TRAINEE TEACHERS PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES, BARRIERS AND SUPPORTS OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN RIFT VALLEY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to determine the Trainee Teachers' Perceived, Advantages, Barriers and Supports Required with the Introduction of Computer Technology in Primary Schools in Kenya. The study was done in Rift Valley, Kenya. The study employed qualitative research strategy. The researcher purposely selected five public TTCs in former Rift Valley Province for the study. Stratified simple random sampling was used to select a total of 100 participants. Qualitative data was collected using an interview guide during focus group interviews of pre-service teachers. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze qualitative data. The descriptive statistics involved the use of frequencies, means and standard deviation. Qualitative data was further analyzed thematically using data reduction, conclusion drawing and verification techniques. Data was presented in form of texts and tables. The study established that teacher trainees support introduction of ICT in Kenyan primary schools because it has potential advantages. Majority of the respondents agreed that there were advantages associated with the introduction of ICT in primary schools in Kenya. In addition to benefits of ICT integration, trainee teachers cited some disadvantages of ICT use and suggested supports that would promote ICT integration.