Teachers' Perspectives on ICT Integration in Classroom Teaching and Learning: A Study of Tamil Medium Teachers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examined Tamil language teachers' perspectives on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration in Sri Lankan government schools, investigating device usage patterns, teachers' competencies, and the influence of demographic factors on ICT adoption. A quantitative survey design was employed, collecting data from 125 Tamil language teachers working in government schools across Sri Lanka through a validated online questionnaire between April 2024 and January 2025. The questionnaire demonstrated moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.78). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages), independent samples t-test for gender comparisons, and one-way ANOVA for age and teaching experience comparisons. Results revealed that smartphones dominated ICT usage (92.8%), followed by laptops (61.6%) and smart boards (56.8%), while advanced interactive technologies such as interactive whiteboards (22.4%) and tablets (38.4%) remained underutilized. Teachers demonstrated high mean scores for awareness (M = 3.88) and interest (M = 3.86) in ICT integration but reported lower scores for skills (M = 3.73) and knowledge (M = 3.77), with persistent training needs (M = 3.44). Demographic analysis revealed no significant differences based on gender or teaching experience; however, age significantly influenced ICT knowledge levels (p = .037), with younger teachers demonstrating higher knowledge scores. The study recommends implementing comprehensive, age-differentiated professional development programs, establishing peer mentoring initiatives pairing digitally proficient younger teachers with experienced pedagogues, and ensuring equitable distribution of ICT resources to bridge the gap between teacher enthusiasm and effective ICT implementation in linguistically diverse educational contexts.