ZAMBIAN TEACHERS’ PROFILES OF ICT USE IN MATHEMATICS PEDAGOGY
EDDIE M. MULENGA *
School of Postgraduate Studies, The Copperbelt University, P.O.Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia.
PATRICK AZERE PHIRI
Department of Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, P.O.Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Current debates on teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) have brought to attention profiles and purposes of ICT use in school-related teaching activities. However, ICT integration in mathematics classrooms is yet to be fully investigated. The present study seeks to identify Zambian Teachers’ profiles of ICT use in Mathematics Pedagogy. To explore profiles of ICT use in schools and at home for different purposes, we take a person-centered approach and apply descriptive statistics to narrower the knowledge gap by analysing teachers' ICT skills, beliefs and attitudes towards the use of ICT in the teaching and learning of mathematics. To find the mean differences between the perceived knowledge in teachers’ ICT Math profiles and gender, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed over the data provided by ninety-two (92) teachers by completing validated survey questionnaires. These analyses revealed that teachers in Kabwe district posses ICT skills and showed positive attitudes towards ICT integration in mathematics classrooms. Unfortunately, they had low profiles of ICT integration in general. A significant difference between teachers’ overall ICT Math profiles and gender existed. Given that the coverage of ICT at home and in schools has increased substantially over the last decades, profiles of teachers’ ICT use in mathematics teaching informs teachers and students whether or not students exploit these opportunities to the same extent. Recommendations for future research, policy and practice are proposed.
Keywords: Teachers’ ICT math profiles, profiles of ICT use, ICT integration, mathematics, beliefs, attitudes