THE INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGIES ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A CASE OF SELECTED HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS IN MOSHI

By

EMMANUEL N. MASINDIKE

This Research Report is submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Awards of Bachelor of Sciences in Business Information and Communication

Technology of Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU)

Moshi

July, 2020

i
 DECLARATION

I, EMMANUEL NYAKYAGA MASINDIKE declare that this research titled “the

influence of information and communication technologies on students' academic

performance” is my own original work towards the bachelor of Bachelor of Sciences in

Business Information and Communication Technology at MoCU and that, to the best of

my knowledge it has not been submitted by other for the award of any other degree of

the University.

Signature ...……………………….………… Date …….………………...………

ii
 CERTIFICATION

The undersigned certify has read and hereby recommended for the acceptance by Moshi

Co-operative University a research report entitled “The Influence of Information and

Communication Technologies On Students' Academic Performance” A case of

selected Universities in Moshi in fulfillment of the requirements for the award degree of

bachelor of Sciences in Business Information and Communication Technology of Moshi

Co-operative University (MoCU).

……………………………………..

(Supervisor’s Name)

……………………………………..

(Supervisor’s Signature)

Date …………………………………

iii
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this to my Mother Theresa Matugwa, Alexander Matugwa family in general,

my lovely brother Robert N Masindike, my supervisor Dr. George Matto my friends Pio
Peseo, Glory C Malamsha, Joseph Naminga, Godfrey Geoffrey, William S.Mkopoka,
my roommate Gerald Chamshama, and class mates for their support, guidance,
understanding and encouragement during all the years of the study.

I LOVE YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

This work has been successful due to the assistance and cooperation of so many

personalities. Let me, therefore thank them all equally.

Firstly, I thank the almighty God, whose wisdom, ability and divine provision has

enabled me to Complete my research project. May his name be glorified forever. Special

thanks go to my supervisor Dr. George Matto and for all the support, guidance,

encouragement and Important ideas which have made this research project have the

value it is worth.

Another vote of thanks goes to my lovely mother Theresa Matugwa for her great
prays, advises and encouragement for me to work hard on my studies for great academic
achievement. All my classmates and all friends who are a constant source of motivation
for their never-ending support to me academically, socially, spiritually and
encouragement so as to accomplish my research project.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to my brother
Robert Masindike and my uncle Alexander Matugwa for their financial support,
cooperation and their love keeps me moving amidst all rough and smooth world, my
roommate Gerald Chamshama from LLB III for assisting me some stuffs so as to
accomplish my research project.

All in all, I have great thanks to my unforgettable friend Mr. Godfrey Geoffrey from
KCMUCo for his supportive assistance in data collection process in their University in
order to complete my research.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION.............................................................................................................ii

CERTIFICATION.........................................................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENT.................................................................................................iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS......................................................vi

LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................vii

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................1

1.1 Background of the study...........................................................................................1

1.2 Problem Statement....................................................................................................3

1.3 Research Objectives.................................................................................................3

1.3.1 General Objectives................................................................................................3

1.3.2 Specific Objectives................................................................................................4

1.4 Research Questions...................................................................................................4

1.5 Significance of the Study..........................................................................................5

LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................................6

2.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................6

2.1 Theoretical and Empirical Review...........................................................................6

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................9

3.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................9

3.1 Research Design.......................................................................................................9

3.2 Description of the study area....................................................................................9

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 3.3 Sampling.................................................................................................................10

3.3.1 Sampling frame/population.................................................................................10

3.3.2 Sampling techniques............................................................................................10

3.3.3 Sample size..........................................................................................................10

3.4 Data collection........................................................................................................11

3.4.1 Types of Data.......................................................................................................11

3.4.2 Sources of data.....................................................................................................11

3.4.3 Data collection techniques...................................................................................11

3.5 Data analysis techniques.........................................................................................12

REFFERENCES............................................................................................................13

APPENDICES................................................................................................................16

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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

GPA: Grade Point Average

ICT: Information and Communication Technology

IT: Informatics Technology

KCMUCo: Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College

MoCU: Moshi Co-operative University

MWECAU: Mwenge Catholic University

viii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents.....................................................................................10

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The term ICT stands for “Information and Communication Technologies’’ that refers to

technologies which provide access to information through telecommunications. From

general perspective, ICT covers any product that store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or

receive information electronically in a digital format. It consists of hardware, software,

social networks, Internet, wireless networks, cell phones and other communication

medium, it is similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on

communication technologies (Eslamian and Khademi, 2017).

The students’ academic performance refers to the enhancement of the students’ current

state of knowledge and skills reflected in their Grade Point Average and also in the

formulation of their personality and academic growth from lower levels of study to

higher levels (Basri, et al ,2018).

According to Hindawi (2018) ICT has become an important source of innovation and

improvement of efficiency for many sectors across the globe. In the education sector,

particularly, the application of ICT has become a critical part of the learning process for

university students both outside and inside the classroom setting. The government and

other stakeholders in the education sector such as university management and

researchers have invested millions of dollars to adopt ICT in the education system

during the last two decades (Basri et al, 2018) ICT plays the great role of unified

communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless

1
signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and

audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate

information (Awoyemi, 2020).

According to Basri et al (2018) the influence or impact of the use of ICT has become a

new topic of argument in the area IT in different Sectors mainly in education. Educators

use ICT as a modern tool that enables to modify the teaching methods in order to

improve students’ academic performance. Educational institutions have adopted ICT

based Teaching method and offering ICT related academic programs, also students are

availing the ICT facilities using different smart devices and internet for enjoyment, there

are no statistically significant gains observed in student academic Performance (Al-

Rahmi and Othman,2013).

According to Firmin and Genesi,( 2013) there is widespread belief that ICT increase

quality of education, and transforming teaching and learning processes from being

highly teacher-dominated to student-centered, and this transformation will result in

increased learning for students, creating and allowing for opportunities for learners to

develop their creativity, problem-solving abilities, informational reasoning skills and

communication skills and ICTs are generally accepted as a modern tool that enables the

teachers to modify the teaching methods to increase students’ learning and

achievements.

According to Asemah and Edgoh (2013) explained that students who spend more time

on ICT facilities especially social media are likely to perform poorly in their academics,

because they spend time chatting and making friends in social media, also, some

2
students use ICT resources for downloading movies and sometime porn videos. The

trend affects their academic performance.

According to different studies explained that students uses ICT to spend more time on

social media, downloading movies and other non-academic materials hence are likely to

perform poorly in their academic’s activities, this study will determine the best way of

how the use of ICT will influence students’ academic performance on universities.

1.2 Problem Statement

Most universities students are exploiting ICT resources such as internet, computers and

social media networks for communication and learning purposes. The recent facts show

that a large number of students are addicted with extensive use of ICT resources

particularly internet and social media networks This behavior is likely to result on their

study time wastage hence poor academic performance (Sharma et al, 2016). This study

focused on examining the influence of ICT on students' academic performance.

1.3 Research Objectives

1.3.1 General Objectives

The main objective of this study was to examine the influence of information and

communication technologies on students' academic performance in selected higher

learning institutions in Moshi Municipality.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

i. To examine how the use of ICT tools(resources) in teaching and learning

influences on students’ academic Performance in selected higher learning

institutions from Moshi Municipality

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 ii. To identify how the availability of ICT resources influence on student’s

academic performance in selected higher learning institutions from Moshi

Municipality.

iii. To determine the useful techniques to improve the accessibility of ICT resources

in academic purposes in selected higher learning institutions from Moshi

Municipality.

1.4 Research Questions

i. How the use of ICT tools (resources) in teaching and learning will influence on

students’ academic Performance in selected higher learning institutions from

Moshi Municipality?

ii. How the availability of ICT resources to students will influence on student’s

academic performance in selected higher learning institutions from Moshi

Municipality?

iii. What are useful techniques to be applied to improve the accessibility of ICT

resources in academic purpose in selected higher learning institutions from

Moshi Municipality?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study gives out the knowledge about impacts of using ICT among students in higher

learning institutions. The findings and recommendation of the study was useful to

students and managements especially as it provided a clear picture on how it can

improve the access of ICT resources for good of student’s academic performance. The

4
study will be useful to future researchers with interest in examining further the influence

of ICT on students’ academic performance.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction
Literature review of this study can be categorized into two deferent parts which are

theoretical review and empirical review. The purpose of this section was to present a

recap of the findings from earlier studies regarding to examine the relationship between

the use of ICT and its impact on the academic performance of university students, there

have been various studies carried out to investigate the relationship between ICT and

quality of education. So far, these studies provided mixed findings about the impact of

ICT on the higher learning institutions students’ academic performance.

2.1: Conceptual framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

ICT Resources Students Learning

Availability-Internet, Projector -Academic performance

Computer, TVs, Computer Labs -Performance of tasks using
Video Conferencing. computer
-Access to information and news
Accessibility-Library, -Workplace preparation
Computer Labs, Lecture rooms, -Application of skills and
Halls of Residence, Internet knowledge
café, Resources center Figure 1:
Conceptual framework showing relationship
between ICT and learning

2.2 Theoretical and Empirical Review.

According to Fairlie and Robinson (2013) report that, increased uses of computers and

internet connections have had no measurable impact on any measure of student’s

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academic performance. Some authors argue that the use of ICT can help deepen

students’ content knowledge, engage them in constructing their own knowledge, and

support the development of complex thinking skills (Noor-Ul-Amin,2013). In addition

to that correlation between the availability of ICT and students’ performance is strongly

and significantly positive (Hu et al, 2018).

According to Fu, (2013) the availability of ICT resources can enhance learning by

making education less dependent on differing teacher quality and by making education

available at home throughout the day. Also, Akçayır, (2018) argues that the use of ICT

can positively transmit knowledge to students. Furthermore, the availability and use of

ICT can help students exploit enormous possibilities for acquiring information for

schooling purposes and can increase learning through communication (Mao,2014).

According to Junco and Cotten, (2012) stated that there is no evidence for a relationship

between increased educational use of ICT and students’ performance. In fact, they find a

consistently negative and marginally significant relationship between ICT use and some

student achievement measures. In support to these, some students may use ICT to

increase their leisure time and have less time to study (Edmunds et al 2012). Online

gaming and increased communication channels do not necessarily mean increased

students’ academic performance.

Additionally, Al-Rahmi and Othman, (2013) found that, although Internet use increases

enjoyment, there are no statistically significant gains observed in student academic

performance. In the same way Aristovnik, (2012) identified that ICT impact on higher

learning institutions and concludes that the impact of ICT use on learning outcomes is

7
unclear. On the other hands the use ICT improving educational outcomes (especially

pass rates) and enhancing and improving the quality of teaching and learning (Noor-Ul-

Amin,2013).

Another study by Luna Scott, (2015) asserts that increased availability of ICT is

especially useful for students who suffer from learning disabilities since ICT use allows

teachers to prepare suitable tasks for individual needs and each individual more

effectively. Additionally, on that, Van der Kleijn, (2012) stated that students who use

computer-based instruction scored higher than students without computers with an

added advantage that the students also learn more in less time and like their classes learn

more when computer-based instruction was included.

On the other hands Gikas and Grant, (2013) believes that allowing certain students to

use computers distracts them from focusing on the task at hand. Moreover, Rashid and

Asghar, (2016) suggested that the use of digital technologies in higher education can

have significant positive effects both on students’ attitude and academic performance.

From the above studies we understand that there are mixed results regarding the

relationship between the use of ICT in higher learning institutions and the students’

academic performance. This study will try to find the exact correlation between these

two variables would provide the real scenario. The objective of the study is to examine

the influence of ICT on students' academic performance in selected higher learning

institutions in Moshi Municipality.

8
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction
This chapter shows how the research carried out. It discussed the research design,

population, sampling strategies, data collection instruments, data quality control,

description of the area, research procedure and the data analysis techniques were

employed in the study.

3.1 Research Design

The study was employed with both qualitative and quantitative case study research

design and examined the influences of ICT on the student’s academic performance, at

MoCU, KCMUCo and MWECAU. Also, provided for the examination of the co-

relationship between ICT and students learning in the context of selected higher learning

institution in Moshi seeking the views of the students. The opinions from students

through questionnaires helped to bring out material evidence in the data analyzed.

3.2 Description of the study area

This study was conducted at MoCU, KCMUCo and MWECAU located at Moshi

Municipality, the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro along Sokoine Road. These selected

Universities were used as study area because was easy for researcher to attend(reach) the

field of study, also helped the researcher to get all reliable information about the topic in

specific time.

9
3.3 Sampling

3.3.1 Sampling frame/population

The population in this study was ICT family which consists of all students in all

programs which access the ICT facilities such internet, computers, wireless networks,

cell phones, and other communication medium at MoCU, KCMUCo and MWECAU.

3.3.2 Sampling techniques

The sample size in this study obtained through simple random technique, where every

member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. This technique used

due to the fact that it is the best and proper technique that helps the researcher to obtain

all necessary, reliable and required information which was suitable for the purpose of the

study. Also, the use of this technique to collect data eliminated personal bias and saving

time.

3.3.3 Sample size

The sample in this study was conducted at various higher learning institutions from

Moshi municipality which are MoCU, MWECAU and KCMUCo. A sample of 116

respondents was targeted so as to fulfill the required data for the study as described in

table 1.

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents.

INSTITUTION MoCU KCMUCo MWECAU TOTAL

NUMBEROFRESPONDENT 39 38 39 116

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3.4 Data collection

3.4.1 Types of Data

This study was used both qualitative and quantitative types of data. Researcher used one

data collection method which was useful in providing detail information for the study

and which was questionnaires.

3.4.2 Sources of data

In this study the researcher used both primary and secondary data.

Primary Data

Primary data of this study was obtained from respondents of this study through

questionnaires.

Secondary Data

Secondary data of this study was obtained from different sources including text books,

journals/articles (both publish and unpublished), and internet sites.

3.4.3 Data collection techniques

In this study all data was collected from respondents on the field through

questionnaires.

Questionnaire

Questionnaires was designed such that each question related to a given research question

and the topic. Both closed and open-ended questions were used. Open ended questions

helped to supplement the information given in the closed ended questions and helped in

obtaining more complete data. The questionnaires are preferred because it gives clear

11
and specific responses and enable the respondent to express themselves freely especially

students who may not have enough time to attend to personal interview.

3.5 Data analysis techniques

Both qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted. Qualitative analysis was

mainly used words and phrase to describe the data obtained from the field of the

study .All qualitative data was gathered (collected) from respondents w analyzed by the

descriptive statistics using the Statistics Package for Social Science(SPSS).The results of

the analysis was presented through tables,graphs,figures,percentage and diagrams for

data interpretation in order to verify the hypothesis.

12
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.0. Introduction

This chapter presents the results, data analysis and discussion of the collected data from

the area of the study. The data were collected by means of data collection methods as

pointed out in chapter three. The collected data have been presented in frequencies and

percentages; figures were used to elaborate such quantitative data. Quantitative and

quantitative data analysis and discussion were made.

The study employed sample size of 116 respondents whereby questionnaire guide

employed to collect relevant data concerning study topic. Information obtained was

analyzed in terms of tables of frequencies, percentages and graphs. The response rate

was considered reasonable because at least more than 90% of the targeted respondents

participated in the study. The researcher felt that the views expressed in the report is

therefore representative of the target population.

4.1: Section one: Background information of respondents

4.1.1: Demographic Characteristics

The demographic characteristic illustrates the distribution of respondents‟ categories in

relation to Age, Gender, Education level and Year of study in the University as

described in Table 2:

Attributes Category Count Percentage

Gender Male 64 55.2%

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 Female 52 44.8%
Total 116 100%
Non-Degree 52 44.8%
Degree 53 45.7%
Education Level
Postgraduate 11 9.5%
Total 116 100%
Under 18 years 5 4.3%
18-30 years 98 84.5%
Age 31-45 years 13 11.2%
Over 45 years 0 0%
Total 116 100%
Year 1 25 21.6%
Year 2 37 31.9%
Year 3 52 44.8%
Year of Study
Year 4 1 0.9%
Year 5 1 0.9%
Total 116 100%

Table 2: Distribution of respondents according to Gender, Age, Education level and

Year of study

The findings in Table 2: show that most of the respondents (55.2%) were males while

only (44.8%) of them were females. From Table 2, it can also be noted that majority of

the respondents (84%) were aged between 18-30 years. This is associated with the fact

that the greater sections of the University population are direct entrants from A- level

that leads the large number of university students range between 18-30 years. About

4.3% and 11.2% were aged between Under 18 years and 31-45 years respectively. This

forms the bulk of students who enroll for weekend programs and they are mainly people

of working classes.

With regards to year of studies, a total of 52 respondents were in Third year, 37 in

second, 25 in first year. And from year 4 and year 5 is about 1 respondent each. This

14
shows that the majority of the respondents were either in the middle or final year of their

studies - a stage which is crucial in the preparation for the employment world and also

expected to have had sufficient exposure to ICTs at the University.

4.2. Section two: Description of respondents’ opinions in relation to the

independent variable

In this section, descriptions of respondents‟ opinions per the items of the questionnaire

relating to the objectives of the study are presented. Respondents were requested to react

to the items by ticking (checking) the option that best described their opinions on a

Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree or available, not sure and

fairly available.

4.2.1. Respondents’ opinion on the availability of ICT resources

Several items in the questionnaire were presented to the respondents to rate their

availability and the findings are shown in Table 3:

ICT Resource Availabl Available but Not Total

e not enough available
Wi-Fi access points 70 33 10 113
Internet connectivity through
48 21 42 111
ethernet cables
Computer/ICT labs 93 12 7 112
Projectors 78 28 6 112
E-Learning Platforms 20 39 51 100
Free electronic resources 30 40 38 98
Video Conferencing equipment 20 25 65 100
CCTV Cameras 37 27 47 111
Internet café (Kiosk) 22 45 44 111
TV sets 44 44 24 112

15
Table 3: Distribution of respondents by opinion on the availability of ICT resources
As seen in Table 3, E-learning platforms seems to be one of the major concerns in

selected Universities. This is depicted by majority 51 of respondents who asserted that

they were not available of the presence of e-learning platforms. About 39 responded e-

learning are fairly available in their universities, while only a small number of

respondents 20 consented to the presence of e-learning platforms. The above findings

suggest that thegeneral presence of ICT resources in selected Universities is still wanting

which directly hinders full integration of ICT in the teaching and learning process as

students do not have access to new and different types of productive information. Thus,

the process of learning in the class room can become significantly poorer as students do

not have access to new and different types of information.

The findings from Table 3, also reveal that majority 48 of the respondents said there are

availability of internet connectivity in their Universities. Closely 42 of the respondents

stated that internet connectivity was not available at the University. Only a small number

21 of respondents cited that internet connection were fairly available.

Table 3 also reveal that Internet cafe as a tool for learning and internet access in

Universities was lacking with a majority 45 of respondents responding that available but

not enough, about 44 consented it was not available while a small number 22 of

respondenets said internet cafe was available.

Table 3 further show that projectors for presentation of course materials were present in

the University as supported by a majority 78 of respondents who acknowledged it is

available. About 28 responded that projectors are fairly available while only 6

respondents were said projectors was not available. During the process of data

16
collection, the researcher saw several students of Information Technology using the

projector to present their course works. Besides, discussion with the students revealed

that the class coordinators are responsible for picking and connecting the projector both

for teachers and students use. The above finding shows that projector for presentation of

student’s course materials and teaching were relatively available in the University,

besides one projector can serve a whole class at once.

From Table 3, majority 93 of the respondents responded that computer laboratories in

the University were generally available, about 12 respondents who consented that

computer laboratories were fairly available. A small number 7 of respondents said were

no availability of computer laboratory in the University. In the open-ended

questionnaire, the students noted that there is a good computer laboratory in the faculty

of computer science, and business information and communication technology they

however echoed the difficulty to get easy access to computers for use especially for the

non-IT classes. They also said that some computers did not have all programs they could

use and others were faulty. This suggests that though limited in number, computer

laboratories in the University are available. The biggest challenge being that students

should compete to access the laboratories which competition may hinder their interest in

accessing and using the laboratories.

Table 3, also reveals that video conferencing equipment in the University is still lacking

as supported by a majority of respondents 65 consenting that resources were not

available. About 25 respondents said it is fairly available, while a small number 20 of

17
respondents said it is available. According respondents’ views revealed that it is true that

Universities does not have and use video conferencing equipment because it called for

bigger network band widths which Universities could not afford.

4.2.2. Respondents’ opinions on accessibility of ICT resources

The respondents were asked how often they access ICT resources in various locations in

the University and the results are given in Table 4:

Table 4: Distribution of respondents by opinions on accessibility of ICT resources

ICT Resources Alway Very Not Not

sometimes Total
location s little sure at all
Hall of residence 15 30 0 23 6 114
Computer Labs 53 37 0 9 15 114
Library 58 33 15 2 3 111
Lecture Rooms 60 25 8 13 8 114
Internet Café 7 22 31 13 40 113
Resources center 17 25 18 31 19 110

Table 4 shows that the University library, Lecture rooms and computer laboratory are the

most popular places for students to access ICT for general use notably 53 students always

accessed ICT resources in the computer laboratory and 60 of the respondents accepted that

always they do access ICT resources in Lecture rooms. This result is echoed by a majority

58 respondents responding to always accessing ICT from the library. This was confirmed

that the access of these ICT resources is highly performance hence can help students to

acquire the required information, and knowledge necessary for their academic pursuits.

Results from Table 4 indicates that majority 40 of the respondents responded that they never

access any resources from internet cafe, about 22 responded that sometimes they access ICT

resources in the internet café, also small number of 7 they responded that always access ICT

18
resources in the cafe. The findings reveal that access to ICT resources in the internet cafe is

still limited due to fact that the University does not have an internet kiosk where students

could access internet services for free, also it seems that it is very expensive to go to

commercial internet kiosk and this cost seems to hinder students ready access of ICT

resources for communication and learning purposes.

Responses as to how often students access ICT resources from resources centers were as

follows; At least 17 of the respondents said that they always access ICT resources from the

resource centers. About 25 said that sometimes they access ICT resources from the

resource’s centers and Majority of the respondents 31 of the respondents were unsure. Also

19 said that they never accessed any ICT resources from the resource centers. The above

response revealed to the researcher that students were not aware of ICT resource centers

meaning that the University did not have ICT resource centers were students go for research

and practice on various ICT application.

From Table 4, only 15 of the respondents consented that they always access ICT resources

in the hall of residence, while Majority 30 of them said sometimes and 23 of the respondents

were unsure. Only 6 of the respondents never accessed any ICT resources from the hall of

residence. The researcher’s discussion with some students revealed that most students are

non-residents coming from their homes. But even those who are accommodated in the

hostels affiliated to the University said that the internet access points were in near to their

hostel place but the internet have low bandwidth so lead difficult for them to access it. The

finding suggests that the students are limited in their access to ICT resources from their

various places of residence hindering their use of these facilities for communication and

searching for information which duly affects their learning.

19
4.3 How ICT resource helpful in academic performance.

In this section the respondents were asked if they use ICT resources in academic purpose

so as researcher to determine whether ICT is helpful to students to acquire good

academic performance in terms of GPA. Respondent was required to attempt the

question by ticking whether “Very often, Often, Little, very little or Never” and the

response described in Figure 2:

Figure 2: Extent of ICT resources in academic purpose

From the Figure 2 the majority number 80 of the respondent said that Very often ICT

resources can be helpful in academic purposes, about 29 responded Often, also 3 of them

said that little. Only 1 respondent said that ICT resource never help on academic

20
performance. The findings reveal that access to ICT resources in academic purposes will

be more helpful in student’s academic performance in selected universities from Moshi

Municipally.

4.3 How should be done for ICT resources to improve students’ academic performance

The respondents were asked to give their views on what should be done for ICT resources to

improve student’s academic performance in higher learning and their response are illustrated

in Table 5:

Opinions Frequency
Add internet access points 26
Increase internet bandwidth 25
Provide Free Wi-Fi with no passwords 23
Introduce e-learning platform and add CCTV cameras 15
Provide knowledge to students on the access of ICT resources 12
Expand ICT Labs to accommodate all students 5
Total 106
Table 5: Respondents opinion on what should be done for ICT to improve

academic performance

From the table 5 majority 26 respondents opinions based on Adding internet access

points, about 25 were based on to increase internet bandwidth. Also 23 respondents

advised to provide free Wi-Fi with no passwords improve, about 15 respondents advised

to introduce e-learning platforms and CCTV cameras ,12 of them responded that staff

should provide knowledge to students on the access of ICT resources. Only 5

respondents they advised to expand ICT Labs to accommodate all students. The findings

21
reveal that ICT resource are there but not for 100%, therefore all ICT resources

mentioned above should be improved so as for student to access effectively and

efficiently for academic purposes in order to acquire better performance.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction

The findings reported in chapter four are discussed in relation to research questions

earlier formulated and outlined. The chapter is divided into three sections: Introduction,

conclusions and recommendations for improvement in ICT integrations in the teaching

and learning process in selected Universities from Moshi Municipal. The chapter

concludes with recommendations for further research

5.1. Conclusion

From the discussions, the following conclusions are drawn:

i. The ICT infrastructure of the University is poorly developed, unevenly

distributed and inadequate. However, some ICT resources like computer lab,

projectors and television sets were considered to be fairly available. Though not

fully adequate, the University recognizes the need for ICT resources in its

academic endeavours and as such there is already something to build on.

ii. ICT access in the different University sector for both lecturers and students were not

well attended to. The biggest challenge still affecting easy access to ICT facilities in the

University remains the limited number of ICT resources which does not match with the

22
 ever-increasing student population. But there was at least something in place to build

on though still was limited to computers.

iii. High access of Smartphones to students supports the learning process by

allowing direct access to lots of online resources and sharing of different

academic information. Combination of medium like videos, pictures and voice

notes along with constant availability of facilitator and learning anytime

anywhere, has made ICT resource good and convenient tool for supporting

teaching and learning activity.

5.2. Recommendations

Basing on the findings of this study, in order to improve on ICT and learning, the

following recommendations may be considered.

i. There is need for the University to invest more in computers and related technology as

means of not only solving accessibility problem but improving on the presence of the

facilities especially computers in the classroom and computer lab. More

infrastructures: printers, computers, projectors should be put in place for more

practice and utilization.

ii. There is a need to maintain internet connection in the University and connect

more computers to the internet. The University should then liberalize

accessibility of internet and e-mail in the institution in form of establishment of

ICT resource centers where all software can be accessed, students‟ packages and

all versions of technology. All in all, the University shall take time and even not

get there to afford a 1:1 ratio of Student - ICT access to facilities thus students

23
 should also endeavor to acquire themselves what can be afforded or visit

commercial ICT providers like internet café to access ICT facilities.

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Edmunds, R., Thorpe, M., & Conole, G. (2012). Student attitudes towards and use of

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27
 APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaires
Dear Students,

I am Emmanuel Nyakyaga Masindike a student of Moshi Co-operative University

pursuing Bachelor of Science in Business Information and Communication Technology.

You have been randomly chosen as a respondent in the research titled “The influence of

ICT on students’ academic performance” which is being undertaken as part of an

educational research in partial fulfillment of my degree award. Your cooperation in

filling this questionnaire will ensure success of the study. Please fill this questionnaire to

the best of your knowledge. The responses will be used for academic purposes only and

will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

1.Please select your University

i. MoCU ( ) ii. KCMUCo ( ) iii. MWECAU ( )

2.What is your Age group(years)?

i. Under 18 ( ) ii.18-30 ( ) iii.31-45 ( )

iv. Over 45 ( )

3.What is your sex?

i. Male ( ) ii. Female ( )

4.What education level are you persuing?

i. Non-degree ( ) ii. Degree ( ) iii. Post graduate ( )

5.What is your year of study?

28
 i. Year 1 ( ) ii. Year 2 ( ) iii. Year 3 (

iv. Year 4 ( ) v. Year 5 ( ) vi. Other (please

specify) ……………

6.Are there ICT Resources in your University?

i. YES ( ) ii. NO ( )

If YES in Qn 6 above, continue with the following questions.

7.Please rank availability of the following ICT equipments (Tick only where

appropriate)

ICT Resource Availability (tick where appropriate)

Available but not Not
Available
enough Available
i). Wi-Fi access points
ii). Internet connectivity through
ethernet cables
iii). Computer/ICT Laboratory
iv). Projectors in Lecture rooms
v). E-learning platforms
vi). Free electronic resources
vii). Video conferencing
equipment
viii). CCTV cameras
ix). Internet kiosk(cafe)
x). Television sets
xi). Others (specify)

29
8.At the University, how often can you access ICT resources in the following locations?

Level of access (tick where appropriate)

Location Always Sometime Very little Not sure Not at all
s
a) Halls of residence
b) Recreation areas
c) Library
d) lecture rooms
e) Cafeteria
f) Study areas
(Vimbweta)
g). Administrative
offices
Others (specify)

9.For what purpose do you often use ICT resources?

Extent of use (tick where appropriate)

Purposes
Very ofte littl Very Neve
often n e little r
i). To communicate with relatives and
friends
ii). Entertainment during free time

iii). Access news and information

iv). Business and marketing of products

v). Looking and searching for

opportunities
vi). Academic purposes

vii). Others (specify)

10.Do you think ICT can be helpful in improving academic performance?

i. YES ( ) ii. NO ( )

30
11.If YES in Qn 10 above, what is your opinions on the following potential uses of ICT

resources for academic purposes

Opinions (tick where appropriate)

Strongl Agre Don’ Disagre Strongly
Potential uses of ICT for academic
y e t e Disagre
purpose
Agree know e
Helps in undertaking academic
projects and research
Helps in doing course work and
assignments
Helps in developing interest in the
learning content
Searching for academic materials
(notes and tutorials)
Improving academic creativity and
skills
applying what was learnt in class to
the real-world situation
Collaborate with fellow students for
academic group discussions
Linking academic subjects to work
place demands
Helps in processing and analyzing
data
Allowing student to learn
independently through internet
Helps to cheat during exams
Other (specify)

12.In your opinion, what do you think should be done for ICT resources to improve

performance of higher learning students?

a. ……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

31
b. ……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

c. ……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

End

Thank you for your effective cooperation

32