International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 15, No. 4 (2019)

Investigation into a Second Attempt at the Re-introduction of Tablets in the Education System of Mauritius: A Case Study

Sabrina Luvlina Hurreeram, University of Mauritius
Goonesh Kumar Asvin Bahadur, University of Mauritius

Abstract
This study aims at exploring the use of tablets in Grade 1 and Grade 2 from the educators’ point of view in Mauritius. Data were collected via an online survey, after one year of implementation of use of tablets in these grades. Twenty three (23) educators responded, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with five (5) educators from three different achieving schools. For the purpose of analysis, the qualitative method with quantitative insight was opted for the survey and a thematic approach based on themes generated from the interview of the educators was chosen. The general findings show that educators play a key role in the use of tablets in the classroom. This in turn depends on direct impacting factors such as training, infrastructure, educational resources, personal effort and indirect impacting factors such as peer pressure and previous experience with technology in the classroom. The results indicate that the use of tablets has not been fully exploited in the classroom for the benefit of teaching and learning. There is room for further research to identify the on-field problems and hence propose adequate solutions so that optimum use of the tablets can be made.

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