STAFF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION AND UTILIZATION OF MOBILE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES IN CHARTERED UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

The factors influencing the adoption and utilization of mobile technologies as tools for learning in Kenyan universities have received little attention in research. The purpose of this study was to investigate how factors related to staff and Institutions influence the adoption and utilization of mobile technologies as teaching and learning tools in Kenyan universities. The target population was1988 teaching staff drawn from chartered universities drawn from Nairobi and Nyeri Counties in Kenya. A total of 199 lecturers were selected through stratified sampling. The study was a descriptive survey, and involved collecting data using questionnaires and an interview schedule. A pilot study was conducted to validate research instruments. The split-half reliability test was applied on the staff questionnaires to obtain α=0.754 and 0.70 for each half.  Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Descriptive statistics provided indices such as means, mode, range, percentages, frequencies, standard deviation and variance, while inferential statistics such as regression analysis, Independent Sample t-test for Equality of Means, Analysis of Variance and Pearson Correlation provided coefficients that helped to make generalizations about the population. The study demonstrated university teaching staff had sufficient technical proficiency to use mobile devices to access the internet, send, receive electronic mails and transfer data but lacked proficiency in using the devices for their teaching duties. Further, staff related factors such age, gender; proficiency and attitude had statistically significant influence on the adoption and utilization of mobile technologies. The study also demonstrated that factors within Kenyan universities had statistically significant influence on the adoption and utilization of mobile technologies. Besides recommending that Kenya builds a prototype for a mobile based learning management system for its universities, the researcher proposed that the technical capacity for university teaching staff be enhanced. The researcher calls upon educational researchers to carry out empirical studies on the academic potential for emerging applications such as Facebook, Tweeter and WhatsApp