement the principle of life-long learning / education.

 To increase a variety of educational services and medium / method.

 To promote equal opportunities to obtain education and information.

 To develop a system of collecting and disseminating educational information.

 To promote technology literacy of all citizens, especially for students.

 To develop distance education with national contents.

 To promote the culture of learning at school (development of learning skills, expansion of

optional education, open source of education, etc.)

 To support schools in sharing experience and information with others.

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ICT has increasing importance within the school curriculum. Not only does it support teaching
and learning within other curriculum subjects, but it is also a subject in its own right. Developing
skills, knowledge and understanding in the use of ICT prepares pupils to use such technologies in
their everyday and working lives. ICT tools enable pupils to access, share, analyse and present
information gained from a variety of sources and in many different ways.

The use of ICT provides opportunities for pupils to work both collaboratively and independently,
to consider which ICT tools best suit the task in hand and to know when and when not to use ICT
to complete such a task. As such, the role of ICT within the curriculum is not only to enhance the
learning experiences of pupils but also to help them develop the skills essential to participate
effectively, both now and in the future.

1.1.3ICT and its growth in Uganda

The evolution of ICTs in Uganda dates way back to the 1990s when Africa responded to the

“Information revolution” that had been going on majority of other continents of the world mainly

Europe, Asia with Japan as the leading nation and the Americas. With assistance from UNECA,

ITU, UNESCO, IDRC and Bellanet secretariat, The African Information Society Initiative (AISI)

was formed. The initiative was launched in 1996 to bridge the digital divide between Africa and

the global community, creating digital opportunities to be developed by Africans and their

partners as well as speeding up the continent’s information and global knowledge economy.
Uganda reacted slowly through setting up various Policies, Statutes, Laws, Acts and Regulations,

passed and enacted in the past years which include the following the following;

The Telecommunications Policy was enacted in 1996 with the main objective of increasing the

penetration and level of telecommunication services in the country through private sector

investment rather than government intervention.

The Rural Development’s Communication Policy of 2001 of providing access to basic

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communication services within reasonable distance to all people in Uganda. This policy helped

in extending communication to the rural areas.

The press and Journalist’s statue of 1995 extended from Article 29(1) (Freedom of expression) of

the Constitution to the print media. The Electronic Media Statute of 1996 created a licensing

system, under the Broadcasting Council, for radio and television stations, cinemas, and videotape

rental businesses. This boosted the mass media communication sector in that radio and TV

stations started springing up.

The above influenced rapid growth of ICT infrastructures since then. A table depicting such

growth is shown below.

Table 6 Showing Growth of ICT infrastructures for the period 1996 – 2003

Services provided Dec Oct Dec July 2001 July 2002 June 2003

1996 1998 1999

Fixed lines connected 45,145 56,196 58261 56148 54976 60995
Mobile Subscriber 3000 12000 72602 276034 393310 621082
National Telephone Operators 1 2 2 2 2 2
Mobile Cellular Operators 1 2 2 3 3 3
Internet/Email subscribers 504 1308 4248 5999 6600 7024
VSAT International 2 3 7 8 8 8

Data Gateways
Internet Service Providers 2 3 9 11 17 17
Private FM Radio Stations 14 28 37 112 115 119
Private Television Stations 4 8 11 20 22 22
National Postal Operators 1 1 1 1 1 1
Courier Service Providers 2 7 11 10 11 14

The table shown above shows an increase in the ICT infrastructure in the years 1996 to 2003.
The increasing number of mobile phone subscribers can be attributed to the addition of fixed
telephone lines and the increase in number of mobile cellular operators from one to three. The
introduction of other telephone and mobile operators helped in improving the communication
growth in Uganda. Also from the table mass media communication which includes radio and
television improved tremendously in the years 1996 to 2003 due to the high number of radio

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stations and Television stations that were constructed in those years. The post office services
hardly improved because no other operators seemed to be interested in investing in that sector.

1.1.4Introduction of ICT to secondary schools in Uganda

ICT is affiliated with educational purposes which include developing new teaching methods and

approaches, reinforcement of learning and developing positive attitudes in learners. Many

countries have responded to this call by integrating ICT into the educational sector, Uganda is by

no means exceptional to this trend.

The introduction of ICT in Ugandan secondary schools dates way back in 1990s when the World

Bank through its World Links for Development (WorLD) program connected schools to the

internet. Three schools were initially connected in July 1996 and these were; Gayaza High

School, Namilyango College and Mengo Senior Secondary School. This was the basis of the

formation of SchoolNet a pilot project under WorLD. Uganda was the first country in Africa to

have such a pilot study. Some of the beneficiary schools include the following are Bombo

Secondary School, Bukoyo Secondary School, Busoga College Mwiri, Gayaza High School,

Iganga Secondary School, Kibuli Secondary School, Kings College Budo, Kitante Hill School,

Lubiri Secondary School, Makerere College School, Mengo Senior School, Nabisunsa Girls

School, Namilyango College and St James Secondary School (IDRC,2004).

SchoolNet is a national network of professional educators and schools whose aim is to transform

the Ugandan educational system from an industrial model (learning by assimilation) to a

knowledge-based model in order to prepare the youth of Uganda to effectively enter a global

economy based on knowledge, information and technology. Much support has come in from

companies like Celtel Cellular, Computer Applications Limited, Gates Foundation, IDRC -

Acacia Initiative, Ministry of Education, Pan World Insurance Co. Ltd., Schools Online, Uganda

Online to help world links in providing ICT to secondary schools.

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The journey from scratch to where we are now has not been easy especially due to the fact that

Uganda does not have an ICT policy since the would be policy has remained a draft form since

1997.The would be policy has dreams of ICT connectivity to schools but the amount of capital

investments involved are also very high . There is no definitive national ICT policy and that the

MOE is engaged in developing a viable ICT policy for education (Eremu J, 2007; Katahoire et

al, 2004).

In August 2000, the Ministry of Education and Sport established an education ICT task force for

the purpose of formulating and implementing an ICT policy for the Ministry. Its efforts are being

supported by a Dutch NGO called IICD. The task force is also responsible for managing,

monitoring and evaluating all ICT activities in the Ministry. Some of its duties are the following;

 Formulate an ICT policy for the MOE

 Initiate ICT activities and projects

 Review and direct new and ongoing ICT activities and projects;

 Perform monitoring and evaluation;

 Disseminate information; and

 Publicize the ICT policy for the Ministry of Education internally and among stakeholders
in the education sector.

However according to the MoWHC, 2003 a policy framework for ICT seems to have been

released with the policy statement as “The government of the Republic of Uganda recognizes the

important role information and ICT play in national development. Government consequently

unreservedly commits itself to champion the development and use of ICT in Uganda”. But with

or without the policy, it doesn’t stop initiatives from proceeding with proposed plans and projects

and this is how Uganda was able to go on and develop curriculum-based ICT materials.

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1.1.5Development of curriculum-based ICT Learning Materials in Uganda

In 2004 Microsoft Partners in learning and the Ugandan Ministry of Education teamed up to
develop curriculum-based ICT training materials for its students and to put computers in its
school system. By December 2004 the pilot program had started incorporating ICT in schools
with initially eight different Ugandan schools and included several different components. The
Microsoft Fresh Start for Donated PCs program, with steeply discounted product licensing,
helped to provide the necessary hardware equipment for the start. In addition, Partners in
Learning helped to fund and establish two Microsoft IT Academies to help train educators in ICT
basics and created a teacher’s portal. With the basics of ICT now in place the next thing was
creation of relevant content for students to access. Partners in learning worked in conjunction
with the NCDC to develop ICT based content that would map directly to the National curricula.
By the end of the pilot project, Uganda had created courses for Biology and Chemistry which
were delivered to schools on CD (Microsoft Partners in Learning, 2007).

The country largely benefited from the pilot programme in terms of popularity and high
performance in examinations for students that participated in the programme, the country also
equipped 100 schools with approximately ten computers each. The ICT-based curriculum
continues to grow and by 2008 the country plans to have materials for eight additional subjects
distributed to over 400 secondary schools in the country. “Uganda is the first country in Africa
that has used Microsoft Partners in learning to develop localized digital content that maps
directly to the national curriculum. This represents an incredible success toward achieving
relevancy of ICT in education.” (Mark Matunga, Microsoft Academic Program for East Africa).

The above project was the start of CurriculumNet Uganda which works hand in hand with
SchoolNet Uganda to develop ICT-based curriculum materials for selected subjects at ordinary
level for secondary schools. Online Content has been developed for subjects like Mathematics,
Biology, Chemistry and Geography all of which are approved by the National Curriculum. The
material is both student and learner centred (Microsoft Partners in learning, 2007). As a result
schools have been involved in collaborative learning using internet and email for example at
King’s College Buddo, students were involved in a wetlands project working in hand with
Comperdown College Australia. Another 60 students were involved in a project called

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“Technical-based Learning in School Science” (TBLISS), in partnership with the New York
Institute of Technology. PowerPoint presentations on water science were made and a website set
up (Katahoire, Baguma and Florence, 2004).The development of curriculum materials for
subjects like Biology on an ICT basis was anticipated to influence students learning.

1.1.6Attitudes towards ICT

The potential of ICTs in improving students’ learning has been explored by a good number of

researchers and their results indicate that ICT indeed have positive impacts on students learning

in subjects like physic, chemistry , Biology, mathematics, geography and many other subjects.

There is a broad optimism that ICT can and does support the kind of learning appropriate to the

information age. For example, the ease of the technology frees up time for higher-order learning

opportunities (Brown, 1994), it supports meaningful learning (Jonassen, 2000) and student

autonomy (McLoughlin, 2000), at risk students are more likely to engage in literacy tasks

(O'Rourke, 2001), it promotes active learning (Meredyth, Russell, Blackwood, Thomas, & Wise,

1999) and will enable the user to do new things rather than just old things better (Snyder, 1999).

Furthermore, it is argued that computing technologies appropriately coupled with other

educational innovations can increase the efficacy, efficiency, and extent of student’s self-

regulated learning (Winne & Hadwin, 1998).

The introduction of ICT does not, however, guarantee better learning for all students and not all

researchers agree that educational technology is a panacea. Access to computers and the Internet

does not mean new learning methods suddenly emerge. As Schacter (1999) points out, “we

should not accept the rhetoric that technology makes learning easier and more efficient because

ease and efficiency are not prerequisite conditions for deep and meaningful learning”.

The use of ICT in the school laboratories seems to increase the interest of students, far

more than traditional teaching methods can be achieved. However, the results of evaluation that
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they attempted show that the use of ICT does not remarkably affect the students’ attitudes toward

science (Pierratos, Koltsakis, Dimitra and Polatoglou).

Biology is the study of living things. Most students usually don’t like the subject because it’s

very complicated. However ICTs seem to disagree with this dogma by providing a wide range of

opportunities to learn from. ICTs have the potential to take a student closer to the world he is

learning through multimedia like simulations, animations, videos, pictures and computers. There

is insufficient literature on the attitudes of students’ towards ICT use in teaching and learning

Biology in Uganda and this has formed the basis for this study.

1.2Problem statement
ICT is a revolution that every country in this world has responded to, It is not therefore a
surprised that Uganda has come up to incorporate it into its various sectors and most important of
all Education. The fruits of ICT to education sector are countless with its amazing powers to
combine a wide range of communication means like newspapers, Television, Radio and others.
All these have been attributed to the influence learners in their studies. However there is very
little that has information concerning the attitudes of students towards the use of ICT in teaching
and learning Biology. Information on levels of ICT use as well as challenges facing students ICT
use at secondary level is also still insufficient and calls for research.

1.3Purpose of study
The purpose of this study is to find out the attitudes of students towards the use of ICT in the
teaching and learning of Biology, to inquire into the availability and levels of use of ICT at
secondary level and also to find out the challenges facing students in using ICT in secondary
schools.

1.4Objectives of study
The objectives of the study are outlined below.
 To assess the availability of ICT resources and levels of ICT use in secondary schools.
 To find out students’ attitudes towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology.
 To find out the challenges facing students in using ICT to support the learning of Biology.

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1.5Significance of study
The findings of the study will be very important to the following people.
 The study could be very important to Biology teachers in that it will provide feedback to
them concerning students’ attitudes towards the use of ICT in aiding teaching and
learning of Biology.
 It could also be of very important use to other researchers in related fields in that they
will be able to use it for consultation.
 The research could be also be important to ICT-based curriculum developers in that they
will get feedback concerning students’ perceptions of ICT usage in the Biology teaching
and learning environment.
 The research could also be of importance to the school policy makers and administrators.

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 Chapter2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1Introduction
The Literature will be reviewed with respect to the following sections from which the research model will
be developed.
 Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary
schools.
 Students’ attitudes towards ICT use to support Biology teaching and learning.
 Challenges facing students in learning Biology with the support of ICT.

2.2Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in

secondary schools
ICTs are new to Uganda with a slight proportion of the country’s population having access to
ICT. Mutonyi and Norton (2007) reported that access to ICT remains a major challenge in
countries like Uganda, in which less than 1% of the population has access to the Internet.

According to the MOE, the various ICT initiatives in education are; Education Management
Information System (EMIS), SchoolNet Uganda, Connect-ED (Connectivity for Educator
Development), IICD-Ministry of Education and Sports, British Council, Global Teenager
Program, CurriculumNet, UNESCO, U-Connect and New Partnership for Africa in
Development. All those initiatives are involved in various ICT related programs across the
country. Some work with the government whereas others like the British council are working on
a private basis

A Scan ICT Uganda report revealed from a survey of 32 schools in Kampala that out of sixty
three percent of the schools in the survey, which owned computers: Only 55% of the schools
used them for academic purposes and the majority have taken ICT as an independent subject not
as a tool to aid learning and teaching. Only 3 out of the schools, which owned computers, had
used them as a tool to aid in teaching and learning. 45 % used them for administrative purposes.

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Secondary schools have to some extent utilized computers for both academic and administrative
purposes, while primary schools have largely exploited them for administrative purposes. This is
still a major weakness affecting primary schools and is a bid challenge to the government.

2.3Students’ attitudes towards ICT use in the teaching and learning Biology
It has been mentioned that ICT is so influential in improving teaching and learning by many
educators and organizations. ICTs help trigger or tap into the young generation’s aptitudes and
interest in learning via new media, and have the potential of enhancing their preparation for
further education and work (UNESCO, 2008).

Internet use is spreading rapidly into daily life, and directly affecting people's ideas and
behaviour. Internet has an impact in many areas, of course, including the higher education
system. Internet heralded the development and implementation of new and innovative teaching
strategies in higher education institutes. Educators who advocate technology integration in the
learning process believe it will improve learning and prepare students to effectively participate in
the 21st century workplace (Asan and Koka).

The regular use of ICT across different curriculum subjects can have a beneficial motivational
influence on students’ learning (Cox 1997). Such motivation is related to developing positive
learning attitudes among learners.

Approaches where ICT is used to support learning has been found to benefit the affective
learning domains (attributes such as motivation, perseverance, etc.) by improving student
engagement to tasks (Jacobsen, 2001), improving motivation and enthusiasm (Mandinach &
Cline, 1996), and improving attitudes to learning (Ryser, Beeler, & McKenzie, 1995).

The Software and Information Industry Association (2000) indicated that students, who used
educational technology in school felt more successful in school, were more motivated to learn
and have increased self-confidence and self esteem. This is related to the above and shows that
ICT can induce positive learning attitudes in learners.

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Pedretti and Mayer-Smith (1998) indicated that students found learning in a technology-
enhanced setting more stimulating and student-centred than in a traditional classroom. ICT is a
means of getting a learner to be engaged in the process of teaching and learning and thus
provides a means of balancing teacher and student centred approaches.

Moseley and Higgins (1999) indicated that exploiting ICT can lead to an enhanced sense of
achievement for many students who have previously been under-achieving. Learning gains and
increases in motivation have been found in literacy and mathematics. This develops strong
positive attitudes towards learning among underachieving students.

Teachers providing more engaging technology-enhanced lessons report that students are
motivated to continue using computers at other times of the school day and outside school
(Becker 2000; Rockman 2000). This is a great achievement affiliated with incorporating ICT into
education. Learning can always go on any where and not necessarily be confined to the school
setting.

Notschool.net, an online research project managed by ULTRA LAB, the learning and technology
centre at Anglia Polytechnic University looks at re-engaging learners who have been out of the
traditional school system of learning (for a variety of personal and logistical reasons), into an
environment in which they are able to develop new ways of learning. These young people
include the phobic, ill, disaffected, sick, pregnant and the excluded. It is a virtual community that
gives young people the opportunity to be reintroduced to learning and to develop their self-
esteem. Use of support of experts, mentors and the use of new technology and learning through
‘action research’ has aided this. In the first phase 100 young people were used to establish the
virtual community. The project has provided learning opportunities for this disaffected cohort
and they have been able to achieve. This achievement may be through the receipt of formal
accreditation but more importantly they have been successful by contributing to the community
in which they have learnt many new skills (Duckwork, 2001). A quote from the pilot phase in
Glasgow "Notschool.net has undoubtedly been very successful – more so than we had hoped for
at the outset. Valuable lessons have been learnt across the whole population….The challenge is

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now to take this forward and share the practice with those who the traditional system is too great
a challenge." Another research Linsie said “Not school.net has given me a great opportunity –
everything else was closed” (Duckworth, 2001).

Gay, Mahon, Alleyne and Devonish (2006) carried out a research on attitudes of Management’s
students towards ICT in the University of West Indies and indicated that management students
were generally favourable to ICT in an academic setting.

Gunter Saunders and Anita Pincas (2004) reported that students firmly believe in themselves that
ICT has a significant role to play in supporting and enhancing their university learning
experience. They see the use of ICT as potentially going well beyond the use of the Internet to
search for resources and the use of email to stay in touch with tutors and fellow students. This
creates a cooperative study as well as developing strong positive attitudes to learning among
students.

Hong, Ridzuan and Kuek (2001) study investigated the success of a technology and Internet-
enriched teaching and learning environment in molding positive attitudes among students toward
using the Internet for learning at a university in Malaysia. The study revealed that generally
students at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak had positive attitudes towards learning using the
Internet. A good number (82%) of the students responded that combining face-to-face classes
with online activities (e.g. discussion boards, short answer tests) is potentially useful.

Asan and KoKa (2006) study of 667 Oman students from higher institutions of learning found
out that 67.1% of the students agreed that internet has a potential to be an effective training tool
and 85.7% agreed that internet is a way to provide learning for people in order to search.

Katahoire, Baguma and Etta (2004) reported that Ugandan students displayed high levels of
positive attitudes towards schooling in the WorLD’s SchoolNet programme. Such positive
attitudes towards school are all due to ICT incorporation into the traditional curriculum.

24
In one of the study camps organised by SchoolNet Uganda participating students benefited a lot
in terms of knowledge skills and attitudes. Specifically Namuyiga Winfred a students of Uganda
Martyrs Namugongo said that “My attitude towards practical examinations has changed. I used
to hate practical lessons but now I have learnt that I can easily carry them out on my own and
especially for the spring constant experiments where in the normal labs one will have her masses
touch the floor even before oscillating! This used to greatly demoralize my practical part of
learning.”

Kisaakye (2006) found out that the use of ICT has had a positive impact on teaching and learning
in Uganda. It has helped students in improving their performance as well as developing their
interests in specific subjects like Mathematics.

2.4Challenges facing Ugandan students in using ICT to support Biology learning

The major problem facing Ugandan students is that schools lack funds to provide the necessary
ICT resources that will support successful ICT incorporation into the curriculum. This has been
revealed in terms of a high student to computer ratio in some of the schools (Kasambira E, 2007;
SCAN ICT UGANDA, 2002; Kisaakye, 2006). The problem of lack of funds has created a stiff
competition for the existing ICT resources among the students.

Katahoire et al., (2004) also identified some other major barriers to implementation highlighted
in the evaluation of the Uganda School Net report and they included hardware/software
deficiencies, infrastructure/connectivity problems, the lack of a national policy on computer use,
and the lack of time in the school schedule.

Another problem facing Ugandan schools in using ICT is that Uganda is dependant on donors for
the provision of funds and ICT equipment. This is partly because of the lack of enough funds to
facilitate its incorporation in education. Uganda has functioned as a test-bed for implementation
of new technologies. Pilots have either turned into programmes or ended up in the drawer in the
form of reports (Spider Newsletter, April 2007).

25
Lack of trained staff to manage the various ICT in secondary schools is also still a problem (Scan
ICT Uganda). The report also indicated non availability of ICT training institutions in some areas
of the country. Students need guidance on how to operate the various ICT gadgets and to
troubleshoot them. Various training programs have been put in place by the government to train
educators in ICT for example the Ugandan government contracted CSTS to equip and train
teachers in 100 schools (CSTS,2007).

The different initiatives of ICT in the education sector are operating at different levels of
the education system in Uganda. There is no harmony among the initiatives and as a result the
ministry does not know for certain what each initiative is up to implementing. There is
duplication of efforts in some areas, all of which affect students in the end.

26
 Chapter3
METHODOLOGY

3.1Introduction
This chapter describes the methodology adopted for the research. The choice of the research
design, area of study, data collection procedures, methods, instruments and analysis are all
discussed in this section.

3.2Research design
A cross sectional survey approach to the research was adopted to get an insight into the attitudes
of students towards ICT in selected secondary schools. Therefore the data was collected once in
a given school and not over a period of time.

3.3Study area
The area chosen for the study was Kampala district. The choice of Kampala district was due to
the high level of ICT usage in the district as well as cheap access to ICT resources in the district
compared to other areas.

3.4Sampling

3.4.1Sampling schools

The subjects were selected from the following secondary schools; Makerere college school,
Mengo secondary school, Old Kampala secondary school, Lubiri secondary school and Bishop
Cyprian Kihangire secondary school. The choice of these schools was due to the fact that they
have been using ICT resources for a period of above five years.

3.4.2Sampling method

A combination of Probability and Non-probability sampling methods were used. Probabilistic

27
sampling methods which were used include cluster sampling. A sample of students was selected
by (a) sampling schools and then (b) selecting children within schools. This is a two-stage
clustered sample, the clustering being of children within schools. Non- probabilistic sampling
methods were used because a sampling frame was not readily available and the time
requirements plus the costs of using probabilistic methods were prohibitive to the researcher.
Some of the Non-probabilistic methods of sampling which were used include convenience
sampling and purposive sampling. Under purposive sampling, Proportional Quota sampling was
used.

3.4.3Sample size

Yamane’s formula for determination of sample size was used.

N
n=
1 + N ( e)
2

where,
n is the sample size.
N is the population size
e specifies the desired level of precision, where precision e = 1  Precision
The precision level chosen for a confidence level of 95% with p = 0.5 (maximum variance) was
 10%. The choice of this precision level was due to the limited funds available for the research
project. Basing on the above formula twenty units of analysis were surveyed from each school.

3.5Data collection Instruments

A variety of instruments were used to collect data. They included the following; A Questionnaire,
Observation guide and an interview guide. The reason for using the three instruments was to
triangulate data. The purpose of this methodological triangulation was to enhance confidence in
the ensuing findings.

3.5.1Questionnaire

A questionnaire entitled “Students Attitudes towards ICT use in teaching and learning biology
among secondary schools students” was used. The questionnaire consisted of four parts. The first
part was for the student’s background information for example age, sex name of school and
28
composition of school. The second part of the questionnaire was on availability of ICT resources
and levels of ICT use in teaching and learning Biology. The third part of the questionnaire was to
do with the attitudes of students towards the use of ICT in teaching and learning Biology. Under
this section the subjects were required to respond to questions composed basing on a five-point
Likert type scale (Strongly Agree = 1, Agree = 2, Undecided = 3, Disagree = 4, Strongly Disagree =5).
The last section dealt with problems faced by learners in the use of ICT in the teaching and
learning of Biology. Open ended type questions were included for the respondents to fully
express their opinions.

3.5.2Observation guide

The researcher was also actively involved in observing ICT in action at the schools. An
observation guide had been drawn up and included items like observation of Computer
laboratories with internet connection in schools and other ICT resources available in the school.
The researcher would also identify any possible problems affecting the learners.

3.5.3Semi- Structured Interview Guide

The researcher interviewed some students; the purpose of the interview was to collect qualitative
data from the units of analysis. Semi-structured interviews were preferred for the qualitative
section of the research. The choice of the Semi-structured interviews was inclined to the fact that
the researcher would be able to get answers for the questions, probe into the attitudes of students
towards ICT and also allowed the interviewee to reason.

3.6Procedure for Data collection

An introductory letter was obtained from the School of Education’s Department of Science and
Technical Education (DOSATE) which was then presented to the authorities in the respective
schools to allow the researcher to collect Data. A Pilot study was conducted on students with
similar characteristics to test the reliability and the validity of the research instruments. The
researcher then gave out questionnaires to respondents using simple random sampling.
Observation of students using ICT resources was also carried out when access had been granted.
The researcher then interviewed some students from the respective schools.

29
3.7Data collection and Quality control measures
The data was collected using the above instruments. Stringent quality control measures were
undertaken and they included the following. The questionnaires were pre-tested on a group of
respondents with similar characteristics as the population under study. Its reliability was then
tested. This in turn helped to remove and re-frame items that were inconsistent. To improve its
validity, the questionnaire was checked against any spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
The pages of the papers were also carefully numbered to avoid any page loss.

3.8Data analysis and presentation

3.8.1Data from Questionnaire

Data from Questionnaires was analysed with Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS)
using descriptive methods. Results were presented as percentages, frequencies, pie charts and bar
graphs using Microsoft Office Software. The researcher then based on these results to carry out
the discussion and draw meaningful conclusions of the research study.

3.8.2Data from Observation and interviews

Data from Observations and Interviews was analyzed by highlighting the major factors that were
consistent from school to school. Students’ responses were then edited and recorded in an
appropriate manner.

30
 Chapter4
PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS

4.1Introduction
This chapter illustrates the findings of the study including any interpretations where necessary. It
describes the units of analysis involved in the study followed by the findings basing on the
objectives that were set in chapter one.

4.2Background characteristics of respondents

Table 6 Showing Characteristics of Respondents from the sampled schools

Characteristics of Frequency
Total (%)
respondents
School A School B School C School D School E
Gender:
Male 15 12 11 13 12 63
Female 5 8 9 7 8 37
School Residence
Day - 20 11 20 20 71
Boarding 20 - 9 - - 29
Age group
13-14 3 6 - 6 1 16
15-16 15 13 15 12 11 66
17-18 2 - 3 2 8 15
>19 - 1 2 - - 3

The table above shows the majority of the respondents are male (63%), day scholars (71%) and
above 14 years of age. All the respondents from School A were boarding students, students from
schools B, D and E were all day students while School C had a mix of boarding (11%) and day
(9%) students.

31
4.3Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in
secondary schools

4.3.1ICT devices used for teaching and learning

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Resource Observation Checklist (IROC) and
questionnaires were used to probe some of the ICT equipment available that supports teaching
and learning. Availability of a variety of ICT devices at a given school was taken as essential for
the effective integration of ICT in the learning and teaching of Biology. The findings from IROC
are shown in the table 3.

Table 6 Showing ICT devices that support teaching and learning of Biology in the
secondary schools

ICT Resource Schools

A B C D E
Computers 70 50 20 40 30
Projector 2 1 1 3 1
Television 1 1 2 1 1
Deck/ DVD
1 1 2 3 1
Player
Printer 7 6 4 8 7
Scanner 3 3 2 3 3
Photocopier 2 3 1 3 2
Smart/ White
7 1 0 0 0
Board

The results from IROC show that majority of the schools had the basic ICT resources that
support teaching and learning of Biology. These ICT devices included Audio-visual tools,
printing tools and others accessories as shown in the table above.

The most common ICT device at each of the schools was the computer. School A had a large
number of computers (70) compared to the rest of the schools. School C on the contrary had the

32
least number (20) of computers. In general the numbers of computers in each school are still very
low, this paused a number of challenges in the sampled schools as illustrated in sub-section 4.5.

Computer numbers were ranging from twenty (20) in School C to seventy (70) in School A. Each 

school   was   equipped   with   a   computer   laboratory   which   had   internet   connectivity.     All   the 

government schools had small numbers of computers.

Most schools had less than two projectors, television and deck/ DVD player. These audio-visual
tools assisted the students in using multimedia services in the teaching and learning of Biology
for example viewing animations, documentaries, slide presentations, power point presentations
and Television broadcasts.

Majority of the schools had a good number of printers. School D had the most Printers (8) while
school C had the least number of printers (4). Scanners and photocopiers were among other ICT
accessories available in the schools and these helped in printing of Biology assignments, tests
and exams as well as notes and production of hard copies of any other Biology information that
would be needed by the students.

Only two schools had White boards, school A in particular had seven (7) white boards one in
each class. The white boards were used as a projecting medium for an overhead or video
projector and also enabled teachers to use them instead of a chalkboard which is ideal for people
who are allergic to chalk dust and asthmatic people.

In general, the variety and number of ICT devices available in the schools that support the
teaching and learning of Biology is still limited. This in turn affects students’ learning as shall be
seen later in the chapter.

4.3.2Number of computers and computer laboratories available to the students

The number of computers available for use in the labs was investigated by IROC and the results
are summarized in the table below

33
Table 6 Showing Computer laboratories and number of computers available to students

Number of labs
Number of Number of
School with internet Functionality Status
Computer labs Computers
connectivity
Working Faulty
A 2 1 70 60 10
B 1 1 50 39 11
C 1 1 20 7 13
D 2 1 40 35 5
E 1 1 30 21 9

Each school had atleast one laboratory where students would access computers. School A and D
had two computer laboratories which would there fore help in reducing congestion within the
laboratory. All the schools had internet connectivity for utmost one computer laboratory.

School A had a fairly good number of computers compared to the rest of the schools that were
surveyed. This could be due to availability of enough funds to support the purchase of computers
and other ICT devices.

All schools had atleast four faulty computers. School C with its small number of computers had
the highest number (13) of faulty computers. This could probably be due to the lack of funds to
repair the faulty computers or lack of strict regulations governing the usage of computers in the
laboratory. School D had a very small number of faulty computers and this can be attributed to
the availability of funds to repair the computers, good usage of the computer laboratory by
students and presence of a qualified technician who helps in repairing the computers. These
faulty computers further worsened the problem of insufficiency in number of computers that are
really available to the students.

4.3.3Internet connectivity and use

Each of the schools had a computer laboratory connected to the internet. Schools A and D had a
second computer laboratory although it was lacking internet connectivity. Students would
therefore be able to access information online and also enable them to communicate with other
34
people else where in the world.

Results from questionnaires show that 48% of the respondents indicated that they were using the
internet weekly, 25% were using it twice a week, 21% were using it monthly and only 6% were
using it daily and no student had used the internet before. A pie chart illustrating how often the
students use the internet is shown below.

Figure 4 Pie Chart showing how often students use the internet in the surveyed secondary
schools.

Thirty four percent of the students indicated that they were using the internet for other studies,
25% for Biology studies, 21% used it for emails while 20% were using it to chat. 53% of the
respondents indicated that they sometimes used the internet to search for information concerning
Biology, 5% always used the internet for searching information concerning biology while 42%
never used it for matters concerning Biology.

4.3.4Accessibility to ICT resources in Biology

Over three quarters (84%) of the students were aware of the existence of ICT in their schools.
Also 91% of the students responded that they were accessing computers from the school

35
computer laboratories, 4% from internet cafes, 4% from classrooms and 1% from the school
library as shown by the graph below.

Figure 4 Pie Chart showing places where students access ICT at school.

Over half (59%) of the students indicated that their Biology teacher uses ICT resources
sometimes during teaching, 38% indicated never while 3% indicated that the Biology teacher
always uses ICT during teaching.

4.4Attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology

Fifteen statements were use to measure students’ attitudes towards ICT in teaching and learning
Biology. For each statement the responses were coded 1 for “Strongly Agree”, 2 for “Agree”, 3
for “Undecided”, 4 for “Disagree” and 5 for “Strongly disagree”. The results from questionnaires
about the attitudes of ICT use in teaching and learning Biology are indicated in the table 5.

Table 6 Showing attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology

Attitude Percentage
Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Agree

36
Internet use has an impact on learning of 37 37 13 5 8
Biology.
Like teacher to use ICT during the 52 28 12 6 2
teaching of Biology.
The way your teacher uses ICT during the 14 24 20 23 19
teaching of Biology is Satisfactory
Computers scare me off 3 2 5 11 79
ICT is better off than the library 36 19 19 9 17
I know how to use ICT but not interested 8 25 30 21 16
in using it to learn Biology
I have got other info sources better than 8 19 17 33 23
ICT
I wish ICT could not be used in the 8 4 13 29 46
teaching of Biology
I find it time consuming to use ICT in 11 11 18 32 28
learning Biology
It interferes with my preparation time for 8 13 15 34 30
exams
I get distracted by ICT in the teaching and 4 14 14 41 27
learning of Biology
I cannot learn Biology with ICT alone (I 43 30 7 15 5
need help from teacher)
ICTs are slow compared to books in 8 16 18 25 33
accessing information
ICTs help me to prepare for exams, tests 30 22 17 22 9
and assignments
I cannot learn Biology without ICT 4 7 17 24 48

Majority of the respondents (90%) were not scared by computers. This illustrates the ICT is not
destructive to students’ learning but instead acts as a powerful tool that can be used in
conjunction with other tools to support the teaching and learning of Biology.

Students are interested in the usage of ICT resources in the teaching of Biology. In particular
75% of the respondents wished ICT could be used in the teaching of Biology. About 80% of the
students wanted their teacher to use ICT during the teaching of Biology. Over half (52%) of the
respondents agreed that ICTs help them to prepare for exams, tests and assignments.
Respondents (68%) did not see ICT as distractive during the teaching and learning of Biology
while 64% disagreed to the fact that ICT interferes with their preparation time. Up to 60% of the

37
respondents do not find ICT as time consuming in the learning of Biology. Seventy four percent
of the respondents agreed that internet use has an impact on their learning of Biology.

A good number of students (72%) can learn Biology without the help of ICTs. Over half (55%)
of the respondents also agreed that ICT is better off than the library. About (58%) of the
respondents were also in disagreement with the fact that ICTs are slow compared to books in
accessing information concerning Biology.

Over half (55%) did not have other information sources better than ICT while 28% have other
information sources better than ICT. This illustrates the power of ICT in providing a wide range
of Biology information to the people.

About 30% of the students were undecided about whether they were not interested in using ICT
in learning Biology despite the fact that they knew how to use it.

A large portion (73%) of the respondents needed assistance in using ICTs during the teaching and
learning of Biology. Majority of secondary school students are being exposed were being
exposed to ICT for the first time and therefore needed help from teachers and their fellow peers
in using ICT during Biology teaching and learning.

Almost half the number of respondents (42%) was not satisfied with the way their Biology
teachers were using ICT during the teaching and learning of Biology. This could have been due
to the fact that their teachers lacked adequate training in using the ICT resources to support the
teaching and learning of Biology. Still about 20% were undecided about whether the way their
Biology teacher used ICTs was satisfactory.

Semi-structured Interviews were also used to elicit information from students. Most of the
responses were positive and indicated students’ interest in learning Biology with the help of
ICTs. Some of the statements that were drawn from students include the following.

A student in senior three in School A said, “I never believed that I would at one day like Biology
but when I came to School A, they were using white boards for some Biology lessons. It
38
attracted my attention and I started focusing on Biology. Now days, I like it very much than ever
before.”

Another student of School C in senior three said “When I visited www.google.com and searched
about the circulatory system, I was amazed at the number of results I got. I got very many of
them almost uncountable. Some websites had very good illustrations and some had animations.
You could really see the real picture of the circulatory system in action.”

4.5Challenges facing students in use of ICT in learning Biology

4.5.1ICT availability

Majority of the students from every school were unsatisfied with the number of computers
available to them as shown in figured 3.

A large number of the respondents (90%) were not satisfied with the computer numbers in their
schools. The small numbers of computers in the schools were associated with a number of
problems like congestion in the computers laboratories, limited time of usage of computers by
students and competition among students and teachers very the available computers.

Figure 4 Bar Graph showing students’ responses to computer numbers in the surveyed
schools

39
The results were in agreement with those of IROC. A summary showing computer to student
ratio is show below.

Table 6 Showing student to computer Ratios for the various schools

Student to Computer
School Population Number of Computers
Ratio
A 1200 70 17:1
B 2933 50 58:1
C 1252 20 62:1
D 2640 40 66:1
E 2890 30 96:1

School A with its small population surprisingly had the highest number of computers (70) giving
it the least student to computer ratio (17 students for one computer) compared to the rest of the
schools.

School E had the highest student to computer ratio (96:1). This could be due to its very high
population and very few computers available to the students. In the end this has caused
challenges like congestion in the laboratories, some student were not getting access to
computers, limited time of usage for computer laboratory services.

The minimum recommended student to computer ratio by the NCDC (2003) is 2:1. There was no
school surveyed which was too close to this number. All the schools had high student to
computer ratios which pauses many other challenges to students in using ICT to support the
learning of Biology.

4.5.2Technical support from Staff

Each of the schools had one technician working in the computer laboratories. 62% of the
Students also indicated that their Biology teacher was incompetent in using ICT during the
teaching and learning of Biology. This could be due to lack of adequate training on how to use
computers and other ICT resources by teachers.

40
4.5.3Other challenges facing students in learning Biology with the use of ICT

Other challenges facing learners in studying of Biology using ICT resources included the
following.

 Very little time is allocated to the students for using ICT resources like computer
laboratories. This was a major problem in almost every school that was surveyed.

 Lack of knowledge on how to use some ICT resources by some students.

 Cyber School content is not suited to the Ugandan curriculum.

 Lack of enough qualified ICT personnel in the schools.

 Congestion in computer laboratories.

 Stiff competition for the existing ICT resources between students and teachers.

 Power failure caused by load shedding.

 English used in some ICT resources is very difficult for students to comprehend for
example in the Cyber School.

 Some students use the internet and computers for non academic activities like watching
pornography, music videos and movies

41
 Chapter5
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1Introduction
This chapter discusses the findings from the study and goes on to make conclusions basing on
the results from the findings.

5.2Discussion

5.2.1Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in secondary
schools

The study revealed that schools have responded to the ICT call and have tried to integrate ICT 

into   the   school   system.   Schools   have   purchased   some   of   the   basic   ICT   equipments   like 

computers,   projectors,   Televisions,   DVD   players,   scanners,   photocopiers   white   boards   and 

printers. These equipments supported the teaching and learning of Biology. The computer is the 

most common ICT device available in the schools while soft boards have not been introduced in 

some schools. This shows that schools have realised the importance of ICT in aiding Biology 

teaching and learning.

The above finding can be attributed to a number of factors which include; massive awareness by 

the   government,   donations   from   organisations   like   World   Bank,   United   Nations   and   others, 

advancement on the adoption of new teaching methods and pedagogies, financial status of the 

schools, school policies and administration, reinforcement of learning and developing positive 

attitudes in learners.

42
Katahoire, Baguma and Etta (2004) for IDRC found out that some schools had incorporated ICTs 

especially computers in their schools through donor projects like SchoolNet, Curriculum Net and 

other World Bank projects. Some of the schools that were surveyed were part of the beneficiary 

schools   of   the   SchoolNet   project   for   example   Makerere   College   School,   Mengo   Senior 

Secondary School and Lubiri Secondary Schools. Majority of the schools are mainly depending 

on donations in order to finance the integration of ICTs in their schools.

The implication of the above is that ICT incorporation into the education system needs financing. 

Schools have to budget properly and also look for alternative sources of funding which  will 

enable them to gradually incorporate ICT into the curriculum. Though the government has not 

offered so much support, schools should sit back and wait and instead should seek for sources of 

funding like donations and affordable loans.

The   study   also   revealed   that   Students   were   mainly   accessing   ICT   at   their   schools   from   the 

computer   laboratories.   Internet   use   was   atleast   on   a   weekly   basis   and   some   students   were 

complaining that the time allocated to them is very little. Only 6 percent of the respondents were 

accessing the internet daily. Biology teachers were also sometimes using ICT tools to support the 

teaching of Biology.

In Australia just over 31% of the students can access the Internet almost every day, and a further 

32%   access   it   a   few   times  a   week   (OECD,   2006).   In   comparison,   only   6%   of   the   students 

surveyed are able to use ICT everyday. This number is even lower in other areas of the country. 

The implications of the above are that Uganda is still lagging behind in terms of ICT in education 

43
and therefore a lot has to be done in the future. Successful integration of ICT into the school 

system is so expensive and complex 

5.2.2Attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology

One of the major findings of the study was that students displayed strong positive attitudes
towards the use of ICT to support teaching and learning of biology. In particular, students
displayed favorable attitudes towards the use of ICT by their Biology teachers.

To some students, ICT was the major source of information concerning Biology. ICT was also
one of the means by which students could prepare for exams, tests and assignments. This was
very important in improving students’ performance since students could work through examples,
exercises and get immediate feedback.

The internet is one of the powerful ICT resources that had a positive impact on students’
learning. However students needed help on the usage of the various ICT resources. This
guidance and supervision should be done by teachers.

Students see ICTs are faster in terms of accessibility to Biology information compared to other
resources. Infant majority of the students were on the view that ICT is better off than the library.
This was probably due to the high speed associated with ICTs in terms of accessibility to
information.

A good number of studies on this subject across the world have revealed that students are usually
favorable to the use of ICTs in support of teaching and learning (Asan and Koka, 2006; Cox,
1997; Mahon et al, 2006; Kisaakye, 2006). The results of the study are also in agreement with
these findings. Students have strong positive attitudes towards the use of ICT in supporting the
teaching and learning of Biology.

The implication of this to a teacher is that the world has gone through a revolution where people
are highly depending on technology now. Schools should endeavor to integrate ICTs into their
44
systems. Usage of ICT in teaching and learning would help teachers to reinforce learning. ICT is
a powerful tool to support teaching and learning of students which captures students’ interest.
The integration of ICT into the Biology curriculum would help in gaining the fruits that ICT has
on Biology learning.

Students also highlighted out the fact that one can not depend on ICTs alone to study Biology.
ICT should just be used in conjunction with other resources available on the school for example
notes provided by teachers, books from the library, laboratory work and any other biology
learning resources available at school.

The implications of the above to students and teachers is that ICT alone cannot enhance
learning; rather is the ways in which ICT is incorporated into the various learning activities that
is of fundamental importance (John and Sutherland, 2004, p.102). ICT should therefore be used
properly and as a supplement to learning but not totally substituting traditional methods and tools
with ICT. The overall goal of learning will be lost in the long run.

Students were dissatisfied with the way their teachers were using ICT resources.  Some of these 

teachers might have lacked adequate knowledge on how to use the ICT resources available to 

them during the teaching and learning process.

A lot of studies on this subject across the world have revealed that students are usually favorable
to the use of ICTs in support of teaching and learning (Asan and Koka, 2006; Cox, 1997; Mahon
et al, 2006). The major revelation of this study is that students have strong positive attitudes
towards the use of ICT in supporting the teaching and learning of Biology which is totally
consisted with results from other scholars about the same subject.

5.2.3Challenges facing students in use of ICT in learning Biology

Students are faced with a number of challenges in using ICT to support the learning of Biology.
Some of these problems include the following;

Limited number of ICT resources available in the schools. This is evidenced by a high student to

45
computer ratio in all the schools that were surveyed (Kisaakye, 2006). The number of students
per computer is still very high when compared to that of other countries in the chart below.

Figure 4 Bar Graph showing student to computer ratios for selected countries

Chart source: Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education. 2007. Education
indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators

Also the lack of white boards in some schools is another piece of evidence. This problem is
caused by insufficient funds available to the schools (Kisaakye, 2006; Babirye and Kalema,
2001). The problem may also be due to poor budgeting on the side of the schools as well as
school authorities not appreciating the role played by ICT in supporting teaching and learning of
Biology.

Time allocated to the students for using some o the various ICT resources like computer
laboratories is very little. This may be due to poor time allocation by the school authorities and
insufficient ICT resources.

ICT illiteracy both on the side of students and teachers is also another challenge cited by the
students. Some students and teachers lack basic ICT knowledge and do not know how to operate
some devices. This is probably due to lack of training to these individuals.

The results also revealed that some of the ICT content is inappropriate to the Ugandan context in

46
a way that it does not suit the Ugandan curriculum. For example, the Cyber School content
provided in some schools was cited as being irrelevant by some students.

Poor guidance and supervision by teachers, students end up doing activities prohibited by the 

school. This is due to negligence by the teachers and laboratory technicians as well as lack of 

strict rules governing computer laboratories.

The finding illustrate that ICT can support the teaching and learning of Biology and schools have 

responded to the call and integrated into their system. Schools have purchased some of the basic 

ICT   equipment   like   computers,   whiteboards,   printers,   televisions   and   scanners.   However 

successful ICT integration needs good budgeting and funding. It should therefore be a role that 

should be accomplished by the schools. Looking for alternative sources of funds can be helpful 

like seeking for donations and loans that are manageable by the schools. The government should 

also provide a hand in some cases to help the schools in integration of ICT into the system.  It 

can do this by lowering taxes on school ICT devices and providing funds to the schools. This will 

help to reduce on the high student to computer ratios and competition for ICT resources.

Students displayed favorable attitudes to the use of ICT to support teaching and learning Biology. 

ICT is helpful to them in getting information on Biology topics, completing assignments and 

helping   them   prepare   for   tests   and   examinations.   ICT   is   also   faster   than   other   sources   of 

information like books. However students pointed out that one can not solely depend on ICT as a 

source of information. It should be used in conjunction with other methods and resources that 

support the learning of Biology. 

Teachers need to assist students in using ICT resources. It should not be a matter of “wait and 

47
see” whether the students can use the ICT resources like computers. Training and instructions 

should be provided to the students on how to use ICT resources. Teachers also need to go for 

raining courses to improve their ICT knowledge because the world is heading in an ICT direction 

everyday.

School authorities should also allocate enough time to students for utilizing ICT resources by 

students. Time is always essential in learning and therefore students need enough time to help 

them improve on their skills of using ICT resources.

5.3Conclusion 

5.3.1On the Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in
secondary schools

The study revealed that there were various ICT tools that support the teaching and learning of Biology in 

secondary   schools   which   include   computers,   audio­visual   tools   like   televisions,   whiteboards,   radios, 

decks/DVD   players   and   projectors   as   well   as   other   computer   accessories   used   in   production   and 

reproduction of text materials like scanners, photocopiers and printers. Each computer laboratory had 

interconnectivity in each schools except for a few schools which had more than one laboratory. Internet 

use was still limited with students accessing the internet on a weekly basis and others on a monthly basis. 

Successful integration of ICT in the school system and curriculum was found to be dependant on the 

school’s ability to acquire ICT facilities, maintenance of the acquired ICT facilities as well as funds 

available to the schools.

5.3.2On the Attitudes of students towards ICT in teaching and learning Biology

It can be concluded that a students have positive attitudes towards the usage of ICT to support Biology 

teaching and learning. Students were looking at ICT as a way to enable them get information in Biology 

48
topics very fast from a variety of sources like the internet, Cyber Schools, CDs and other multimedia 

devices. It would also help them to prepare for Biology assignments, tests and exams therefore enabling 

them to improve of their performance. ICT would also help in capturing students’ interests in learning 

Biology.

The study also revealed that students were of the view that ICT cannot be used alone to support the 

teaching and learning of Biology but however it should be used as a supplement to other teaching and 

learning resources to bring about a complete learning environment.

The study was also able to reveal that students had negative attitudes on the way teachers were using ICTs 

during the teaching process and this might have been due to lack of sufficient training by some teachers.

5.3.3On the challenges facing students in the use of ICT in teaching and learning

Biology

Students were faced with a lot of problems in using ICT to support the teaching and learning of
Biology. The biggest problem was high student to computer ratios which brought about
congestion in laboratories. This problem was due lack of enough funds to purchase enough
computers for the students. Majority of the problems were all connected with the lack of
sufficient funds to support the financing of ICT integration in the schools.

5.4Recommendations

5.4.1On the Availability and levels of ICT usage in teaching and learning Biology in
secondary schools

The study revealed that schools had purchased some of the basic ICT devices that support the 

teaching and learning of Biology but however some students and teachers were lacking skills for 

operating some of the available ICT devices. It is therefore recommended that; 

 Schools should buy more ICT resources and add them on to the existing ones. Increase in 

49
 number of ICT resources will help to improve on the overall ICT infrastructure in the 

schools. Students will also be motivated to use ICT resources much more often than ever 

before.

 Higher institutions that train students who are taking education as a career should provide 

ICT courses to enable these student teachers to acquire skills of operating the various ICT 

devices. Competence in usage of the ICT resources will help students develop confidence 

in their Biology teachers as well as strengthening their attitudes towards learning Biology.

 In­service teacher training courses should also be introduced to enable in­service teachers 

get skills on operating the various ICT devices. Each teacher should be trained in using 

the various ICT resources that are essential for  use  in their respective subjects. Such 

training courses help in improving teachers’ confidence in using the ICT resources and in 

the end students will start appreciating teachers in the way they are using ICT.

 Students   should   be   guided   on   how   to  use   the   various  ICT   resources  like   computers, 

projectors, scanners and printers. This training will enable the students to improve on 

their capabilities in using the ICT resources.

 Technicians at the various schools should endeavor to repair faulty ICT devices since this 

reduces the numbers of ICT devices that are available to the students.

 Concerned   authorities   should   endeavor   to   employ   qualified   ICT   personnel   like 

technicians, ICT trainers.

5.4.2On the Attitudes of students towards ICT in teaching and learning Biology

The research revealed that students had strong positive attitudes towards the use of ICT in
teaching and learning Biology. However students pointed out that ICT cannot be used
exclusively to support learning. It is therefore recommended that;
50
  Biology teachers should integrate ICT in their pedagogies to enhance learning since
students have positive attitudes towards its use in teaching Biology. This will help to
improve on the way students perceive Biology and enable them to apply it to their daily
life.

 Teachers should not rely on ICT alone to support their teaching but should also use it in
conjunction with other resources that support teaching and learning. Teachers should
have varieties of teaching aids to choose from but should not be inclined on using ICT
resources only.

 Students should also endeavor to use a variety of learning resources like text books,
models, charts and many other Biology learning aids. They should not rely on ICT
alone as a source of Biology information.

5.4.3On the challenges facing students in using ICT to support the learning of Biology

It was observed that students are faced with a number of challenges which included; high student 

to computer ratios and very many students per a single ICT device especially in schools with 

large number of students. It is there fore recommended that; 

 Schools should purchase enough ICT devices for the students like computers to  help 

reduce on the high student to computer ratio. This will help improve on the number of 

students using ICT resources as well improving on the time that a single student spends 

on an ICT resource.

 Authorities should also allocate enough time for usage of the various ICT resources by 

students. This helps develop students’ confidence in using the various ICT devices that 

are available to them.

 Students should always seek for assistance wherever they need it. This will enable them to 

avoid damaging the ICT equipments. 

51
5.5Recommendations for further Research

The research was limited to Kampala district area due limited funds available to the researcher 

however   further   research   could   be   carried   out   n   other   areas   of   the   country   so   as   to   trap   a 

nationwide view of the attitudes of students from across the country about the use of ICT in 

teaching and learning Biology.

Further research should also be carried out in other scientific fields like Chemistry, Physics, 

mathematics and agriculture since they are all closely related to Biology. Integration of findings 

these fields with those of Biology will help provide a good picture for successful integration of 

ICT in science in Uganda. 

A gender based study could also be conducted to investigate the disparities in attitudes of boys 

and girls towards the use of ICT in teaching and learning Biology.

52
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57
 AppendixA
Questionnaire

A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ICT USE IN TEACHING AND

LEARNING BIOLOGY
Instructions: Please tick or fill in where necessary. For the purpose of this questionnaire Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) is defined as a range of technologies for gathering, storing, retrieving,
processing, analyzing, and transmitting information like computers, projectors, internet, e.t.c.
SECTION A: Background Information
1. Name of school
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Type of school residence: Day Boarding
3. What is your sex? Male Female
4. What is your age?
13-14
15-16
17-18
19 and above
SECTION B: Availability of ICT resources and levels of ICT use in teaching and learning Biology
5. Does your school offer any ICT resources?
Yes No
6. Does your school have a Computer laboratory connected to the internet?
Yes No I don’t know
7. Give some examples of the different ICT resources offered by your school?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Where do you access ICT resources at your school?
Class Computer lab Library Internet Café
If other indicate______________________________________________________________
9. Does your biology teacher use ICT resources during teaching?
Always Sometimes Never
10. Do you use the internet to access information concerning your Biology subject?
Always Sometimes Never
11. How often do you use the internet?
58
 Daily Twice a week Weekly Monthly Never
12. What mainly do you use the internet for?
Chat Study Reading emails Look for Biology notes others (indicate)
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION C: Attitudes of students towards ICT use in teaching and learning Biology

Instructions: Under this section, use the codes given by writing a letter of your choice against the
question. The codes are given below.
Strongly Agree = 1 Agree = 2 Undecided = 3 Disagree = 4 strongly Disagree =5

13. Does Internet use have an impact on your learning of Biology?------------------------------

14. Do you like your teacher to use ICT during the teaching of Biology?-----------------------
15. The way my teacher uses ICT during the teaching of Biology is Satisfactory?-------------
16. Computers scare me off----------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. ICT is better off than the library. -----------------------------------------------------------------
18. I know how to use ICT but not interested in using it to learn Biology.------------------------
19. I have got other information sources better than ICT.------------------------------------------
20. I cannot study biology without ICT---------------------------------------------------------------
21. I wish ICT could not be used in the teaching of Biology--------------------------------------
22. I find it time consuming to use ICT in learning Biology---------------------------------------
23. It interferes with my preparation time for assignments, tests and examinations------------
24. I get distracted by ICT in the teaching and learning of Biology-------------------------------
25. I cannot learn Biology with ICT alone (I need help from teacher or a friend)--------------
26. ICTs helps me to prepare for examinations, tests and assignments----------------------------
27. ICTs are slow compared to books in accessing information-----------------------------------
SECTION D: Problems facing students in use of ICT in learning Biology
28. Are the computers available in your school enough for all students in your classroom?
Yes No
29. Is your teacher very competent in using ICT resources during the teaching of Biology?
Yes No
30. What are some of the challenges facing you in the use of ICT during the learning of Biology?
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

59
 31. Suggest possible solutions to the above
challenges._____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
32. Is there any other comment you would like to make concerning ICT in your school?
___________________________________________________________________________

60
 AppendixB
Observation Guide

1) School:
2) Number of Computer Labs: ________________(Internet Connected Labs)
_______________
3) Number of Technicians: ___________________
4) ICT Resource Checklist

ICT Resource Number Functional Status

Working Faulty
Computers
Projector
Television
Deck/ DVD Player
Printer
Scanner
Photocopier
Smart Board

61
 AppendixC
Interview Guide

SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW GUIDE

1) Name of School:
______________________________________________________________

2) Name of student:
______________________________________________________________

3) Class:
______________________________________________________________

4) Sex Male  Female 

5) Is ICT important during the teaching and learning of Biology? Yes  No



6) What impact does ICT have on your learning of Biology?Positive  Negative 

7) How do you feel about the use of ICT resources during the teaching and learning of
Biology?

8) What are some of the current challenges you face in using ICT during the learning of
Biology?

9) Suggest any solutions to the current challenges to the challenges you have identified in
[8]

10) How do you rate your teacher’s use of ICT resources in Biology lessons?

11) Give any other comments concerning ICT in your school that you would like to
express.

62