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January 8, 2025
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May 22, 2025
Published
June 30, 2025
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Abstract

This study examines gender disparities in beliefs about and the usage of Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) among students in basic public schools in
urban slums in Ghana. A mixed-methods approach with a concurrent research
design was employed, collecting data from 379 junior high school (JHS) students
across 20 schools in 11 urban slums within two cities. Data collection tools included
a self-administered structured questionnaire that utilized a five-point Likert-type
scale and a lesson observation schedule. The data was analyzed using t-tests
of independent samples and Pearson correlation in IBM SPSS version 26. The
findings indicate that students have very high beliefs in ICT, evidenced by a mean
score of 4.41, demonstrating their strong conviction in technology’s potential to
enhance education. However, disparities in ICT usage were apparent, with a mean
score of 3.18 and a standard deviation of 1.33. The Pearson correlation analysis
revealed a very weak but statistically significant positive relationship between
students’ beliefs in ICT and their ICT usage (r = 0.127, p = 0.014), suggesting that
stronger beliefs in the educational value of technology may modestly increase
usage frequency. Gender comparisons showed no significant differences in ICT beliefs between male (M = 30.87, SD = 3.59) and female learners (M = 30.78,
SD = 3.88), t(370) = 0.20, p = 0.84. Similarly, no significant differences were
found in ICT usage between males (M = 26.15, SD = 6.58) and females (M = 24.83,
SD = 6.87), t(368) = 1.88, p = 0.06, although males reported slightly higher usage
levels. This study underscores the potential of ICT to transform education in
resource-constrained environments while highlighting the limited impact of
gender on ICT beliefs and usage. The findings suggest that addressing barriers
to ICT access and usage, rather than focusing solely on gender, may be crucial for achieving equitable technology integration in education.

Keywords

Gender Disparities ICT integration Urban Slum Schools ICT Usage ICT Beliefs

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Copyright (c) 2025 Issah Baako, Eric Opoku Osei, Winston Kwame Abroampa

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How to Cite
Baako, I., Osei, E. O., & Abroampa, W. K. (2025). Gender Disparities in ICT Beliefs and Usage Among Learners in Basic Public Schools in Urban Slums in Ghana. INSTED: Interdisciplinary Studies in Education & Society, 27(1), 63–96. https://doi.org/10.34862/tce.2025.1.7
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