A Framework for an ICT-based development program for Science teachers in state universities and colleges in region VI

Abstract

Curriculum reform is central to the aspirations of many developing countries as they strive to deliver a quality education to their citizens. In State Universities and Colleges in Region VI, with its remarkable achievement of a high literacy rate in a few decades, the next step is bringing its resources to bear on providing a quality education so that Filipino science professors and students may take their places in the global labor force. This study concerns the integration of information and communications technologies (ICT) into the science curriculum of Higher Education Institutions in State Universities and Colleges in the Philippines particularly in Region VI, and the training and development requirements of science professors in this regard. A mixed methodology was employed to obtain qualitative data from 11 policy makers as represented by the Vice President of Academic Affairs of the SUC’s in region VI, and quantitative data from a questionnaire for which 139 replies were received from SUC’s science professors in Region VI.The findings of this study confirmed those citations in the literature that inefficient management planning and inadequate resources influence the integration of ICT in the science curriculum. Furthermore, the qualitative and quantitative findings confirmed that teachers’ access to training is affected by time constraints, ineffective ICT course material, unavailability of ICT infrastructures and facilities, and high cost of ICT trainings. The policy makers interviewed in this study perceived the teachers as having a positive attitude toward ICT integration in the science curriculum, quantitative data from the teachers pointed to a high interest in ICT integration, and their willingness to pursue further professional development in the effective use of ICT in the science curriculum. Furthermore, age factor exhibited a significant difference in ICT skills, utilization and individual barriers of science teachers in SUC’s Region VI. The length of service also showed a very significant difference as to the ICT skills, utilization attitudes, and individual barriers of the teacher respondents. However, as to their gender and highest educational attainment, home location and school location, there was no such factor implicating a non-significant difference in the attitudes, skills, utilization and perceived barriers.