Exploring ICT Integration in Teaching Practices: A Qualitative Case Study of Secondary School Teachers in Public Schools of Sialkot

Abstract

This study explores the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in classroom teaching practices of public secondary schools of Sialkot. The study focused on the teachers’ perspective, ICT training experiences, use of ICTs in the classroom and challenges faced by the teachers regarding the integration of ICT. It was a qualitative study with multiple case study research design. 10 public secondary school teachers were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. According to the analysis, themes derived from data were ICT integration as a pedagogical approach to enhance teaching and learning, gaps in teacher preparedness for ICT integration, selective classroom use of ICT with limited assessment integration and converging barriers to effective ICT integration. According to the participants’ perspective, ICT can provide them with a valuable teaching aid, particularly using videos, diagrams, animations, maps, PowerPoint slides, and the internet to facilitate the delivery of hard-to-understand concepts. The participants also reported increased attention, interest and participation of students in the classroom with the use of ICT. The use of ICT in lesson planning and classroom explanation was primarily used, with limited use in assessment and feedback. It was revealed that teachers' use of ICT was constrained by low-quality resources, unreliable internet, lack of technical support, teacher training needs, lack of confidence, class size and time pressure. Teacher training for use of ICT in the classroom should be practical and subject-oriented. ICT infrastructure and subject learning materials should be available with continuous institutional support.