Adoption of ICT in Learning: Perceptions from Technical College Students in Malawi

Abstract

Background: There has been a growing interest to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the field of education. Most countries have made strides to adopt the use of ICT in teaching and learning. A lot of studies have been made to find out about attitudes of stakeholders in education on adopting the use of ICT. Aim: Considering that Malawi has recently been promoting the skills and vocational trades, this study was aimed at finding out how students in the technical and vocational colleges perceive the use of ICT in learning. Methods: A quantitative research study was undertaken among 208 students using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and analyses of variance were used to analyze the results using IBM SPSS version 23 Software. Findings: The study revealed that most students use ICT for recreational purposes than pedagogical. It was also revealed that there are no differences in perceptions of using ICT in learning between male and female students, although differences were noted between students coming from different locations. Recommendation: We recommend the use of ICT in technical and vocational college as the world is changing in the manner the business is being transacted as witnessed with the impact of COVID-19. Further we recommend authorities to put more attention in the development of ICT learning resources as it has the power to drive the economy in all sectors.