Impact of Access to and use of ICT in School on Students’ Perceived Performance

Aim: The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education has become increasingly important, as educators and policymakers recognize the potential of these technologies to enhance learning outcomes. This quantitative research study investigated the impact of students' access to and use of ICTs in school. Methods: The study employed a descriptive survey design using a 13-item questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale, administered to 110 out of 154 college students. The study was conducted in a college of education in Hohoe, Volta region of Ghana. Participants were obtained using stratified random sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics and mediation analysis were used to analyze the data at a 5% alpha level. Results: The results showed that the grand mean was highest for the "Always utilizing ICT" group and lowest for the "Not at all utilizing ICT" group. On average, female students reported higher mean scores for having access to and use of ICT to improve their learning in school than male students. Primary Education (PE) student teachers had the highest mean scores, followed by Junior High School (JHS) student teachers, and Early Childhood Education (ECE) student teachers had the lowest mean scores for having access to and use of ICT to improve their learning in school. The study also found that access to and use of ICTs had a significant negative relationship with program of study and a positive relationship with the impact of ICTs used in school. Gender did not have a significant impact on the use of ICTs in school. Conclusion: This study concludes that access to and use of ICTs in school can have a positive impact on student teachers learning, and the impact is influenced by program of study. Recommendation: It is important for all stakeholder (particularly, teachers and institutions management) to encourage students to utilize ICTs in school to support their learning. The study highlights the importance of ensuring equitable access to ICTs, especially for student teachers in ECE.