How Teachers Use Tech Matters More Than Having It, KNUST Study Finds
The way teachers use technology in class has a bigger influence on students’ performance in mathematics than simply having access to advanced digital tools, a new study by researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has found.
Published in E-Learning Research and Practice, the study focused on the teaching of Core Mathematics in Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions across six regions of Ghana.
It found that teachers who blended digital tools with strong teaching methods recorded better learning outcomes, even in schools with limited resources.
Led by Derick Folson of the Department of Teacher Education at KNUST, the research drew on survey responses from 137 mathematics teachers, Core Mathematics exam results from nine TVET institutions, and focus group discussions.
The findings also exposed wide gaps in performance between urban, peri-urban and rural schools, pointing to persistent inequalities in access to quality education.
Infrastructure remains a major hurdle. Only 2% of TVET institutions in deprived communities had functional ICT laboratories. Many teachers also cited unreliable electricity and poor internet connectivity as key barriers to using technology in lessons.
The study further noted that most digital learning tools are not tailored to the practical, vocational focus of TVET or to local student realities, which limits their effectiveness in the classroom.
According to the researchers, improving mathematics teaching in TVET schools is not just about supplying more computers or internet. Teachers need support to adapt their methods to the resources they actually have.
To address this, the team proposed expanding the existing teaching framework with a new concept they call Infrastructural Pedagogical Knowledge, or IPK, that is, a teacher’s ability to deliver effective lessons despite constraints like poor internet, inadequate equipment, or unstable power supply.
The study concluded that while investment in digital infrastructure is still needed, lasting gains in mathematics education will depend just as much on equipping teachers with practical strategies that work in resource-constrained classrooms, especially in rural communities.
Source: KNUST
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