Using Mobile Phones In Teaching And Learning In Secondary Schools In Tanzania

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the findings from a recent cross-sectional survey that examined how secondary schools’ teachers use their mobile phones in teaching and learning. The participants were drawn from Mwanga and Chamwino districts in Kilimanjaro and Dodoma regions respectively in Tanzania. A large area of the study location enjoys a reliable mobile phones’ coverage network, many mobile phones’ service providers and reliable wireless internet. This study involved 100 teachers from public and private secondary schools obtained using purposive sampling. These teachers were only those who owned smart phones. The study used likerty-type questionnaires and semi-structured interview to collect data for understanding the contribution of teachers’ mobile phones in teaching and learning process in secondary schools. The 90 (90%) questionnaires were filled and returned, while 10 (10%) questionnaires were not returned. The study found that most of the teachers had little knowledge on the use of mobile phones as a tool for ICT pedagogical uses. It was also revealed that the teachers were competent in the basic uses of mobile phones, but were not able to create upload, download and share academic resources through their smart phones; while others were not aware of the capacity of their mobile phones. It was revealed that mobile phones were relevant in teaching and learning in secondary schools. Moreover, majority of the secondary school teachers were not using their smart phones for educational purposes; instead, they used them for other non- educational activities. It was furthermore revealed that teachers were very bitter for allowing their students to carry mobile phones in the classroom.