Abstract:
The main aim of this study was to investigate how secondary schools and tertiary education
institutions in Malawi can sustainably integrate e-learning technologies into traditional
teaching and learning environments. The study was conducted in Malawi at Mzuzu
University (MZUNI) and four secondary schools within Mzuzu City.
Data were collected in two phases. Phase-one was a baseline study of the status of
technology at MZUNI and in four conveniently sampled secondary schools in Mzuzu City.
The rationale for conducting the baseline study was to ascertain the status of e-learning
before conducting the intervention study. This phase used self-administered
questionnaires, focus group discussions (FDGs) and in-depth individual interviews as tools
for gathering data. Phase Two was interventional in nature because the researcher tried
to implement some solutions which were observed during baseline study.
This study used a longitudinal qualitative research approach. A mixed methods approach
was used because the nature of the research questions required the use of different data
gathering strategies.
Study findings revealed that educational institutions that have limited resources can
integrate technology in education by using resources they have. This study discovered that
the following five media were sustainable and the most used technologies: The Internet,
Facebook, memory sticks, personal computers and ordinary cell phones. Furthermore,
challenges that institutions are likely to face when implementing technology integration
included: intermittent electrical power supply; lack of resources for e-learning; resistance
to use recorded e-resources; challenges with e-module production and using WhatsApp for
educational purposes. The study recommends the following strategies to ensure that
electronic technologies are integrated into the teaching and learning environment: MZUNI
and other institutions which have limited resources for teaching and learning purposes
should integrate technology in education using the most ubiquitous teaching and learning
resources around them by making use of the Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available
Resources (TALULAR) concept instead of solely relying on proprietary resources.
