Teachers’ perceptions of Information and Communication Technology in the teaching of learners with intellectual disabilities

Abstract: The integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) into the inclusive educational context is seen in many schools across South Africa as a response to the global educational technological changes taking place. These efforts include strategic plans aimed at ensuring all schools in South Africa are ICT integrated. However, the effectiveness of these efforts in the inclusive educational context falls short. The challenge presented in terms of ICT integration is extending the benefits of ICTs to learners who are mildly intellectual disabled. While some special needs institutions are supported in terms of the availability of ICT infrastructure and devices, pedagogical integration serves to be problematic. The accommodation of learners who are mildly intellectually disabled to share in 21st-century learning experiences is largely ignored. The area of concern is that in terms of the technological knowledge of teachers in the inclusive educational environment, the delivery of lessons that advocates for ICT-integrated learning experiences is limited. The study explored the notion of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). The study determined the perceptions of teachers with reference to how the constituents of the TPACK theoretical framework influence each other in an inclusive educational setting. A qualitative approach was followed in order to gain an understanding of the perceptions of special needs teachers regarding the use of ICT in their teaching and learning context. Working from an interpretative paradigm, a qualitative approach underpinned this study to provide an exploratory view of the teachers’ perceptions of ICT in their teaching environment. A single- case study was formulated, expressing the manner in which teachers in a special educational school perceive the role of ICT integration. An analysis of the data generated from the study revealed that some teachers still struggle with the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and raises the question of how then can their technological knowledge (TK) can be aligned. Pertinent findings that emanated from the study were, teachers conveyed that the learners that they teach continually seek news ways to grasp the particular content. Also, the findings uncovered that many teachers are knowledgeable when it comes to the functionality of devices. However, the integration of ICT for learning purposes is a challenge. The study contributed to an understanding that ICT integration initiatives ought to stress the need for teacher training in inclusive educational settings in attempts to harness an alignment of teaching bodies of knowledge related to the content, pedagogy and technological knowledge.M.Ed. (Information and Communication Technology in Education