An Empirical Survey on Domestication of ICT in Schools in Disadvantaged Communities in South Africa

The potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance curriculum delivery can only be realised when the technologies have been well-appropriated in the school. This belief has led to an increase in government- or donor-funded projects aimed at providing ICTs to schools in disadvantaged communities. Previous research shows that even in cases where the technology is provided, educators are not effectively integrating such technologies in their pedagogical practices. This study aims at investigating the factors that affect the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning. The focus of this paper is on the domestication of ICTs in schools serving the disadvantaged communities in a developing country context. We employed a qualitative research approach to investigate domestication of ICT in the schools. Data for the study was gathered using in-depth interviews. Participants were drawn from randomly sampled schools in disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Results show that even though schools and educators appreciate the benefits of ICTs in their teaching and even though they are willing to adopt the technology, there are a number of factors that impede the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning.