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Greetings! I hope you are well.

I am writing on behalf of an international publishing house, Science and Education Publishing, USA (http://www.sciepub.com).

Science and Education Publishing (SciEP) is a multidisciplinary open access publisher of Journals covering the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. All SciEP publications are subject to high-quality peer review, editorial and production processes and are freely available online.

Welcome to the April, 2013 edition of SciEP newsletter, providing monthly summaries of articles on science & education related topics of interest to scientist and professionals. The mission of our journals is to provide an open access forum for publishing new findings on issues pertinent to scientific and academic field. We also invite you to submit original research papers, review articles, short reports, or case studies are considered for publication in our Multidisciplinary Journals.

American Journal of Public Health Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-1-1-3

The Implementation of a Tele-Homecare System with Service Oriented Architecture and HL7 Message Transmission Standard
Ching-Sung Wang

American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajmbr-1-1-2

The Influence of Ethanol on Pyruvate Kinases Activity in Vivo, in Vitro, in Silico
Lelevich Sergey Vladimirovich, Khrustalev Vladislav Victorovich, Barkovsky Eugene Victorovich, Shedogubova Tatyana Aleksandrovna

American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
DOI: 10.12691/ajmsm-1-1-1

Clinical and Histological Features in Wegener Granulomatosis
Li Cavoli Gioacchino, Passantino Rita, Bono Luisa, Tortorici Calogera, Ferrantelli Angelo, Giammarresi Carlo, Rotolo Ugo

American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
DOI: 10.12691/ajidm-1-1-2

The Curse of Lymphatic Filariasis: Would the Continual Use of Diethylcarbamazine Eliminate this Scourge in Papua New Guinea?
Anne Lanham, Lillian Mwanri

We have released issues of some journals on February 2013.
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American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
American Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research
American Journal of Nursing Research
American Journal of Cancer Prevention
American Journal of Medicine Studies
American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research
American Journal of Biomedical Research
American Journal of Mechanical Engineering
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Journal of Preventive Medicine
American Journal of Food and Nutrition
American Journal of Hypertension Research
American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment
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Label_Title

Dear Label_Name,

Greetings! I hope you are well.

I am writing on behalf of an international publishing house, Science and Education Publishing, USA (http://www.sciepub.com).

Science and Education Publishing (SciEP) is a multidisciplinary open access publisher of Journals covering the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. All SciEP publications are subject to high-quality peer review, editorial and production processes and are freely available online.

Welcome to the April, 2013 edition of SciEP newsletter, providing monthly summaries of articles on science & education related topics of interest to scientist and professionals. The mission of our journals is to provide an open access forum for publishing new findings on issues pertinent to scientific and academic field. We also invite you to submit original research papers, review articles, short reports, or case studies are considered for publication in our Multidisciplinary Journals.

American Journal of Public Health Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-1-1-3

The Implementation of a Tele-Homecare System with Service Oriented Architecture and HL7 Message Transmission Standard
Ching-Sung Wang

American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajmbr-1-1-2

The Influence of Ethanol on Pyruvate Kinases Activity in Vivo, in Vitro, in Silico
Lelevich Sergey Vladimirovich, Khrustalev Vladislav Victorovich, Barkovsky Eugene Victorovich, Shedogubova Tatyana Aleksandrovna

American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
DOI: 10.12691/ajmsm-1-1-1

Clinical and Histological Features in Wegener Granulomatosis
Li Cavoli Gioacchino, Passantino Rita, Bono Luisa, Tortorici Calogera, Ferrantelli Angelo, Giammarresi Carlo, Rotolo Ugo

American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
DOI: 10.12691/ajidm-1-1-2

The Curse of Lymphatic Filariasis: Would the Continual Use of Diethylcarbamazine Eliminate this Scourge in Papua New Guinea?
Anne Lanham, Lillian Mwanri

We have released issues of some journals on February 2013.
American Journal of Public Health Research
American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
American Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research
American Journal of Nursing Research
American Journal of Cancer Prevention
American Journal of Medicine Studies
American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research
American Journal of Biomedical Research
American Journal of Mechanical Engineering
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Journal of Preventive Medicine
American Journal of Food and Nutrition
American Journal of Hypertension Research
American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment
American Journal of Zoological Research
Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Biomedical Science and Engineering

We are pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted for peer review for all the journals across all our subject areas in SciEP.

Please submit your manuscript via our online submission system:
http://www.sciepub.com/author/signin

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I am looking forward to hearing from you.

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Science and Education Publishing (http://www.sciepub.com)

An inventory of 21st Century Digital Tools in One District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana: Implications for Educational Stakeholders

Jacob Manu*, Kwadwo Oteng Akyina, Robert Ampomah, Samuel Antwi, Gabriel Ansah

Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to take a critical inventory of the various 21st century digital tools and software applications being used in the primary schools of one of the districts in the Ashanti Region, so as to draw some implications for improving education in Ghana. The educational district was carefully chosen due to the number of schools in the district and the fair knowledge of the educational district by the researchers. The study was meant to compare the current technology architectural outlook of the schools in the district to the findings of a study by Morrison and Lowther [23], which sought to identify the digital tools and software applications that were available in the classrooms of the United States of America. The researchers conducted a non-participatory observation in all the 20 public primary schools in the district and interviewed 10 information and communication technology coordinators (ICTCs) on issues that centred around the things observed as a follow-up. After the investigation, it was found that many classrooms in the district did not have electricity. Second, majority of the primary schools within the district did not have computer laboratory. Third, the majority of the schools did not own digital tools in their schools and therefore used the services of business centres around the school premises. Finally, none of the six schools with the computer laboratory was connected to the internet but rather, had older versions of the Microsoft Office suite on their machines for offline use. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: Digital tools, software applications, teaching and learning, 21st century technologies

Received October 15, 2024; Revised November 17, 2024; Accepted November 24, 2024

Citation: Jacob Manu, Kwadwo Oteng Akyina, Robert Ampomah, Samuel Antwi, Gabriel Ansah, An inventory of 21st Century Digital Tools in One District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana: Implications for Educational Stakeholders. American Journal of Educational Research, 12 (11). 464-471. January 2024. doi:10.12691/education-12-11-7

1. Introduction

The emergence of educational technologies in educational institutions has influenced instructional teaching and learning in the 21st century classroom. The use of 21st century technologies in the teaching and learning process has become a new norm that all and sundry within the educational sector seem to do their possible best to embrace [1,2,3]. Learning is identified as an active process that requires the pupils as well as the facilitators to have tools and materials to interact with as they learn [4,5,6]. When the pupils have the opportunity to manipulate with teaching and learning resources, they are able to retain much of the concepts learnt as compared to a learning moment where pupils do not have teaching and learning materials to interact with [7]. Count [8] explained that the cone of experience (CoE) has been one of the frequently used instructional design theories, which seeks to explain the progression of learning. Again, students tend to be more motivated and self-directed to perform tasks that provide hands-on activities in their daily lives than being passive listeners as teachers talk, write or listen to audios [9,10]. The use of the 21st century tools present wide range of options for students as well as their facilitators in the course of the teaching and learning process. With the availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom, facilitators have different options right from the introduction of the lesson, review of the relevant knowledge, discussion of concepts to the assessment of the learning tailored towards learner’s needs [11]. Since the students already use these tools and applications in their non-learning settings, most of them are more likely to be disengaged in the classroom activities devoid of the use of the technological resources.

One of the major advantages of providing access to 21st century tools is the fact that students, by the nature of their respective disciplines, have to be introduced to the use of these tools as partners of learning [12] as well as equip them with the basic skills needed to use similar tools at the workplace. Students who get the opportunity to be exposed to these technologies can understand processes and procedures, adapt well to learning situations as well as communicate better comparatively to their cohort who do not get similar opportunity [13,14,15]. Mosquera-Gende [16] did a study on the use of digital tools and their impact on academic performance. With the use of pre-experimental design without a control group, 908 participants were made to evaluate active educational learning proposal with digital tools. This researcher found evidence that the students who were exposed to more digital tools performed better in the continuous assessment as well as in the end of semester examinations. When these technologies are not available in the classroom, teachers might do their possible best to explain the concepts, which should have been concrete to the students and yet, the concepts well explained by the teachers tend to be more abstract to the students due to the unavailability of the real objects for the pupils to interact with them.

The use of digital tools and software applications among pupils leads to academic adaptability. Academic adaptability refers to the ability of the pupils to tolerate different learning environment with higher level of resilience [17]. Wong and Hughes [18] reported that students with advanced digital skills are more likely to excel in the academic environment. Prensky [19] brought to the limelight the need to move away from the digital native digital immigrant conversation to digital wisdom. He explained that the use of digital tools should not make students just smart in learning but most importantly wiser personal and professional endeavours. He emphasized the ability of these digital tools to enhance the thinking powers of the users. Concluding on his assertion, Prensky indicated that all and sundry should allow the human mind and digital techonology to interact in order to create a digital wisdom in the 21st century.

Guillén-Gámez et al. [20] reported that due to the opportunity of digital tools in creating active participation and pupils involvement in the teaching and learning process, there is improved academic performance. Loglo et al. [21], doing a comparative study of Germany and Ghana on the digital tools and media usage found that many Germans and Ghanaians at the higher education level (98% and 96% respectively) own smartphones. Prensky [19] reported that many students from the lower level of education to the university level live with digital devices like smartphones, computers, cameras, etc. The higher education students in Ghana spent an average of 120 minutes on their phones to do different things [22]. There are other technologies, besides the phones that the pupils are using them in different aspects of their lives. For this reason, the provision of 21st century technologies for teaching and learning is no more a luxury but of a necessity that should be provided regardless. The current study used Morrison and Lowther [23] identification of digital tools and software applications as a conceptual framework to investigate what was available in the Ghanaian classroom.

Digital Tools and Software Applications

In their book titled “Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom: Skills in the 21st Century”, Morrison and Lowther looked closely at the classrooms across the United States and identified the various technologies that were integrated into the teaching and learning process. Broadly speaking, the authors identified digital tools and software applications. They explained the digital tools as devices that could be seen or touched and useful in processing, display, storage, sending, receiving, recording, amplifying, printing, etc. Within this category, Morrison and Lowther grouped the digital tools into four as computers, peripherals, mobile devices and storage devices.

Computers

Computers are basically devices that receive data and process the data into useful information. Morisson and Lowther [23] used four different distinctions to differentiate one computer from the other based on the factors that influenced their usage. These four were platform, connectivity, device software, and file format. The platform referred to the operating system that ran on the machines with particular reference to the PC for Windows operating system and the Mac for the Apple computers using the Macintosh operating system. On the connectivity, the authors compared a wired connection versus wireless. Whereas some of the machines (especially desktops in those days) predominantly used physical cables for connection of the internet, laptops and tablets used wireless. Some computers required the installation of certain device software for them to function effectively. The installation of the drivers allows the device to communicate with the operating system. The last on the computer was the file format. The authors explained that the “file format for the PC is designated by an extension to the file name that consists of period and specific letters added to the end of each digital record” [23], (p. 63). They added that the Windows computers use these file format extensions whereas the Mac computers do not use extensions. Examples of different computers identified were desktop computers, all-in-one desktops and laptops.

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices, like the name suggests, comprise of different devices that can be carried around easily. Due to their nature, they are normally referred to as handheld devices. The authors provided that “teachers and students often use mobile devices for recording audio and video files, taking photos, reading e-books, navigating to designated locations, graphing mathematical information, scheduling and organizing a project, among others” [23], (p. 67). Examples of mobile devices are digital media players, voice/video recorders, digital cameras, GPS navigation receivers, graphical calculators, pagers, personal data assistants, and personal response systems.

Peripherals

The second category of the digital tools identified by the authors was peripheral. The term “peripheral” was coined to illustrate any device that could be connected to the computer to perform a secondary function. In other words, a peripheral was any external input device or out device that was optionally connected to the computer [23]. This is to say that when they are disconnected from the computer, it is able to perform its primary function of accepting data and processing them into useful information. The connection of these peripherals to the computer allows it to display data/information; scan electronic items; print documents; record audios/videos; photocopying; play audios and videos; provide audio/video conferencing cameras; amplify the sounds; etc. Examples of devices that fall within this category are printers, scanners, projectors, clickers, microphones, speakers, among others. In many developed countries, these digital tools are either made available in the classrooms for the teachers to use or at the main office of the school, where the teachers can access them for instructional purposes.

Storage Devices

The last category on digital tools explained by these authors was storage devices. Morrison and Lowther [23] indicated that there are devices that have been developed primarily to store data or information. These devices provide space for storing electronic objects, items or content in different formats. These electronic contents can be text files, audios files, image files, video files, application software, folders, games, virtual reality, simulations, among others. Over the years, the term, storage devices, has been used to describe any tool that can be used to store electronic content, in spite the argument of a clear distinction between a storage media and a storage device. Examples of storage devices are external hard drives, diskettes, CD/DVD, pendrives, micro cards, SD cards, sim cards and so on. The availability of these devices allows users to properly manage their data and information more effectively and efficiently.

The second broad category that Morrison and Lowther identified was the software applications. These were the end-user friendly computer programmes that the students used in their various classrooms [23]. The authors classified five software applications based on the functionality of these applications. These applications were educational software, communication software, productivity software, research software and problem-solving software. The educational software comprised of applications that provided opportunity for the pupils to receive knowledge and develop skills. The communication applications, according to the authors, allowed the users to freely exchange messages. Productivity software referred to the different applications that could be used to create a file in the different formats. Research software involved the applications that allowed the user to collect, analyze, and interpret data whereas the problem-solving software created task-scenario environments that allowed the user to work through the obstacles.

Funding of 21st Century Technologies

In Ghana, it is the responsibility of the central government to provide quality and inclusive education at all levels [24]. The Constitution further explains in article 38 that the Government of Ghana shall provide educational facilities at all levels as much as it is feasible or subject to the availability of resources. For this reason, it can be mentioned that the provision of teaching and learning materials, in a form of different technologies that are consistent with the curriculum, is the responsibility of the government, first and foremost. The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Education, has to roll-out a comprehensive plan to define the place of technology use in the teaching and learning process as well as procure these technologies and make them available to teachers and students to use during the instructional hours in their various schools. It must be added that there has been a strict competition on budgetary allocation year after year in the national fiscal policy to procure these 21st century technologies as done elsewhere [25]. These strict competitions come about as a result of the many equally important demands from the other aspects of the educational sector. To overcome this challenge in funding technologies, there are nations that have specifically setup funds for investing into the new technologies for teaching and learning from public and private partnerships [26]. Though the Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is clear on who should provide the educational facilities at all levels, it does not prevent individuals, institutions, organizations and other entities from contributing to the provision of these educational resources. As a result of that individuals, institutions, organizations and entities continue to collaborate with the government in the provision of these educational facilities at all levels [27]. Osei and Osei [28] reflecting on the funding opportunities for the technologies indicated that there was the need to come out with prudent financial plan for the sustenance of the original investment so as to ensure continuous maintenance through crowdsourcing, neighbourhood fund projects, among others. In line with this, Mensah and Manteaw [29] recommended the need to look into more novel options in order to provide the needed technological resources for pupils to interact with them.

In spite of the advancement over the years in the provision of modern technologies for teaching and learning, several bottlenecks exist. Nti and Asare [30] found that many of the classrooms in the country did not have electricity needed to power these digital tools. Again, they identified internet connectivity as a major challenge in many parts of the country when integrating ICT. Kwarteng [31] added that many students and teachers are not able to participate adequately over the internet space due to the cost of digital tools and software applications. Kenny and Hill [26] found that the problem of poor internet connectivity further worsens the technological divide that exists between the urban areas and the rural areas. Osei and Osei [28] observed that the development of effective internet supply across the country was needed for the smooth integration of ICT. There are times the attitudes of the stakeholders towards technology acquisition and use plays serious role [32]. Adomako and Fafunwa [25] found that the level of skepticism as well as being conservative makes it difficult to have effective integration of ICT in certain parts of the country. In such areas, getting the needed resources to mobilize technology from other stakeholders becomes problematic and as a result, widens the technology divide in the country, which denies equal access to these digital tools and software applications [33].

Statement of the Problem

The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into education has gained significant attention across the globe with many research studies highlighting the positive impacts they have had on teaching and learning [34,35,36]. Digital tools such as interactive whiteboards, educational applications, and online learning platforms have been shown to improve student engagement, facilitate personalized learning experiences, and make information more accessible [37,38]. For this reason, successive governments in Ghana have come out with different policies and interventions to make sure the nation’s educational system becomes a world class with focus on quality, inclusivity and equity over the years. As an attempt to meet the constitutional mandated role, the government puts up schools, provides textbooks, pays teachers and other supporting staff, provides workshops, and even free education at some of the levels of education. However, one of the areas that seems inadequate in terms of government’s effort is the provision of the required digital tools and software applications in the various primary schools across the country for effective teaching and learning. According to Ghavifekr et al. [39], there are still issues with teachers’ digital literacy, the availability of functional digital tools, and the challenges faced in using these resources effectively. There seem to be a big disparity among schools in the country in terms of the availability of these 21st century technology tools. Whereas there are schools in the cities that have adequate technology tools and applications and continue to receive more and more at the primary school level, there are others that do not have the basic ones in their various schools. These schools without the requisite technology tools are usually the ones in the villages and small towns. There are even situations where some of the schools are under trees and do not have rooms to house their tools and applications in case they are even supplied.

Consequently, pupils from these schools are left behind in developing the proficiency in the use of the 21st century digital tools and applications, which has gradually become a new language that every student has to understand and use regardless of where he or she receives education. This situation denies the students the ability to become world class citizens with the requisite knowledge to rub shoulders with the rest of the world in bilateral and multilateral co-operations. The purpose of the current study was to identify the 21st century digital tools and software applications that are available at the primary schools in one of the districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana in order to recommend to government and other stakeholders of education as they decide on providing quality, inclusive and equitable education. Results from this study will help inform policymakers and stakeholders about the challenges and needs of educators in the district. These findings could lead to the development of professional development initiatives, investment in essential digital tools, and policy interventions to promote digital literacy and support the effective integration of technology in the classrooms.

2. Research Questions

1.Which schools and classrooms within the district are connected to electricity?

2.How is the nature of the computer laboratories in the schools?

3.What digital tools are available in the classroom?

4.What types of application software are available in the classroom?

3. Methodology

The purpose of the study was to take a critical inventory of the various 21st century digital tools and software applications that are available in the primary schools in one of the districts of the Ashanti Region in Ghana. The current study used descriptive observation inventory in identifying the 21st century digital tools and software applications that are available in primary schools in one of the districts of the Ashanti Region. The area boasts of 20 primary schools, three senior high schools, two vocational institutions, one nursing and one midwifery training colleges, two colleges of education and one public university. For the sake of the numerous educational institutions in the area, the researchers thought it appropriate to undertake the study in the area. Due to the purpose of the study, the total number of primary schools within the district was the population of the study. The researchers went to all the primary schools in the district to observe, first hand, the various digital tools and applications being used in the classroom. Based on how Morrison and Lowther [23] categorized these tools, the researchers developed a checklist on digital tools (four broad areas: computers, peripherals, mobile devices and storage devices) and application software (five broad areas: communication software, educational software, productivity software, research software and problem-solving software) to track what was available in the classroom.

Since the study was about educational district, the researchers wrote a letter to the director of education to formally request access to the various schools. After receiving a permission note, copies of the permission letters were sent to the heads of the schools, and discussed with them the right time to come back to the schools to collect the data. Also, a copy of this letter was specifically addressed to supervisors of the various educational circuits to inform them of the exercise taking place in their schools of supervision. During the meeting with each of the school heads, the researchers were given a short introduction of the teachers in the school as well as the numerical strength of the school. Again, the head of the school explained to the researchers some of the rules and regulations governing the school and the things to pay attention to when a visitor comes to the school for assignments of this nature. After series of deliberations, the researchers and the heads agreed on a set date and time for the actual data collection exercise to take place. The researchers also met the information and communication technology coordinators (ICTCs) in a separate meeting to explain their roles in the study. In each of the schools, the researchers gave a copy of a checklist of things to look for whether they are available in the schools or not in order for the heads to know exactly how to conduct them around on the data collection day. The researchers formed a research team of six members, trained them and shared the schools among them so as to facilitate the observation of the schools. After the data collection exercise, a letter of appreciation was written to the various schools to thank them for allowing the researchers to come to their schools for the data collection exercise. The researchers promised to share the findings with the participating schools after the study.

Findings and Discussion

The current study sought to identify the 21st century digital tools and software applications of the primary schools in one of the districts in the Ashanti Region as compared to Morrison and Lowther [23] study that looked at the various digital tools and software applications in the USA schools. In all, the researchers observed all the 20 basic public schools within the district. With the Ghanaian education system, the primary school starts from the kindergarten (age four) to basic six (age twelve). After observing these schools for one month, the data obtained are shared below.

Demographics

Table 1. Demographic Data of the Primary Schools

The intention of the study was not to use the demographic information for analysis purposes, though data on number of streams, total enrollment of the pupils as well as the staff distribution were collected during the interview. In terms of staffing, all the schools observed had the required number of teachers in the various primary schools, which by policy is one teacher to a class. However, the municipal has agreed to have two teachers for classes that have students above a certain threshold. This means a single stream primary school had average of ten teachers including the head teacher of the school (from kindergarten to basic six). Since the area of research was a district, the total enrollment in these schools ranged from 83 to 945 with a mean enrollment per school of 303.65 pupils per a primary school. Out of the 20 primary schools, two of them had three streams, six schools with a double stream whereas 12 schools had a single stream.

Research Question 1: Which schools and classrooms within the district are connected to electricity?

Table 2. The availability of electricity in the classrooms

The researchers wanted to identify the number of schools that were connected to the nation’s electricity grid. The rationale for this question was to use that to determine whether the school was ready to use any of the digital tools and applications that require electric power before they can function. After observing all the 20 primary schools in the district, it came to light that all the 20 schools were connected to electricity. However, close to half of the total classrooms in the various schools were not connected to the national grid. A closer look at the classrooms with electricity indicated the availability of musical instruments, curtains, microphones and other religious items. The researchers were later informed, through the interview, that the provision of electricity in the primary schools was mostly done by the newly established churches in the community that use the classroom as the place of worship and for that matter make provision for electricity to aid their worship activities. Out of the 211 classrooms within the district, 115 classrooms had electricity whereas 96 did not have electricity.

With respect to the classrooms that were connected to the electricity, the researchers looked at the availability of power for instructional purposes. Many of the classrooms had just the light bulb and no provision for electrical fittings that would allow the teachers to use electronic devices. There were few electrical sockets that were not functioning and some had naked wires that endangered the lives of the pupils in the classrooms. This finding seems to suggest that the classrooms without electricity are not likely to be able to use devices that would be needed. As a result, the pupils might be denied of the 21st century technologies that require the use of electricity to operate. Nti and Asare [30], commenting on the issues that confront technology use, found evidence that there was inadequate availability of electricity in many of the Ghanaian schools and for that matter, negatively affects the integration of ICT to enhance teaching and learning.

Research Question 2: How is the nature of the computer laboratory in the schools?

Table 3. The nature of the computer laboratory in the schools

To equip both pupils and teachers to acquire 21st century skills, computer laboratories are vital in ICT integration to enhance teaching and learning in elementary schools. This was the reason why the researchers wanted to identify the number of primary schools that have computer laboratories within the district. During the visitation and observation of all the 20 schools, there were only six schools that had designated space called a computer laboratory. As many as 14 of the primary schools did not have a computer laboratory at all. Out of the six primary schools with computer laboratories, only three had 14 or more functional personal computers (PCs) to be used by the pupils in their respective schools. The breakdown of the number of computers per the three schools with 14 or more personal computers in their computer laboratory was 19, 16 and 14. The three schools with less than 14 computers had 12 (nine machines functioning), nine (seven machines functioning) and eight (seven machines functioning) personal computers. Over all, there were 72 functioning personal computers purported to serve 6073 primary school pupils with a ratio of one computer to 84 pupils within the district.

Based on the data collected on the schools with no computer laboratory, it is obvious to conclude that the pupils do not get the opportunity in school to learn any of the 21st century computer skills throughout their primary school. And for the six schools with limited number of personal computers, some teachers make an attempt to teach the pupils about the 21st century skills. However, due to the number of personal computers at their disposal, it seems the idea of hands-on practical sessions with pupils will come with many challenges for ICT teachers. Banji et al. [40] reported that many of the primary schools in Ghana had no modern-day technology tools for the pupils to interact with in spite of technology being another important language cutting across borders of nations [41]. Nti and Asare [30] stressed the need to have fully-resourced and functioning computer laboratories to create the opportunity for the pupils to engage in the practical sessions.

Research Question 3: What digital tools are available in the classroom?

The researchers again wanted to know the digital tools that were being used within the 20 primary schools identified in the district. Out of the 20 primary schools, none of the schools had a reception or main office as the first point of call for visitors. In many schools, some of these digital tools are usually located in these offices where teachers and students would come and use them. But this provision has not been mainstreamed at the primary level of education in Ghana. However, four schools had projectors, with six others having their own printers. These projectors and printers were spotted in the office of the head teacher, but could be used by all the teachers in the school. Since the government of Ghana had just introduced One Teacher One Laptop programme [42], there were few teachers who had their laptops with them in the schools. In all, the researchers saw an average of three laptops in each primary school on a visit. In other words, not all the teachers had their laptops in the school during the visitation. What was not clear was whether they have been integrating their laptops into the teaching and learning process since many of the teachers were without personal computers.

One of the digital tools that was common among all the teachers was the smartphone, which by specification qualifies to be placed under all four categories. Almost all the teachers in the school were spotted with smartphones. Manu et al. [22] in their study on phone use preferences among university students reported that more than 92% of university students owned smartphones. Onjewu et al [43] reported that more and more students used smartphones and that was an opportunity for teachers to reach their distant students. For this reason, it was not surprising to see majority of the teachers using smartphones. Smartphones seem to transcend across the four digital tools categorised by Morrison and Lowther [23]. Per the nature of smartphones, they are computers and could be connected to computers to perform secondary function. Besides, they are portable to be carried around as well as have adequate storage for the content. Boadi et al. [44] explained a number of impediments that have to be cleared before ICT could be well integrated into the Ghanaian schools. The researchers cited impediments like poor funding, inadequate infrastructure and limited contribution from the other stakeholders of education as factors that need urgent attention.

Research Question 4: What types of application software are available in the classroom?

The intent of this research question was to identify the various application software that were interacted within the classroom by the pupils. The researchers found that many of the classrooms of the 20 primary schools hardly use computers. In other words, only few teachers would bring their laptops to class and use them as part of the teaching and learning process. However, a close look at the application software on the few teachers’ personal computers showed Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Excel, etc.), WhatsApp, web browsers (Firefox, Internet Edge, Google Chrome), Zoom, Telegram, Mavis Beacon, among others. Based on the observation, it seems the teachers did not have any recommended teaching and learning software applications for the classroom. Instead, the applications on their personal computers were for private use and not necessarily for the sake of students’ learning. Morrison and Lowther [23] identified five different kinds of software as education software, research software, productivity software, problem-solving software and communication software. The list of applications identified on the few personal computers by the teachers fall within some of the five categories identified by the researchers. Morgan and Smith [45] explained that there should be practical measures in place such as periodic checks on the resources, formation of ICT committees and constant updates of the educational software to make the teaching and learning meaningful. In doing this, Davis [46] was of the view that parents and other stakeholders of education must be encouraged to team-up and create the right environment that will safeguard ICT use.

4. Conclusion

The purpose of the current study was to take a critical inventory of the various 21st century digital tools and software applications being used in the 20 primary schools of one of the districts in the Ashani Region of Ghana. A thorough observation of these schools indicated that majority of the primary school classrooms are neither connected to electricity nor had computer laboratories. The absence of electricity in many of the classrooms implies that it would be difficult for these classrooms to use digital tools even when they are available in the schools unless power is tapped from outside the classroom. The lack of the computer laboratories in these schools compounds the issue of making it extremely difficult for the pupils to be exposed to the 21st century technologies, needed to facilitate learning. As it stands, successive governments have tried to play their constitutional mandated role of providing some of these digital tools and applications. However, there seem to be a lack of comprehensive technology use plan created and owned by the citizenry. As a result, the various policies rolled out on technology use by successive governments have not been fully understood by the people. Furthermore, there seem to be issues with continuity especially when it comes to change over in governance. This development is a worrying one since many of these national documents originate from political party manifestoes, which in many instances, are opposed by the opposition political party and would not support these policies no matter the stage at which the implementation has reached.

Implication for Practice

There are several reasons why digital tools and software applications are inadequate in many of the primary schools in Ghana. This inadequacy is a worrying development due to the rate at which it denies many of the pupils between the ages of four and twelve from developing the requisite 21st century skills. To reverse the situation and ensure that digital tools and software applications are available at the primary school level, the following recommendations can be considered.

1.That there should be a national policy to connect every school and every classroom to electricity with a stand-by generators ready for use whenever there are power outages within the district.

2.That a comprehensive long-term national policy on ICT, devoid of political affiliations, be developed for the primary schools. This policy should clearly define the standards for the technology use, the digital tools and software applications needed for the country as well as the funding for procurement and maintenance of the technologies.

3.That there should be a nation-wide education on the importance of using ICT integration to enhance teaching and learning as well as the adverse effects of not exposing the primary school pupils to technology use at their formative years. Such education is more likely to encourage other stakeholders of education to join the government in the provision of these digital tools and software applications.

4.Since basic school teachers have been supplied with subsidized personal computers, they are encouraged to use them more often in the teaching and learning process. By modelling technology use in the classroom, the pupils will develop interest in technology use.

That the government must revisit the idea of community-based computer laboratories to serve the schools within the catchment area. These computer laboratories should be furnished with adequate number of devices and secured to prevent theft. With specialized teachers in ICT and effective management by the educational directorate, it is possible to roll-out a plan to make sure all primary school pupils within the district take turns to be educated at the computer laboratory.

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