Determinants of Instructors’ Educational ICT use in Higher Education in Developing Countries: Evidence from Ethiopian Higher Education

Higher Education (HE) in developing countries experiences problem with equity, access and quality. Although the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is not a panacea for all difficulties in HE, it may address some of the challenges in developing countries like Ethiopia. It may, among other things, facilitate the implementation of teaching approaches that promote students' engagement, collaboration and interaction, as well as create unrestricted access to teaching and learning resources. Despite the potential benefits of ICT, however, it remains underutilized in HE in developing countries. Moreover, there is a lack of studies explaining what factors determine ICT use while taking into account the specific context of HE in developing countries. Hence, by taking Ethiopia as a showcase, this research project aims to yield a generic and parsimonious model regarding ICT use for educational purposes in developing countries. In particular, this Ph.D. intends to answer the central question: "What factors determine HE instructors' educational use of ICT in Ethiopia?" It puts forward three specific research questions (1) How, why and to what extent do HE instructors in Ethiopia use ICT for educational purposes?, (2) What factors are identified by HE instructors in Ethiopia as determinants of their ICT use?, and (3) Which factors predict HE instructors' educational use of ICT in Ethiopia and how do they interrelate? To do this, the Ph.D. study integrates two successive phases, a qualitative and a quantitative research approach. The first and second research questions are tackled by means of a literature review and an exploratory qualitative study. Following on from a conceptual model built upon existing theory and empirical claims, the different model components are scrutinized in detail by means of thematic analysis, and an adjusted model is presented. The evidence is based on focus group data collected among twenty-one Ethiopian HE instructors. The follow-up quantitative investigation tests the relevance of the adjusted model, in particular the relationships between instructors‟ ICT use and its determining factors. The evidence is based on survey data collected among 946 HE instructors from six Ethiopian universities. Structural equation modeling analysis is applied in order to assess fourteen hypotheses. In brief, the results do not reveal a transformative use of ICT among HE instructors; they use ICT mainly to re-package existing teaching practices. The results also show that the institutional context (vision and plan, support, professional development and infrastructure) and individual characteristics (attitudes and competences) are the main influences behind HE instructors' ICT use. Moreover, the study identifies aspects of access, management support, the nature of a course, students' ICT competences as determinants of HE instructors' use of ICT. ICT competence and ICT attitude are identified as the sole determinants with a direct positive influence on HE instructors' ICT use. Instructors‟ ICT competence and attitude only explain 35% of the variation in their ICT use. Though the model (with 35% explanatory power) can be considered satisfactory, the need for further investigation of a holistic kind with a more powerful model is crystal clear. Hence, based on the findings of prior studies and further review of the literature, an integrative ICT integration model (the I3) is proposed. The proposed model has both empirical and conceptual components and consists of determinants in six categories, namely: institution, instructor, student, technology, culture and academic discipline. Finally, the findings of the three studies and the proposed I3 model are discussed. Also, implications (practice and theory) and limitations of the study as well as the avenues of future studies are discussed.

Publication year:2022

Accessibility:Open