ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN TEACHING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Governments worldwide have invested in technology to improve teaching and learning in schools. Many developing countries have invested heavily in technology infrastructure, equipment, and teacher professional development. However, the adoption of technology in education has remained slow and limited. The purpose of this study therefore was to assess educational technology adoption in teaching and its influence on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kakamega County, Kenya. The study was based on the following objectives: to examine the influence of technology adoption strategies on students’ academic performance; to determine school administration support systems for technology adoption and its influence on students’ academic performance; to find out accessibility of educational technology and its influence on students’ academic performance; and to determine teacher attitude towards educational technology adoption and its influence on students’ academic performance. The study population included 409 Principals, 2454 Teachers, 2045 Heads of Department and 409 Technical staff of public secondary schools in Kakamega County. From this,77 principals, 138 heads of departments, 67 technical staff, and 461 teachers were sampled through multistage stratified, saturated and random sampling techniques. Questionnaires, interview schedule, observation checklist and document analysis were used to collect data. A pilot study was conducted to test the reliability of questionnaires. A Cronbach's alpha reliability quotient of 0.812 for teachers, 0.799 for head of departments and 0.807 for technical staff was attained for each set of questionnaires. The collected data was sorted, coded and processed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Inferential statistics were analysed using linear regression which was useful in hypothesis testing. Qualitative data was transcribed and reported thematically to triangulate with the quantitative data. The study found that most schools had put educational technology adoption strategies in place; the school administration had support systems for technology adoption; accessibility to educational technology for teaching was enabled and that teacher’s attitude towards technology adoption was positive. The regression analysis results pointed to the independent variables having a significant influence on the dependent variable of the study. The study will inform policy and institutional strategies for effective adoption and management of educational technology in schools. It also highlights support and training needs for teachers to enhance technology integration and improve students’ academic performance. The study concluded that proper training and provision of technical support were strategies employed by schools which were associated with student academic performance; school administration had put adequate structural support systems in place which were linked to student academic performance; access to technology resources was enabled in a limited way which had an effect on student academic performance; and teachers positive attitude towards use of educational technology was related to student academic performance. The study recommends structured, needs-based professional development focused on pedagogical use of educational technologies, supported by sustainable funding for continuous teacher training. It further emphasizes the importance of instructional leadership, ongoing technical and mentorship support, and institutional policies that prioritise equitable instructional access to technology. Finally, the study highlights the need to foster a supportive school culture that promotes collaboration, incentives, and positive attitudes toward technology adoption in teaching and learning.