The potential and prerequisites of effective tablet integration in rural Kenya

Abstract This study investigates how pedagogical, cultural and institutional factors interact with technical knowledge in educational technology integration and how they relate to equitable and effective technology use in low‐resource settings. In the context of a one‐to‐one tablet initiative in rural Kenya, we explore how these factors constrain or support access to technology, instructor capacity, student engagement and student learning, as well as their implications for reducing educational and digital divides. We employ a mixed methods, such as a quasi‐experimental (prepost, nonequivalent control group) research design that draws on data from classroom observations, teacher interviews, student surveys and focus groups, and assessments of student academic performance to generate evidence on classroom practices and student learning in schools with access to tablets, while also highlighting core challenges to successful technology integration. Our findings contribute to the identification of prerequisites and supporting factors for successful educational technology integration, as well as policy levers and school‐based strategies that are likely to increase equitable access to quality learning experiences in schools in low‐resource contexts. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic A lack of funding, planning and infrastructure hinder information and communication technology (ICT) integration. Procurement of educational technology and infrastructure improvement efforts has reduced digital divides, but learning divides persist in implementation. Insufficient teacher technology expertise and professional development constrain teacher's effective use of educational technology in classrooms. What this paper adds We employ mixed methods—triangulating the student assessment data with data from student surveys and focus groups, teacher interviews and classroom observations—to identify how pedagogical, cultural and institutional factors interact with technical knowledge in ICT integration in ways that support or constrain student learning in low‐resource contexts. We find that more attention is needed for cultural factors that interact with pedagogical and technical skills to ensure that the classroom instructors' attention is equitability distributed in ways that discourage in‐class “tracking” and differential access to quality learning experiences, such as some teachers' disregard of “slow learners” in the classroom. In low‐resource contexts, providing even basic levels of infrastructure (eg, a consistent power source) and access to general technical knowledge requires more creative and concerted efforts from school leadership and instructors, such as the offer of tutorials and reading clubs outside of the class to expand access and improve the use of devices. Implications for practice and/or policy We find that device sharing can have positive effects on peer‐to‐peer learning, which suggests that policymakers in Kenya should weigh the benefits of achieving one‐to‐one device access against the potential advantages of alternative investments, such as expanding professional development on the integration and use of currently available devices. Increasing opportunities for peer‐to‐peer learning and exchange (among teachers and students) and building shared capacities for ICT integration can help reduce technical issues and lost instructional time.