Perception and Usage Level of ICT of the Primary ...

Perception and Usage Level of ICT of the Primary School Teachers in Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hannan Mia, PhD* Md.Ziaul Haque**

Abstract Bangladesh has been investing in the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in education from the last decade. The evolution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and their integration in the education lead to specific changes both in personal and professional area of primary school teachers in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has realized the need for a high quality primary education system and seen huge government funding for schools over the last 7years. However, Bangladesh’s spending on ICT has attracted little research regarding the impact of ICT on primary school teachers. For this reason, this study aimed to discover perception and usage level of ICT of the primary school teachers in Bangladesh. The study found that teachers have deficiency in usage and training of ICT. Findings revealed that programs on ICT provided for the primary schools in Bangladesh were too basic and that further investment is required. Data analyzed by STATA indicate that perception of primary school teachers about the ICT is positive irrespective of demographic characteristics such as sex, level of profession, type of institution, marital status and age. The usage level of ICT is not satisfactory whether the teacher is married or single, senior or junior or headmaster, male or female and government or non government. Some initiative can be taken to improve the ICT use among primary school teachers such as training on ICT, setup of computer Lab in primary school, introducing a course on ICT in primary level, reducing the cost of Internet connection and ICT devices etc.

Keywords: Teachers, perceptions, ICT, IT, Usage, Primary school Introduction: ICT has profoundly changed almost all aspects of the society in world. It is now central to how people communicate, interact, make decisions and do work. It plays a key role in social and economic transformation. Personal knowledge and experiences of ICT play an important role in integrating technology into education, and attitudes towards computers (Alev 2003; Ertmer 2005).The Government of Bangladesh considers information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabling factor towards achievement of its goal of developing the country in a rapid pace and has clearly stated its intention to expand and diversify the use of such technologies in all spheres of life as the key driver of socio-economic development. *Professor, Department of Management Information Systems, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000. The author can be reached at [email protected] **Senior Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, East West University, Aftabnagar, Dhaka-1212. E-mail: [email protected]

The computer as the most important tool has transformed information and data handling in all fields of human endeavor (Chan,1999).Information and communication technologies (ICT) are being integrated in the teaching-learning process in many learning institutions of the world (Ertmer 2005; Juang et al. 2008; Friedman et al. 2009; Steel 2009; Ismail et al. 2010). It has been learnt that the integration of ICT in education promotes autonomous learning, curriculum differentiation (Smeets 2005), student-centred learning, higher order thinking, problem-solving, cooperative learning (Bangert 2008), clarification of abstract concepts and transformation of the understanding of the subject matter (Leach and Moon 2000). It is due to such benefits that Bangladesh has been struggling to encourage teachers integrate ICT in education at various levels. Bangladesh, located in South Asia is one of the overpopulated, underdeveloped and technologically backward countries in the world but the higher academic institutions of a country are pioneers in adopting and using Information and Communication Technologies (Roknuzzaman, 2006). Education system in Bangladesh has three major stages-primary, secondary and higher educations. Primary education is a 5-year cycle while secondary education is a 7- year one with three sub-stages: 3 years of junior secondary, 2 years of secondary and 2 years of higher secondary. Higher secondary is followed by graduate level education in general, technical, engineering, agriculture, business studies, and medical streams requiring 5-6 years to obtain a masters degree. The ICT Policy adopted by the government in 2009 intends to expand and diversify the use of ICTs to establish a transparent, responsive and accountable government, develop skilled human resources, enhance social equity, ensure cost-effective delivery of citizen-services, support the national goal of becoming a middle-income country within 2021 and join the ranks of the developed countries of the world within thirty years. With a view to minimize the digital divide and to ensure access for all to the emerging technology, the Government has published in July 2013, a Master Plan for adoption and use of ICT in Education. It is expected that introduction of ICT in schools will enhance children’s enrollment and facilitate prevention of drop-outs to a significant extent. It is also expected to bring dynamism in educational administration. A massive advancement in the fields of education, science and technology has taken place and students are still studying the old curriculum. The primary function of most educational policies is to provide schools with funding and resources for equipment, network infrastructure, and to a lesser extent, the professional development of teachers (Jones, 2003; Owston, 2007).Successful integration of ICT in the teaching-learning process, among other things, is dependent on the preparation of

teachers. Bangladesh educational institutes have been attempting to incorporate ICT as a teaching aid into classrooms with various degrees of success. ICT usage in the professional and personal area of primary school teachers depends entirely on the teachers and their levels of ICT competence.

Literature Review: ICT is a medium for teaching and learning and ICT can solve problems pertaining to quality, equity, and access to higher education and can also promote resource sharing and therefore improve efficiency and productivity while at the same time open up access to global resource of knowledge and information (Kunaefi, 2007).Successful personal use of ICT is likely to motivate the teachers to use ICT in other areas such as in teaching (Cavas et al. 2009; Steel 2009). Technological literacy enables teachers not only to use technology to "communicate, locate and use information, but also to support the teaching content of other school subjects" (McMillan Culp et al.,2005) and digital literacy to help them "use technology applications and use technology to meet personal needs or collective" (Erstad, 2009). Watts-Taffe et al. (2003) found that teachers can act as catalysts for the integration of technology through ICT. Improving the quality of teaching learning environment to cope with the world is major agenda of Bangladesh (Haque, 2013). Phelps and Maddison (2008) investigated teacher perceptions regarding ICT usage in classrooms in primary school. The study found that ICT usage is independent of the teacher’s age. This finding dismisses the idea that older teachers have not embraced ICT as easily as younger generations. Although students teachers' have been exposed to technology, Twidle, Sorensen, Childs, Godwin and Dussart (2006) have identified that they do not feel ready to use ICT in school activities because of the lack of technical skills. Need to professionalize the teaching staff have triggered a transformation of ICT in the age of students enrolled in courses from the Pedagogy of Preschool and Primary School Program(Oana and Carmen,2012). ICT increasingly pervades various aspects of our daily lives like work, business, teaching, learning, leisure and health. Since ICT leads all processes based on information, every individual in a society should become technology competent. Due to the compulsory character of these curricula, the administration of ICT curricula as a top-down policy initiative brings ICT to a ‘turning point’ (Vanderlinde, et al., 2009). Ertmer and Ottern breit-Leftwich (2010) reviewed the existing literature on the necessary elements to enable pre-service and in-service teachers to apply ICT as a

meaningful pedagogical tool. They recommended that schools provide teachers with solid evidence supporting the positive impact of technology-based and student-centered instruction on student learning and achievement on standardized tests. Yildirim (2007) found that teachers use ICT more frequently for the preparation of handouts and tests than to promote critical thinking. Similarly, Palak and Walls (2009) found that teachers mainly use technology to support their existing teaching approaches and rarely to foster student-centered learning. Teachers must receive adequate ongoing training, technology use must be matched to curriculum’s philosophy and theory of learning, and adequate numbers of computers must be conveniently located within the classroom” (Bataineh and Brooks, 2003). Delacruz (2004) investigates the creative use of ICT within the classroom and how ICT can be used to engage a class. The study found that ICT usage within the classroom is generally not being incorporated in engaging or creative applications. Instead, the easier to use and less time consuming ICT activities tend to be used. However, research studies show that most teachers do not make use of the potential of ICT to contribute to the quality of learning environments, although they value this potential quite significantly (Smeets, 2005). Baylor and Richie (2002) expand on the idea of policy change. The researchers also state the importance of including teachers in policy making when regarding ICT in the classroom. Including teachers in the design of new policies would increase the use of ICT within the classroom, as teachers understand the gaps in their teaching methods which could be useful. Teachers’ pedagogy and their use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as instructional tools are factors in helping teachers and schools meet the challenge of preparing students with the essential skills necessary for success in the 21st century (Schoen and Fusarelli, 2008). Some studies have investigated age and ICT usage by teachers. The study by Higgins and Moseley (2001) examined students from a wide variety of age groups to examine the methods teachers use to engage them. The study found that ICT usage depends entirely on how teachers perceive the impact it has on a class, regardless of training or courses they have received. Challenging issues which emerge when researching ICT usage are described by Cox and Marshall (2007). They state that as ICT usage within classrooms varies significantly so it is difficult to state the impact that ICT has on teachers. Also, they suggest that engaging students can be achieved using various methods, as students learn in different ways. Using ICT directly is better for some teachers, while using interactive whiteboards is better for others. Therefore, Cox and Marshall (2007) make the point that stating one method is better than the other is not possible. Several internal factors also influence technology integration

outcomes (Sang et al. 2011). Internal factors related to teachers include: understanding of ICT use; beliefs, which may conflict with the application of ICT; attitudes toward technology integration; perceptions, including intention or motivation to use ICT; self-confidence and knowledge; technology skills; readiness to use ICT; and technology self-efficacy (Al-Ruz and Khasawneh 2011; Chen 2008; Lin, Wang and Lin 2012; Sang et al. 2011). Palak and Walls (2009) conducted a mixed study to investigate whether teachers who frequently integrate technology and work at technology-rich schools shift their beliefs and practices toward a student-centered paradigm. The results showed that their practices did not change; neither student-centered nor teacher-centered beliefs are powerful predictors of practices. In addition to the influence of teacher attitudes, Sang et al. (2010) further indicated that pre service teachers with highly constructivist teaching beliefs have stronger intentions to integrate technology into their future teaching practices. More specifically, Chai, Koh and Tsai (2010) found that ICT courses with direct instruction on the use of technological tools through the technology enhanced lesson (TEL) approach helped teachers learn how to use technologies as supporting tools in order to enhance their teaching and student learning. Consequently, the pre-service teachers viewed the preparation course favorably. Pelgrum and Voogt (2009) investigated the differences in ICT in schools around the world. The study described how schools teach mathematics, and how often teachers use ICT per week. The implementation of ICT within lesser developed countries was surprising with some less developed countries using ICT to a far greater extent than developed countries like Japan or France. Aldhafeeri, Almulla and Alraqas (2006) has identified the perceptions and satisfaction of teachers and found the different attitudes of teachers depending on age and gender. Effective primary education plays a central role in promoting productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship, gender mainstreaming and overall socio-cultural advancement (Miyan,2008). Moreover, ICT revolution imposes particular challenges on education systems in Bangladesh.ICT also can enrich the teaching methods, which ultimately facilitates the learning process (Oyelade, 2003). Donnerly, McGarr and O’Rilley (2010) explain that teachers can be categorised by thinking and teaching methods. The groups of teachers range from ‘traditionalists’ who refuse to adapt to modern technology, to the ‘creative adapters’ who embrace all modern teaching aids and incorporate them into their class. The researchers suggest methods to help traditionalist teachers’ adoption of ICT in the personal and professional life. Significance of the Study: Previous studies found that there is little research based on perceptions and usage level of ICT of the primary school teachers, which is the primary reason for the current study.

Furthermore, No research does not indicate how ICT is used for administration, professional usage and personal purposes amongst primary school teachers. So the importance of ICT in these areas cannot be ignored. A few researches had been conducted to find out the extent of computer and information technology use in health sectors, some researchers had found out usage of ICT in classroom, someone had found out the impact of ICT on teaching profession, some researchers had found out the impact of computer on student learning systems and someone had measured the ICT contribution in education sectors. No researcher had found Perception and Usage Level of ICT of the Primary School Teachers in Bangladesh. So the researchers had conducted this research to find out the Perception and Usage Level of ICT of the Primary School Teachers in Bangladesh. This study is one of only a few studies based in Bangladesh regarding perceptions and ICT usage of primary school teachers. The methods used in this study offer an insight into Bangladeshi primary school teachers’ perceptions of how they use ICT as a teaching aid within the class and personal life. Understanding teachers’ perceptions of ICT can inform the creation of schemes or training for teachers to start implementing ICT usage in their classrooms and personal life on a daily basis. Researchers had also tried to find out the primary school teachers’ intention to accept the new and improved ICT both their personal and professional life. Data gathered from this study is also useful for Educational Institutions in terms of making decision regarding training of primary school teachers and funding in this sector.

Objectives of Study: The main objective of this study is to know the Perception and Usage Level of ICT of the Primary School Teachers in Bangladesh. Other objectives of this study are as follows:      

to assess the difference of usage level and perception about Information and Communication Technology (ICT) between government and nongovernment primary school teachers in Bangladesh. to assess the difference of usage level and perception about Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among different age level primary school teachers. to find out the difference of usage of ICT between trained and non- trained primary s school teachers. to find out the difference of usage of ICT between male and female & among lower, higher and mid level primary school teachers. to find out the primary school teacher’s perception about the acceptability of new IT in their personal and professional arena. to recommend how primary school teachers can use ICT in a better way in personal and professional area.

Methodology: The research design adopted for this study is descriptive in nature. Descriptive research includes surveys and fact finding enquires of different kinds (Kothari, 2006). This study aims to look at perceptions and usage level of ICT of the primary school teachers in Bangladesh. At this point exploratory research would probably be unnecessary and the research design could be begin with descriptive research (Malhotra, 2008). For descriptive research design two methods can be employed: survey and observation (Malhotra, 2008). Survey method was used for this study to collect primary data from the primary school teachers through a semistructured questionnaire. The population for this study consisted of primary school teachers in Bangladesh. To ensure a heterogeneous sample, the sampling frame was developed from primary school of various demographics in Bangladesh. Since the population is not homogeneous, stratified sampling is used for this research. Respondents were selected using stratified random sampling. It is a superior method to simple random sampling and ensures representativeness in terms of variables important to the study. While exploring differences by group is not the primary purpose of this study, this sampling method ensured variability on demographic factors (age, professional level, and gender) important to this study. Before selecting the factors/variables used for this research I had conducted a pretest for identifying more important variables (Krosnick, 1999). So researchers had chosen variables on the basis of pretested result. The survey was followed by face to face interviews with 100 primary school teachers in Bangladesh. They have been interviewed at their workplaces, and home. Several secondary sources were used for enhancing the insights of this paper, such as articles published in different journals, books, working papers and websites. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS & STATA softwares. Result and Discussion: A semi- structured questionnaire is designed for this research. This questionnaire has three phases. First phase collects the data about the professional details such as age, sex, level of profession, types of institution and training on ICT etc, second phase collects data about their usage level such as hours usage of computer in normal day, hours usage of internet in a normal day, type of connection, purpose of connection, spending for ICT per year in personal and professional arena etc. and third phase collects the data about their perception of ICT in personal and professional life. In third phase 5 points likert scale questions (where1= Strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3= neutral,4= Agree and 5= strongly agree) were developed to find out the perception about Information Communication Technology (ICT) in personal

and professional arena by primary school teachers in Bangladesh. Variables covered age, sex. level of profession, training on ICT, hours use of computer in a day, hours use of Internet in a day, types of connection ,purpose of use, acceptability of new IT, willingness to expend for IT, enhancement of professional capability, enhancement of national and International interest by IT etc. Table: 01 Sex of Respondent * Training or short course on ICT Cross tabulation Training or short course on ICT Yes Sex of Respondent

Male

Count

Female

Total

Expected Count % within Sex of Respondent % within Training or short course on ICT % of Total Count Expected Count % within Sex of Respondent % within Training or short course on ICT % of Total Count Expected Count % within Sex of Respondent % within Training or short course on ICT % of Total

Total

No 20

28

48

21.1

26.9

48.0

41.7%

58.3%

100.0%

45.5%

50.0%

48.0%

20.0% 24 22.9

28.0% 28 29.1

48.0% 52 52.0

46.2%

53.8%

100.0%

54.5%

50.0%

52.0%

24.0% 44 44.0

28.0% 56 56.0

52.0% 100 100.0

44.0%

56.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

44.0%

56.0%

100.0%

Chi-Square Tests

Pearson Chi-Square Continuity Correction(a) Likelihood Ratio

1

Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) .652

.063

1

.803

.204

1

.651

Value .204(b)

df

Fisher's Exact Test Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases

Exact Sig. (2-sided)

Exact Sig. (1-sided)

.690 .202

1

.653

100 a Computed only for a 2x2 table b 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 21.12.

.401

From the above table it is found that the corrected value is .063, with an associated significance level of .803. So we can conclude that result is not significant. This means that the proportion of males that take training course on ICT is not significantly different from the proportion of females that take training course on ICT. It is also found 41.7 percent of males has taken short course or training on ICT, while 58.3 per cent did not take short course or training on ICT. For females, 46.2 per cent has taken short course or training on ICT, 53.8 per cent didn’t take short course or training on ICT. According to these results 44.0 per cent of the sample has taken short course or training on ICT and 56.0 per cent did not take short course or training on ICT. Table: 02 Correlations between professional level and ICT usage | Level_~f HOURS_CO |

-0.2028

HOURS_IN |

-0.1761

type_conne~n |

-0.0297

purpose_of~e |

0.0158

From the above table it is found that correlation between hours use computer, and level of profession, hour use internet and level of profession, types of connection and level of profession are negative and correlation between purpose of internet use and level profession positive but insignificant. So there is no direct relationship between hours use of computer, hours use of internet, purpose and types of connection with level of profession that means mid, low and high level primary school teachers use ICT in a same way.

Table: 03 Correlations between Sex and ICT usage Hours use computer in a normal day by Respondent Sex of Respondent Pearson Correlation .039 Sig. (2-tailed) .699 N 100 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Hours use internet in a normal day by Respondent .174 .083 100

Type of connection used by Respondent .071 .484 100

Purpose of using internet .160 .112 100

From the above table it is found that correlation between hours use computer and sex, hour use internet and sex, types of connection and sex and purpose of internet use and sex are positive but insignificant. So there is no direct relationship between hours use of computer,

hours use of internet, purpose and types of connection with sex that means male and female of primary school teachers use ICT in a same way. Table: 04 Correlations between types of Institution and ICT usage | type_i~n HOURS_CO |

-0.0267

HOURS_IN |

-0.1331

purpose_of~e | type_conne~n |

0.0174 -0.0310

From the above table it is found that correlation between hours use computer and type of institution, hour use internet and type of institution, types of connection and type of institution are negative and purpose of internet use and type of institution is positive but insignificant. So there is no direct relationship between hours use of computer, hours use of internet, purpose and types of connection with type of institution that means government and non government primary school teachers use ICT in a same way. Table: 05 Correlations between marital status and ICT usage

Marital Status of Respondent

N Pearson Correlation

Hours use computer in a normal day by Respondent 100

Hours use internet in a normal day by Respondent 100

Type of connection used by Respondent 100

Purpose of using internet 100

-.111

-.105

.010

.086

.273 100

.299 100

.922 100

.396 100

Sig. (2-tailed) N ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

From the above table it is found that correlation between hours use computer and marital status, hour use internet and marital status are negative and types of connection and marital status, purpose of internet use and marital status are positive but insignificant. So there is no direct relationship between hours use of computer, hours use of internet, purpose and types of connection with marital status that means married, unmarried and divorced primary school teachers use ICT in a same way. Table: 06 kwallis

ictperception, by(training_Ict)

| traini~t | Obs | Rank Sum | |

Yes |

44 |

2261.00 |

|

No |

56 |

chi-squared =

2789.00 |

0.073 with 1 d.f.

probability =

0.7865

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.78 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different trained group. It indicates that primary school teachers taking training on ICT or not taking training think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive towards the acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year. Table: 07 anova

ictperception

Number of obs = Root MSE Source |

100

R-squared

= 2.40354

Partial SS

age =

0.0026

Adj R-squared = -0.0286

df

MS

F

Prob > F

-----------+---------------------------------------------------Model | age |

1.44683891 1.44683891

3 3

.482279635

0.08

0.9689|

.482279635

0.08

0.9689

|-----------+---------------------------------------------------Total |

556.04

99

5.61656566

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.97 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different age groups. It indicates that primary school teachers in different age think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive thinking about acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year. Table: 08 kwallis

ictperception, by(m_status)

| m_status | Obs | Rank Sum | |

Married |

73 |

3765.00 |

|

Single |

26 |

1197.00 |

| Divorced |

1 |

88.00 |

chi-squared =

2.386 with 2 d.f.

probability =

0.3033

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.30 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different married groups. It indicates that primary school teachers whether married or not think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive thinking about acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year Table: 09 anova

ictperception

Number of obs = Root MSE Source |

100

R-squared

= 2.35489

Partial SS

sex

df

=

0.0226

Adj R-squared =

0.0127

MS

F

Prob > F

-----------+---------------------------------------------------Model | sex |

12.5800641 12.5800641

1 1

12.5800641 12.5800641

2.27 2.27

0.1352| 0.1352

-----------+---------------------------------------------------Total |

556.04

99

5.61656566

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.13 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different gender groups. It indicates that primary school teachers whether male or female think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive thinking about acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year Table: 10 kwallis

ictperception, by(type_institution)

| type_ins~n | Obs | Rank Sum | | Government |

30 |

1408.50 |

|

70 |

3641.50 |

Private |

chi-squared =

0.642 with 1 d.f.

probability =

0.4231

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.42 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different institution type. It indicates that primary school teachers whether government or non government think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive thinking about acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year Table: 11 Anova

ictperception

Number of obs = Root MSE Source |

100

=

R-squared

2.3556

Partial SS

Level_prof

df

=

0.0320

Adj R-squared =

0.0121

MS

F

Prob > F

-----------+---------------------------------------------------Model |

17.8033333

Level_prof |

2

17.8033333

8.90166667 2

1.60

8.90166667

1.60

0.2063| 0.2063|

-----------+---------------------------------------------------Total |

556.04

99

5.61656566

From the above table it is found the significance level is 0.20 that is more than 0.05. So these results suggest that there is no difference about the ICT perception across different professional level. It indicates that primary school teachers whatever their professional level think that ICT will improve their professional capacity, help them to serve the nation in a better way and will accelerate the rapid electronic advancement in the whole world. They have positive thinking about acceptance of new IT, expense for ICT BDT 5000 per year.

Purpose of Internet Use Purpose of using ICT totally officia l totally pe rso nal m ostly offical,partly person al m ostly personal,partly official Not Applicable 6.00 Pies show co unts

Graph: 01 (Source: The authors) From the above graph we can say that 43% respondent of primary school teachers use ICT for majority of personal and partly for official use. It indicates primary school teachers are

interested to use ICT for their personal purpose. About 26% primary school teachers are interested to use ICT in majority official and partly personal and 13% teachers are interested to use ICT in only for personal use on the other hand 11% teacher are using for official purpose only. So teachers in primary level are very interested to use ICT in their personal and official area. Hours use Internet in day 30

20

10

Sex of Respondent Male 0

Female 20-30

31-40

41-50

Above 50

Age of Respondent

Graph: 02 (Source: The authors) From the above graph we can say that that females use more internet than male among the age group of 20 to 30 and above 50. On the other hand male use more internet than female among the age group of 31 to 40 and 41 to 50.So it indicates that male aged from 13 to 50 are using ICT more perfectly in their personal and professional arena. Hours use computer in day

100

100

80

60 50 40

47

25

Count

20

20 6

0 1-2

barely use computer 3-5

0 totally depend on co

5-8

Hours use computer in a normal day by Respondent

Graph: 03(Source: The authors)

Percent

120

From this graph we can say that 47% primary school teachers use computer 1-2hours in a day, 25 % use computer 3-5 hours in day,6% use computer,5-8 hours in a day and 20% use computers rarely in a day. It indicates primary level teacher are interested to use computer in a day though 20% never use computer in a day. They are not totally dependent to computer for their personal and professional task.

Norm al Q-Q Plot of Spent fo r ICT for pe rs onal 20000

10000

0

-10000 -10000

0

10000

20000

30000

Observ ed Value

Graph: 04(Source: The authors)

Detre nded Norm al Q-Q Plot of Spent fo r ICT officia l pur 20000

Deviation from Normal

10000

0

-10000 -10000

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

Observ ed Value

Graph: 05(Source: The authors) From first graph it is observed that primary school teachers expense for ICT purpose especially for their personal use does not follow the normal curve that indicates their expense for ICT in personal use is not same. From second graph it is observed that primary school

teachers expense for ICT purpose especially for their official use does not follow the normal curve that indicates their expense for ICT in official use is not same.

Recommendation: From the discussion it is found that level of ICT usage among the primary school teachers in Bangladesh is not so much satisfactory. But perception about the ICT is positive irrespective of gender, age, level of profession, type of institution. The following recommendation should be implemented to improve the ICT use among the primary school teachers in Bangladesh  Primary school teachers should use ICT more repeatedly for their professional arena.  They should use mobile phone to access the internet from any place that will increase their accessibility to use ICT.  Government should take initiative for improvement of internet connection so the primary school teachers can use internet from any remote area of Bangladesh.  Government should take initiative for reduction of the cost of internet connection.  The price of ICT devices such as Smartphone, computer devices, modem etc should be reduced so that all level of teachers can purchase and use these.  A secured encrypted messaging system and communication platform should be developed.  A computer Lab can be setup in every primary school of Bangladesh under A2 program of government.  Free training on basic ICT should be arranged around the country turn by turn.  A secured connectivity should be developed so that the primary school teachers are not afraid of leakage of information.  As like of secondary school one subject on ICT or at least fifty percent on ICT related things in general science subject of primary school should be introduced.  Technical and security standard should be developed for prevention of unauthorized use of ICT. Conclusion: This research examined perceptions and usage level of ICT of the primary school teachers in Bangladesh. It is found that teachers are using computer in a day satisfactorily but their level of internet use is not satisfactory. All primary school teachers realize the benefit of using different application software in teaching. Though primary school teachers find their services to be beneficial, but they are not sure whether they want to use ICT in professional and

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