CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the basic components of the study on integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources in the teaching and learning of Biology in Bamenda III Subdivision. It deals with the background to the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, hypotheses, significance of the study, scope of the study and finally, the operational definition of key terms used in the study.

Background to the Study

During the last two decades several studies have shown that students of different ages, from different cultures and different educational systems, have difficulties understanding the theory of biological evolution and that the students’ understanding did not improve much after traditional teaching (Deadman et al., 1978) .Some specially designed teaching strategies gave better results, e.g. the explicit comparison of different evolutionary ideas in group- teaching with a historical approach (Jensen & Finley, 1996) and the use of certain reading materials. Much Biology was taught and assessed in ways that did little to promote student curiosity. School biology is now universally regarded as a subject that seeks to promote curiosity about the natural world, knowledge of the structure and function of living organisms, an understanding of genetics, evolution and the inter-relationships of living organism. Students are also required to display a much wider range of competences in Biology now than before (Jenkins, 2016). More biology is now being taught to more students before using modern method of teaching to make teaching interest and also to easy understanding by using student centered method and ICT resources to enhance learning.

In this age of information and technology, digital technology has influenced all aspect of human life (Vhanabatte & Kamble, 2014). Almost every part of our life is affected by technology. Technology plays thus a vital role in the way we learn, communicate, work and live. Technology is fast growing and is opening job opportunities, enhancing development, alleviating poverty, and improving living conditions. One branch of technology which is very helpful in pedagogy is Information and Communication and Technology (ICT). Vhanabatte and Kamber (2014) argue that ICT has opened new avenues like online learning, and it also brings more rich and updated materials in the classroom for teachers and learners. Integrating ICT into curricula with the intent of positively influencing teaching and learning has been in a state of evolution over the past 20years (Vhanabatte & Kamble, 2014).

Historically, between 1998 and 1999 private efforts were made in private and mission schools like College François Xavier Vogt to use ICTs in education whereas it was in 2001 that they were introduced in public schools in Cameroon. In secondary schools, they were actually introduced in 1998 but only became operational four years later with the setting up of the general inspectorate in charge of Computer Science (Fouda et al., 2013). This led to the official introduction of ICTs in general and technical secondary schools and since then many schools have been receiving presidential grants in the form of Multimedia Resource Centres with Internet connection (Mbangwana, 2008). ICT in secondary schools was launched in December, 2004 and revised in 2010 to provide opportunities to secondary stage student to mainly build their capacity on ICT skills and make them learn through computer aided learning process. By 2003, official ICT programmes for secondary schools were conceived (ERNWACA-Cameroon, 2005) and ICT syllabuses and National Sequential Schemes of work published in 2008 were made available to Nursery, Primary and Teacher Training Education. Textbooks have also been written and validated by the National Book Commission to facilitate the teaching of ICTs (Republique 2007a cited in Mbangwana, 2008). These promising moves such as connecting more Cameroon schools to a nationwide network and the Internet, providing schools with technological resources, training more teachers and financing ICT integration projects prohibit widespread implementation of ICT in teaching and learning is to improve of the educational quality. For the goverment to succesully intergrate ICTs in schools, they began with the development of the policy document and the general strategy for the integration of ICTs in all sectors by the National Agency of ICTs (ANTIC) and the setting up of Multimedia Resource Centres in some primary and secondary schools (Government Bilingual High school Yaounde, Lycée Général Leclerc, Yaounde  and Government Bilingual High School, Joss, Douala), and some primary schools like École des “Champions” of the Chantal Biya Foundation.

By 2003, official ICT programmes for secondary schools were conceived (ERNWACA-Cameroon, 2005) and ICT syllabuses and National Sequential Schemes of work published in 2008 were made available to Nursery, Primary and Teacher Training Education. Textbooks have also been written and validated by the National Book Commission to facilitate the teaching of ICTs (République 2007a cited in Mbangwana 2008). République also made mention of the draft strategy to implement the national ICT policy in basic education which was applicable from 2007-2015 that was developed in 2007. The strategy targeted at training teachers and head teachers in the importance and how to use ICTs in teaching and learning as well as in school administration. Based on training objectives, national guidelines were also included in the teaching of ICTs in preschool and primary schools. The guidelines were based on six modules for each level including the skills to develop which were: the discovery and presentation skills, application skills, knowledge construction skills, health and safety issues related to ethics and equity (Republique 2007).

Due to the lack of teaching staff, infrastructure and finance, the State went into a partnership with private contractors and Parent/Teacher Associations (PTA) in 2005 to supply computer equipment and the provision of finance respectively (Fouda et al., 2013).  In 2007, the field of Computer Science and Educational Technologies was established at the Higher Teacher Training College (HTTC) Yaounde (Centre Region) to train general secondary school ICT and Computer Science teachers. The following year, a similar field was established at the Higher Teacher Training College, Maroua (Far North Region). In 2009, an information management system was set up at the Higher Teacher Training College, Bamenda (North West Region) to train technical secondary school teachers. This led to the institution of Information Technology as a school subject in January 2011, which entered into force in February of the same year; IT was introduced as a compulsory subject in all MINESEC official examinations.

Apart from government initiatives, non-governmental organizations like ADCOME have also contributed at regional levels to bridge the digital divide in secondary schools in the southwest region of the country through their CIAC project (Computer and Internet Access Centres). Nganji et al. (2010) says ADCOME’s initial objective was to bring internet closer to the people at low cost in 2000. In 2001, motivated by the achievement of this objective, it further launched the CIAC project to install computers and internet as well as providing training for teachers in secondary schools with the first pilot school being the Baptist High School Buea.

However, even though 96.23 per cent of public primary schools pupils and secondary school students are taught ICT lessons and 100 per cent of Teacher Training Colleges teaching ICTs to student teachers, a greater part of the training is still theoretical due to the chronic lack of resources and infrastructure (ERNWACA-Cameroon 2010; Ndonfack, 2010). ERNWACA (Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa) carried out a joint research with PAQUEB in 2009 and in 2010 and found that 87 per cent of all teaching is only theory since only 3 per cent of all public primary schools have computers.

MINESEC, partnering with MTN foundation based on the 2013 partnership agreement (Camerpost, 2013), launched the first competition in 2014 to reward teachers who integrate ICTs in teaching techniques and methods to improve learning. The objective of the competition is to Integration of ICTs into the curriculum of Cameroon motivates teachers in the use of technologies without discrimination, to stimulate the quest for research` in innovative teaching methods and contribute toward achieving quality education. The competition is open to both public and private secondary school teachers nationwide (Tawong, 2015).

The main bodies in charge of ICT Education in Cameroon are MINEDUB, MINESEC, the National ICT Agency (ANTIC) and NEPAD which is a non-Cameroon government organization. MINEDUB and MINESEC have been carrying out remarkable projects since the introduction of ICTS in schools under their ministries. MINEDUB has been working through PAQUEB (Projet Pilote pour L’Amélioration de la Qualité de L’Éducation de Base) meaning Pilot Project to improve the quality of Basic Education concerning the implementation of the one laptop per child project in Cameroon. 

GRID (2014) claimed that 80 per cent of secondary schools have computer rooms and 60 per cent have computers. Microsoft recently partnered with the university of Douala and Yoomee, the country’s first wireless ISP hosted the event of Microsoft education in February 2014 during which the company presented its academic programmes and teaching and learning software for teachers and students (GRID, 2014).  On the other hand, Agence Nationale des Technologies de l’Inform ation et de la Communication (ANTIC) known in English as National ICT Agency, drafted the first national policy for the development of ICTs in 2007. ANTIC is in charge of cyber security, cyber-crime and fraud related issues. It also lays down rules and recommendations for schools and parents to use in preventing children from accessing illegal and immoral contents by setting and blocking undesired websites.  

The New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD), a non-Cameroon government organisation is in charge of the e- Schools project in Cameroon. The NESEC for its part has been opening multi media centres e-schools initiatives operate in many African countries with the aim of providing primary and secondary school pupils and students with ICT skills and Knowledge in order to enable them to be competent in the emerging information society (GRID 2014).  

UNESCO (2007) define ICT as, forms of technology that are used to transmit, process, store, create, display and exchange information by electronic means. The broad definition of ICT includes such technologies as radio, television, video, DVD, telephones, satellite systems, computer and network hardware and software as well as the equipment and services associated with these technologies, such as videoconferencing, e-mail and blogs. ICT is said to be important for kick starting the ailing economies and in assisting in developing the societies, including those groups that lost out the mainstream of development. The UNESCO policy on ICT states that ICT can help strengthen democratic and transparent education planning and management. Communications technology can expand access to learning, improve equality and ensure inclusion. Where resources are scarce, judicious use of open-source material through technologies can the means to bypass the bottleneck of textbook production, distribution and updating (UNESCO, 1995).

According to Adomi and Kpangban (2010), ICTs are electronic technologies which are used for information storage and retrieval. Krubu and Osawara (2011) asserted that technological advancement over the past twenty five years such as the electronic database, online services, CD ROMS and introduction of internet has radically transformed access to information. Kothari (2004) and Reid (2002) on their part indicated that the use of ICT such as internet application, CD ROMS, Video technology, various computer attachments and software programs have caused many changes in society. Schools need ICT in the teaching and learning process. Learning institutions therefore have opportunities to improve performance skills and enter into the service sector economy by adopting the use of computer technology. This will ensure that learners have the skills required for the ever increasingly competitive labour market.

Fu (2013) stated that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) includes computers, the Internet, and electronic delivery systems such as radios, televisions, and projectors among others, and is widely used in today’s education field. ICT is being applied successfully in instruction, learning, and assessment. ICT is considered a powerful tool for educational change and reform. A number of previous studies have shown that an appropriate use of ICT can raise educational quality and connect learning to real-life situations (Lowther et al. 2008; Weert & Tatnall, 2005). As Weert and Tatnall (2005) have pointed out, learning is an ongoing lifelong activity where learners change their expectations by seeking knowledge, which departs from traditional approaches. As time goes by, they will have to expect and be willing to seek out new sources of knowledge. Skills in using ICT will be an indispensable prerequisite for these learners. 

The ability to work with ICT is recognized as one of the key competencies necessary for success in life and for competition in the labour market (Salganik, 2001). So it is important for everyone to have knowledge and skill in ICT. Educational institutions may utilize ICT to enrich the students with skills and knowledge for the 21st century (Andoh, 2012), such that it can add to worldwide accessibility to education, educational equality, broadcasting of quality teaching learning programs, educators’ professional growth and to help in obtaining a more effective educational management. ICT improves the standard of education by encouraging learning through ongoing discussion, delayed time discussion, directed instruction, self-learning, critical thinking, data seeking and analysis (Yuenn et al., 2003). Utilization of ICT can enhance outcomes, instruction, administration and create important abilities in the underprivileged groups (Sharma, 2003), and at the same time influence educational instruction and research process (Yusuf, 2013).

 In integration of ICT in teaching and learning can be influenced by many factors such as availability of ICT resources in schools, national infrastructure, and even electricity supply particularly in the rural areas (Farell, 2007). According to Belay et al. (2020), availability of ICT resources is one of the main factors for ICT integration in teaching and learning. Lack of these resources in schools, can prevent effective use of ICT in classrooms. Belay et al. (2020)   carried out a research on the availability of ICT resources for teaching and learning Biology in secondary schools in the southern Region of Eritrea. The study found that most of the sampled schools had inadequate ICT resources like computers, computer laboratories, projector, television, video players, digital content and internet. Belay et al added that ICT resources were not enough or available for use by Biology teachers in teaching and learning.

Ong’ amo et al. (2017) attested that there are different instructional resources in the schools’ environments for teaching biology.  Effiong et al. (2015) found these resources to be materials that include chalkboards, diagrams, models, digitals tools, written texts, pictures, and recording videos, among others. Bosibori et al. (2015), classified instructional resources used in biology in different categories like material resources, human resources, and physical resources. Arop et al. (2015) categorized types of resources used in biology instructional methods into three main types: Visual, audio, and audiovisual resources. According to Mukagihana et al. (2020), Visual resources support instruction through sight, and students can manipulate them; they include flashcards, posters, charts, textbooks, real objects, models, chalkboards, images, among others. Audio resources support instruction through hearing; they include tape recorders and radios, among others. Audiovisual resources are those instructional resources that teachers use as a combination of audio and visual tools; they stimulate sight and hearing sense. Computers, television, tape recorder, radios, videos are excellent examples of visual and audiovisual resources. Iji et al. (2014) attested that they could be made from industries, or by teachers, or students made from locally available materials through the concept of materials improvisation. Therefore, the particularity is that the present study categorized biology   instructional resources as classroom resources, basic biology laboratory resources, library resources, and ICT resources. The justification of this classification is that they wrap the importantly needed instructional resources for biology teaching and learning in higher learning institutions.

Chai, Koh and Tsai (2010) and William (2004) argue that research clearly demonstrates the potential of ICTs to increase motivation and autonomy in learning and teaching, and further improve retention of knowledge and skills. The use of multimedia to mediate directly to students, at their own pace, realities and experiences which would otherwise be text-based stimulates their interest and motivation. William (2008) further avows that ICT has been observed that when students collaborate in pairs on computers or other ICTs, they experience greater autonomy and self-direction, and teachers become less directive. In doing so, learners tend to experience independent learning which, in turn, fosters confidence in the learning process among themselves.

Saverinus and Williams (2008) studies show the emerging important role of ICTs in education. Their studies show that when ICTs are used in education, it has increasing positive effects such as increased motivation among learners and teachers, autonomy in learning and improved retention levels among learners. Additionally, increased motivation can raise positive attitude in learner and teachers. A study by Rosnaini and Mohd. (2008) on the integration of ICTs in the teaching of Islamic Religious subjects, stressed that ICTs may be used as a medium for teaching and learning to develop a more creative thinking in the integrated education process. Then, it is of paramount importance to teachers and educationists that the new era of ICT in education should be developed rapidly to appropriate extent in order to match the capability of students as well as teachers in educational experience due to the development of new information technology which is able to develop a more creative thinking in the integrated education process.

Mewcha and Ayele (2015) proposed that Adwa college in Ethiopia should critically focus to integrate ICT in each course to make courses interactive and easily understandable by their students. They further assert that teachers’ productiveness is realised if ICT usage is integrated into the courses they teach. Their study provided that the Adwa college should provide ICT resources such as hardware and software, effective professionals’ development and technical support to teachers and create environments for students in ICT usage. ICTs was perceived to help Religious Education (R.E) teachers teach better and learners learnt better, promoted: participation, ambiance transformation in class, creativity, motivation, easier understanding, and higher retention levels among learners in religion studies.

Furthermore, Rabah (2015) argued that ICT helps students develop the confidence, be more creative and imaginative as their knowledge paradigm expand. Rabah (2015) further argued that ICTs can better students’ communication, knowledge and helps students to possess all four skills in learning through the acquisition of necessary information. ICTs can also help students to be able to express their thoughts and ideas coherently through the resources that ICTs are able to provide during the teaching and learning process. ICT also fosters pupils’ creativity and improves both teaching and learning quality.

However the use of ICT in teaching Biology is not clearly defined in secondary schools in Cameroon although Biology is a major field in science. This has resulted to slow down teachers who were interested in using ICT to teach biology to be very relaxed. The traditional chalk and chalkboard is commonly being used in classroom teaching thereby repelling student from Biology. There is therefore need to change and make teaching of biology more attractive and interesting to students. Yapici and Hevedanli (2012) note that Biology includes complex relationships of unfamiliar and abstract concepts which are quite difficult to learn and teach and hence the use of ICT is increasingly important. Such topic or concept that could be taught with the use of ICT  are cell structure, cell division, organ systems, DNA and RNA, photosynthesis, respiration, food transportation in plant etc. Research has shown that the integration of ICT in pedagogy is vital for  learners master the content easily, retain it and retrieve it and use it in their real life ( Mugo, 2013).

One of the great benefits of ICTs in teaching is that they can improve the quality and the quantity of educational provision (Sarkar, 2012). ICT is very helpful in bringing up reality to the classroom and Biology of one of the subjects that need learners to see reality for the subject to anchor on real things. In classroom teaching and learning process, the use of ICT is imperative as it gives chance to the instructors and learners to operate, store, control and retrieve data other than to promote self-regulated and active learning. ICT-based learning includes an expanded propensity towards collaborative learning among learners and instructors, not just in a specific classroom. Well trained biology teachers in ICT need to work with the students to bolster computer knowledge, as the use of ICT  will  strengthens their  skills and opens up a wider array of learning resources for students to access  Therefore, the rich, interactive capacity of ICT-mediated learning resources also motivates and engages weaker students, and allows them to learn at an appropriate pace, and teachers to adopt scaffolding strategies in all ICT mediated lessons to engage students in higher-order thinking activities (Lim & Kline, 2006).

Integrating of ICT   in teaching and learning is influence by preparedness of teachers in ICT knowledge and skills, the attitude and competence of the teacher lead to effective integration of ICT in the classroom. A number of international studies have shown that secondary school teachers lack competencies on the use of ICT as a pedagogical tool in teaching and learning process; (Bingmlas, 2009, Nihuka & Voogt, 2011). In many schools, students are still being taught what students were taught in the 1950’s and in the same ways because of ineffective use of ICT as a pedagogical tool (Knight et al., 2006; Tapscott, 1998).  Kubiatko and Halakova (2009) stated that the introduction of ICT in biology lessons can raise not only the level of knowledge but also improve student’s attitudes towards biology. Dixit and Kaur (2015) stated that computer hardware and software, the network and other digital device like video camera and so on, which convert information (text, sound, motion etc) into digital from successful integration of ICT in the education system depends largely on the competence and on the attitude of teachers towards the role of modern technologies in teaching and learning. Thus experienced teachers newly qualified and student teachers need to be confident in using ICT effectively in their teaching.

Even though many countries are struggling to embrace ICT in teaching, in the developing countries, there are no enough evidences of how successful this integration is. The available studies show poor applications of ICT as a pedagogical tool among secondary school teachers. For instance, In Tanzania, (Kihoza et al., 2016) used a case study to assess classroom ICT integration opportunities and challenges faced. The findings of the study showed that most of the teachers demonstrated low ICT competence in teaching, and there was inefficient support on the use of ICT. Lack of infrastructure and readiness to change among teachers were significant challenges.

Another study carried out in Tanzania by Nyarusy (2006) focused on the application of ICT in teaching and learning in private secondary schools. It was found that lack of financial resources was the major problem facing most of these schools. The problem was found to have caused a series of other problems in schools such as inadequate IT facilities, lack of IT teachers, lack of internet connectivity and unsatisfactory teachers’ remuneration. It was further found that power fluctuation, uncompleted syllabi and some schools using old syllabi were the problems that hindered IT effectiveness in schools. This is to show that for teachers to effectively integrate ICT in the teaching and learning of Biology in secondary schools they need to be well trained and have confident in themselves when using ICT resources in teaching Biology. Also schools need to provide financial resources to make sure that their schools have adequate ICT facilities and competent teachers. This will make the integration of ICT by teachers very easy and therefore improve on student academic performance.  

Theoretically, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989) is an information system theory that models how users find technology useful and easy to use and then they develop a positive attitude toward using this technology. Another theory that was used in this study is the technological Pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) Model. TPACK is a framework proposed by Koehler and Mishra in 2009. TPACK identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with the use of technology and also the study was based on social constructivist learning theory by Vygotsky (1978). Social constructivist learning theory states that knowledge is constructed by individuals as they interact with other people and with the environment. In order for students to effectively construct knowledge, teachers must create collaborative learning environment providing by promoting computer integration into the teaching and learning process.

This study was interested with the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of Biology in Bamenda III subdivisions. The use of ICT in the teaching and learning of Biology is not clearly defined in secondary schools in Cameroon although Biology is a major field in science. The chalk and chalkboard is commonly being used in classroom teaching, because of the teacher and learners are irrelevant to the ICT world. Therefore there is need to change and make teaching of Biology more attractive and interesting by use of ICT. To improve on pedagogical teaching of difficult topics, Biology teachers need exposure to powerful conceptual frameworks to help them organize instructions and analyze classroom events otherwise they may fail to grasp new concepts about teaching and learning or they may learn them for the purpose of test, but revert to their perceptions later. Darling- Harmond and Bransford (2005) argue that the use of ICT in teaching could improve on performance of learner in understanding difficult topics.  ICT brings in multiple learning and teaching resources to support printed material, these resources include video clips, audio sounds, and visual presentation and so on. Current research has indicated that ICT assists in transforming a teaching environment into a learner-centered one (Castro Sánchez & Alemán, 2011). Since learners are actively involved in the learning processes in ICT classrooms, they are authorized by the teacher to make decisions, plans, and so forth (Lu, Hou & Huang 2010). In order to improve the performance, research has demonstrated that integration of ICT in pedagogy play a great role in mastery of content and generally good performance (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Going by this fact, a pertinent question one may ask is whether ICT was being effectively integrated in classroom instruction in the secondary school and particularly in the teaching of sciences including biology in Cameroon. This question can only be answer well if serious studies are conducted in this field.

Statement of the Problem

The use of technology has influenced all human aspect of life, and it has an impact on how education is delivered, although the government officially introduced ICTs in schools in 2001 in Cameroon. The project for introducing ICTs in schools was given an impetus by two presidential statements in 2001, which brought ICTs into the realm of education at all levels of schooling. The distribution of laptop to all the students and computers and their accessories are given for free to schools. Moreover, the World Bank in its ICT task force policy has raised the concept of cyber education in the global school system to promote the development of computer technology, to improve the accessibility of learners to information technology, and to encourage digital inclusion in developing countries.

However, with all that the Government has put in place, the penetration level of ICTs in the teaching and learning of Biology remains low. Integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of biology should possibly have an effect on the students’ academic performance in the subject.

Moreover, ICT integration simplifies abstract and complex concepts, creates cooperative learning. This shows that integrating ICT creates a learner centered learning environment. Introduction of Biology lesson raises the level of knowledge and student attitudes toward Biology (Kubiatko and Halakova, 2009) resulting to good performance. However it is not clear whether Biology teacher integrate ICT in the classroom instruction   with the purpose of improving academic performance of their learners.

Objectives of the Study

This study is made up of general and specific objectives

General Objective

The general objective of this study seeks to assess the integration of ICT resources in the teaching and learning of Biology in Bamenda III Subdivision.

Specific Objectives

To address the general objective, the following specific objectives were examined:

• To determine the availability of ICT resources in schools for teaching and learning of Biology in Bamenda III Subdivision
• To determine the attitude of teachers towards integration of ICT resources in teaching and learning of Biology
• To establish the extent to which the use of ICT resources in teaching and learning of Biology affect students’ academic performance
• To explore challenges faced by teachers in the integration of ICT resources in teaching and learning of Biology in schools

Research Questions

• What ICT resources are available in schools for the teaching and learning of Biology in Bamenda III Subdivision?
• What is the nature of Biology Teachers’ attitudes toward the use of ICT resources in their teaching processes?
• To what extent does the use of ICT resources in teaching Biology affect students’ academic performance?
• What challenges do teachers face in integrating ICT resources in the teaching of Biology?