ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE FOUNDATION INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA - ATTITUDES, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Information and communication technology has been considered as potentially powerful enabling devices for educational transfer and reform. Owing to the important role of technology in today’s life in general and in education in particular, this case study focused on identifying the factors that facilitate or impede adoption of the use of information and communication technology in class, and English teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about the use of technology in the teaching process. To this end, a thirty-item questionnaire was adapted, piloted, validated, and distributed among 42 English teachers at the Foundation Institute of the University of Nizwa in Oman. The questionnaire asked about teachers’ general attitudes towards information and communication technology, as well as their individual use of information and communication technology in class. Data analysis reveals that, in general, teachers have positive attitudes toward using information and communication technology, and, according to them, negative attitudes can be mainly caused by technology malfunctioning. No relationship between teachers’ experience and their use of information and communication technology is identified, as well as teachers’ eagerness to receive more training in information and communication technology.