International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 10, Issue 7 (July 2023), Pages: 33-41

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 Original Research Paper

An investigation of ICT skills among Tamil language teachers in primary schools and the adequacy of ICT facilities: A quantitative study

 Author(s): 

 Kartheges Ponniah 1, *, Tamilmullai Thannimalai 1, B. Sathiamoorthy 2, S. Thirunavukkarasu 3

 Affiliation(s):

 1Faculty of Languages and Communication, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjung Malim, Malaysia
 2Department of Tamil, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India
 3Department of Tamil, Srimath Sivagnana Balaya Swamigal Tamil Arts and Science College, Mailam, India

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 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2955-0607

 Digital Object Identifier: 

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.07.005

 Abstract:

This research delves into an examination of the ICT skills possessed by Tamil language teachers in primary schools and assesses the adequacy of ICT facilities available at the school level. In light of the ongoing transition from traditional teaching methods to information-based strategies, the Malaysian Ministry of Education has implemented the Malaysian Education Development Plan 2013-2025 to promote the integration of ICT among teachers. This study focuses specifically on Tamil language teachers, aiming to determine whether their ICT skills align with the available ICT resources in their respective schools. The investigation highlights various challenges faced by teachers, including limited budgets for ICT, hardware constraints, lack of English training to effectively utilize ICT, inadequate support, and insufficient time allocated for ICT-related activities. Conducted as a quantitative study, the research involved a sample of 60 Tamil teachers. The findings reveal that the ICT capability of Tamil language teachers stands at a moderate level, while the ICT facilities in their schools fall short of meeting their requirements. This underscores the correlation between teachers' interest in using ICT in their teaching practices and the availability of suitable facilities to support their endeavors. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the critical role played by ICT facilities in schools in facilitating the effective use of ICT-based teaching aids, enhancing the ICT skills of teachers, and promoting an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning. Consequently, the research strongly advocates for schools to provide adequate and appropriate ICT facilities to empower teachers in making optimal use of ICT in their teaching practices.

 © 2023 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords: ICT skills, Tamil language teachers, ICT facilities, Malaysian education development plan, Quantitative study

 Article History: Received 22 November 2022, Received in revised form 8 April 2023, Accepted 10 May 2023

 Acknowledgment 

No Acknowledgment.

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Ponniah K, Thannimalai T, Sathiamoorthy B, and Thirunavukkarasu S (2023). An investigation of ICT skills among Tamil language teachers in primary schools and the adequacy of ICT facilities: A quantitative study. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 10(7): 33-41

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