Nigerian teachers’ perception of barriers to technology integration into the chemistry instructions

Abstract

This paper documents chemistry teachers’ perceptions of barriers to  technology integration into the chemistry lessons. Underlying the study was a conceptual underpinning which focused on the concept of ICT integration, competencies of integration and chemistry curriculum. 13 participants were recruited for the study. Their participation in this research is voluntary. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were employed as the means for collecting decontextualized statements about barriers to technology integration. The pool of statements obtained was subjected to   phenomenographic analysis. A limited number of qualitatively different perceptions of barriers to technology integration were identified as: lack of teacher training, lack of technical support, limited time for teacher  planning, computer placement in remote locations making access difficult, budget constraints and basic resistance to change by many teachers. The discussion and implications sections of the paper explore the issues on barriers to ICT integration chemistry instructions in greater depth by pointing out the multifaceted relationship among the barriers as well as recommending ways of overcoming the identified barriers.

Key words: Chemistry curriculum, technology integration, pedagogical competencies, technological competencies, teacher perceptions.