Understanding ICT usage in Ugandan primary schools through institutional and pedagogical determinants

This study examines the determinants of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage in teaching and learning in Ugandan primary schools. Adopting a qualitative case study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants comprising 12 head teachers or deputy head teachers from government primary schools and 8 directors of studies from private schools in Wakiso District. Data were first analyzed inductively using thematic analysis in NVivo, after which the resulting themes were compared with constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Ertmer’s first- and second-order barriers framework through theory-informed pattern matching. The findings indicate that ICT usage is shaped by interrelated factors, including availability of ICT infrastructure, teachers’ ICT competence, attitudes toward technology, internet connectivity, institutional support, and time constraints. The study contributes context-specific empirical evidence to ICT-in-education research in sub-Saharan Africa by illustrating that positive teacher attitudes alone appear insufficient to drive ICT adoption in low-resource primary education settings. Rather than proposing a new theoretical model, the study helps to contextualize existing technology acceptance perspectives by highlighting the limitations of relying primarily on individual-level constructs in such settings. The findings have important implications for education policy and practice, highlighting the need for coordinated investments in infrastructure, teacher professional development, and school-level institutional support to enhance sustainable ICT integration. Not applicable.