INVESTIGATING THE INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE SENIOR PHASE IN SOUTH AFRICAN TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Abstract

Throughout the history of teaching and learning, changes such as the use of calculators and computers have been recorded to be opposed before most teachers could be comfortable with such change. The Department of Basic Education has drafted a policy for implementing current technologies in schools as part of the Technology Learning Area (TLA). This study seeks to explore the extent to which schools have adopted and integrated current technologies in the Senior Phase. The study is guided by the technology acceptance model (TAM) to assist in investigating the extent of integrating current technologies in technical schools. TAM enabled the researchers to identify the factors influencing the acceptance and use of these technologies in schools. A qualitative study was conducted to derive what the literature and school educators are saying about the phenomenon under inquiry. Data was gathered through interviews with the educators and classroom observations. Content analysis was employed to analyse the qualitative data. The results have revealed that the extent to which teachers implement new technologies in the classroom teaching and learning context is dependent on the availability of resources and skills. The participants indicated the use of overhead projectors as a prominent technology they use for teaching and learning. Furthermore, the participants stated that the Department of Basic Education does not provide in-service training regularly to upskill educators in relevant software and applications relevant to their subjects. It could therefore be concluded that educators need ongoing in-service training to keep up with the evolving technologies. The Department of Basic Education may partner with the institutions of higher education to assist with ongoing training for educators on new technologies.