Status of Integration of ICT in Internal Communication in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Comparative Study of Boarding and Day Secondary Schools in the South Rift Region, Kenya

ABSTRACT: The increasing complexity of the world in the contemporary times requires schools to embraceuse of technology in performing their functions. In response to the globalization and internationalization ofeducation, schools are earnestly striving to integrate information communication technology (ICT) anddigitalizationin executing their myriad functions especially communication. However, despite the heavyinvestment and fundamental value of ICT in infusing efficiency and effectiveness in managing institutionalenterprises, its integration in communication has been limited in a vast majority of public secondary schools inthe South Rift Region in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the integration of ICT in internalcommunication in public secondary schools in the South Rift Region in Kenya. The study was guided by thefollowing objectives, which were to; assess the application of ICT in internal communication in publicsecondary schools and compare the ICT application in internal communication in public secondary schools inthe South Rift Region in Kenya. The target population for the study comprised of all the 141 teachers in publicsecondary schools in the South Rift Region of Kenya enrolled in the Strengthening of Mathematics and Sciencein Secondary Education (SMASSE) program. The study employed the census technique since the targetpopulation was small hence manageable. Data was collected using the questionnaire and analyzed usingdescriptive and inferential statistics. It was hypothesized that there was no statistically significant difference inICT application in communication in boarding, day and boarding and the purely day public secondary schools.To test this hypothesis, one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was computed, which yielded p-value = .000which was less than the alpha value α > 0.05 indicating that the differences in ICT application in communicationin the three categories of school was statistically significant. Thus the null hypothesis was rejected. It wasconcluded that the ICT application in boarding, day and boarding, and the purely day secondary schools wassignificantly different. The study further established that public secondary schools in the South Rift Region onlymarginally applied ICT in their official communication. The study revealed that boarding secondary schools hadhigher ICT applications in communication, followed by day and boarding secondary schools while the purelyday secondary schools had the lowest. It is concluded that schools in the south rift region in Kenya have a lowlevel of ICT application. From the study, we recommend the need to promote ICT application in all schoolcategories especially the day secondary schools. This implies the need to conduct sensitization to allstakeholders in education with the objective of strengthening the provision of ICT infrastructure and training ofpersonnel for schools.

KEY WORDS: Digitalization, information communication technology, ICT application,