Information and Communication Technologies as Promoters of Educational Quality: The Educational Reality in Mozambique

Abstract

The mixed-method, descriptive paradigm study was conducted in ten secondary schools in rural areas, with the aim of assessing the use of digital tools in an educational context. Thus, 500 self-administered questionnaires in physical format were distributed to students attending 12th grade, and 416 responses were returned. This approach was chosen due to the reported lack of computer equipment in these schools and the absence of an Internet connection. In addition to the questionnaires, five interviews were conducted with key informants by telephone and recorded, including school principals and teachers. The districts were selected based on the availability of teachers to participate in the study as collaborators in order to administer the questionnaires and return them with responses by physical mail. These collaborators were included due to the researcher's difficulty in travelling to all study locations, given the size of the country, logistics, and the time required and available. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used to analyse the data from the questionnaires, and content analysis was used for the interviews. The results of the study indicate that the integration of information and communication technologies into the curriculum is in its infancy in Mozambican schools. This is due to the country's financial constraints, coupled with inadequate policies and limited support infrastructure and human resources for use in an educational context. These limitations compromise the quality of learning, school results, and, above all, the development of individual skills in the context of the 21st century. These skills stimulate transformative initiatives in education and innovation for quality