Authors : Hairulliza Mohamad Judi, Hazura Mohamed and Siti Fadzilah Mat Noor
Abstract: Despite several strategies to incorporate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, not much research has been done to assess teacher’s readiness on these initiatives and programs, including attitude towards ICT among teachers in rural areas. The issue needs to be addressed so as to ensure readiness in integrating ICT in the school curriculum, as a means of bridging the digital divide. This paper aims to examine teacher’s attitude towards ICT by looking at a case study in the rural area of Kundang Ulu, Malaysia. Data collection was conducted using questionnaire survey. 39 responses from teachers in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tengku Temenggung Ahmad (SMKTTA) in the rural district of Kundang Ulu, Johore were gathered. The questionnaire comprised of demographic variables and attitude towards ICT scale with three components of affective, cognitive and behavioral aspects. Research findings show that majority of these teachers own computers in their homes and theyhave high levels of computer access. These teachers' attitudes towards ICT are positive. Thereare no significant differences between gender and age group. Findings from this study have implicationson the approach of implementing ICT in the educational setting, especially in rural areas. Schools are required to provide enough facilities for teacher’s hands-on experiences. With the obtained ICT skills and positive attitude towards ICT, teachers should incorporate productive computing activities in the classroom such as using purposive web searching, spreadsheet and database programming.
Hairulliza Mohamad Judi, Hazura Mohamed and Siti Fadzilah Mat Noor, 2016. Perceived Attitude of Teachers in Rural Areas towards Information and Communication Technology. The Social Sciences, 11: 5590-5596.