CHALLENGES AFFECTING TEACHER ATTITUDES TOWARDS ICT INTEGRATION IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHING AMONG TEACHERS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE WESTERN REGION

ABSTRACT

The study was designed purposively to investigate the challenges affecting attitudes towards information technology integration in Physical Education teaching among teachers of Senior High Schools in the Western Region of Ghana. Descriptive design was adopted in carrying out the research. Seventy-eight (78) Physical Education teachers were sampled using the census sampling technique. Secondary Physical Education Teacher‘s Attitudes and Information Technology Practices Inventory (SPEAITPI), with a 5-point Likert scale format, was used to collect data. The instrument was subjected to content and construct validation procedures and a reliability test which yielded a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.85. Five (5) research questions guided the study. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation. The reliability scores for the four scales were; (a) Physical Education teachers‘ perceptions of relevance/ importance of information technology (α = 0.69); (b) Physical Education teachers‘ information technology proficiency and use (α = 0.76); (c) Contextual factors (α = 0.67); and (d) Physical Education teachers‘ teaching styles/beliefs (α = 0.73). Results showed Perception of Importance revealed higher means (M = 4.29, SD = 0.60) than all other variables examined in the study. This showed that teachers had positive attitude towards information technology in Physical Education. One major recommendation was that teacher education universities in Ghana should review their curriculum so that information technology can be included in the curricula to provide adequate training for graduate Physical Education teachers to gain confidence in applying information technology in teaching.