Exploring Administrative Challenges in the Implementation of Digital Learning in Public Primary Schools Rongo Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Digital Literacy is one of the core competencies in the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), it enhances quality and standard of education and therefore intends to help learners achieve their potential both in school and in life. Despite the Kenyan government efforts to achieve one child one laptop (1:1) by 2030, its implementation process in public primary schools in Rongo Sub-County has been met with managerial challenges which has widened the digital and knowledge divides between Kenya and other developed countries in the world. The study primarily explored administrative challenges in the implementation of digital learning in public primary schools in Rongo Sub-County, Kenya. The study was guided by the Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) model theory. The study employed descriptive survey design with a target population of 199 public primary schools. The study was carried out among 60 sampled public primary schools using a simple random sampling procedure. The study used questionnaires and interview schedules to get information from the respondents. The input of the supervisors was vital in developing and ascertaining the validity of the research instruments. A pilot study was carried out in three randomly selected schools with three headteachers, three deputy headteachers and three grade one class teachers in neighboring sub counties with the same characteristics as the sampled schools. Test-retest technique was used to get a reliability of 0.78, 0.70 and 0.72 for headteachers, deputy headteachers and grade one class teachers respectively. The questionnaires were distributed to headteachers, deputy headteachers and grade one class teachers. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 21.0) Windows. The findings were presented using frequency tables, mean, percentages, pie charts and bar graphs. The findings of the study showed that 63.6% (61) of headteachers and deputy head teachers agreed that the government did not allocate enough resources to schools towards the implementation of digital literacy while 67.7% (65) of them said that the available primary curriculum did not support digital literacy in schools. The study concluded that managerial challenges such as administrative challenges, were still major challenges affecting the implementation of digital learning in public primary schools in Rongo Sub- County. The study recommended that the government should uniformly provide ICT resources to all public primary schools. The results of this study are useful in the current implementation of CBC and digital learning in Kenya and beyond. The researcher adhered to research ethical considerations.