Teacher ICT Competence as a Lever for Classroom Digital Transformation: Evidence from Public Junior Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya

Paul Okemwa Makori, Judah Mwaluko Ndiku, & Geoffrey Ababu Musera
Department of Education Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
(MMUST)
Email: pmakori12@gmail.com

Abstract: The transition to technology-enhanced teaching under Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum places renewed demands on teachers’ ability to select, operate, and pedagogically integrate digital technologies. This paper examined the effect of teachers’ level of ICT training and skills on their use of digital technologies in teaching and learning in public junior secondary schools in Kakamega County. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Data were obtained from 332 JS teachers who responded to a target of 346 questionnaires, complemented by interviews with 11 Sub-County Directors of Education and observations in 78 schools. A factor-based ICT training and skills index had a mean of 3.954, indicating moderately high competence, while the technology-use index had a mean of 3.30, indicating moderate use. Teachers were strongest in confidence, general digital knowledge, internet browsing and information search, but weaker in software installation, troubleshooting, digital-content creation and learning-management systems. Pearson correlation showed a positive moderate relationship between ICT training and technology use (r = .467, p < .001). In Model 1, ICT training and skills significantly predicted technology use (B = .412, t = 9.60, p < .001; R² = .218). After controls were introduced, the detailed regression table reported a positive adjusted coefficient of B = .382 (β = .440, p < .001), with R² = .446 and adjusted R² = .423. The null hypothesis was rejected. The paper concludes that teacher competence is an important enabling condition for classroom technology use, but advanced practical and pedagogical skills require targeted, continuous development.