In e na ional Jou nal o Social Science and Human Resea ch
ISSN (p in ): 2644-0679, ISSN (online): 2644-0695
Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025
DOI: 10.47191/ijssh / 8-i11-80, Impac ac o - 8.007
Page No: 9172-9184
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9172
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional
Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in Uganda. A Case o Kamuli
and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
Pe e Lwanga Kayizzi1*, B and He mus Ssemwa ika2
1,2Na ional Cu iculum De elopmen Cen e, Kyambogo – Uganda
ABSTRACT: Al hough he ad en o he no el Co id 19 pandemic led o educa ion dis up ions in Uganda, i as well widened he
scope and ole ha in o ma ion and communica ion echnology can play in educa ion. The e was always a nega i e a i ude owa ds
emb acing echnology in he eaching and lea ning o pu po ed easons such as; inancial, insu icien echnical skills, insu icien
equipmen , managemen suppo , school cul u e, pe cei ed use ulness, ime consuming and o he s. This s udy se ou o es ablish
he ex en o eadiness in using in o ma ion and communica ion echnology (ICT) in he absence o physical class in e ac ion ha
was no possible due o in e mi en o al lock downs. The objec i es o he s udy we e; o examine he ela ionship be ween ICT
in as uc u e and s uden p epa edness o na ional examina ions; o in es iga e he ela ionship be ween echnological skills and
s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions; and o assess he ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden
p epa edness o Na ional examina ions. The s udy employed a c oss sec ional esea ch design, da a we e collec ed and analyzed
quan i a i ely using desc ip i e and in e en ial s a is ics using he Pea son chi squa e analysis o independence. The key indings
e ealed ha he s uden s’ pe o mance was independen o ICT in as uc u e (P alue=0.992>0.07), echnological skills (P
alue=0.143>0.07) and managemen suppo (P alue=0.075>0.07) which implied ha he s uden s we e no p epa ed o use ICT
as p epa a ion o na ional examina ions. The s udy may be o signi icance o; cu iculum de elope s, MoES and policy make s,
socie y and schools’ adminis a ion. The s udy hus ecommends ha Minis y o Educa ion and Spo s (MoES) and cu iculum
de elope s, embed and emb ace he up ake o ICT as pa o ins uc ion in he schools o Uganda o p epa e o simila educa ion
dis up ions.
KEYWORDS: ICT in as uc u e, ICT eadiness, lockdown, managemen suppo , s uden p epa edness.
INTRODUCTION
Educa ion is a con inuous p ocess ha is e idenced by p og ession om one class o ano he and om one cycle/ le el o ano he .
This means ha he educa ion ajec o y should no be dis up ed ega dless o any ci cums ance. The e should be any possible
c ea i e o inno a i e mechanism o ensu e ha educa ion con inues amids dis up ions. Jinja and Kamuli dis ic s whe e his s udy
was ca ied ou , a e among he wen y- wo dis ic s ound in he Eas e n egion o he Republic o Uganda. They bo de he Buganda
egion and a e sepa a ed by he Nile i e . They o m an u ban se ing bu wi h seconda y schools ha possess he cha ac e is ics o
bo h u ban and u al se ings. The a ia ions in he s a e o seconda y schools ( u al-u ban se ings) acili a ed he selec ion o
samples om hese dis ic s wi hou misin o ming he quali y o he indings. The s udy he e o e aimed o es ablish i he inno a i e
ICT lea ning mode helped he s uden s o p oceed wi h lea ning du ing he lock down and o show i he s uden s we e p epa ed o
he in oduc ion o such a lea ning mode ahead o si ing o hei UCE na ional examina ions.
BACKGROUND
Globally, ICT is ecognised as a ool o imp o ing eaching and lea ning (Midila, 2021). ICT usage includes bu no limi ed o bo h
new and old communica ion echnologies such as adios, ele isions, compu e s, ax, scanne s, p in media and in e ne (Mukhula,
Manyi aho, A ibuni & Olema, 2021). Howe e , in he pas , he e has been con inuous neglec and ea o using echnology
enhanced eaching and lea ning especially in Uganda’s educa ion sys em (Kizi o, 2019; Nyaki o e al. 2021). O he eache s ha e
always had insu icien ICT de ices, nega i e a i ude owa ds lea ning and using ICT skills in eaching (Kei ungi, 2021).
Technology enhanced lea ning was only le o he in e na ional schools and some highe educa ion sys ems bu wi h an in en ion
o a ac ing mo e s uden s and ensu ing con enience in lea ning o hose who we e no able o access he ins i u ions.
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9173
S uden s’ p epa edness o ICT enhanced lea ning can be assessed om equipmen capabili y, echnology skills, sel -di ec ed
lea ning skills and mo i a ion (Widodo, Wibowo & Wagi an, 2020). The eadiness o he ins i u ion and he managemen as a whole
is also c i ical when in oducing ICT as a lea ning mode. The ins i u ion eadiness mus be conside ed be o e conside ing he
adop ion o e-lea ning and ICT usage as his will de e mine i s likelihood o success (Blace -Bacolod, 2022). The lack o in eg a ion
o ICT has g ea ly a ec ed he elemen a y le els o lea ning as well as he seconda y le els. I is he ad en o he no el Co id 19
pandemic which hi he whole Wo ld and all businesses including bu no limi ed o schools. This sen he schools and o he
educa ion ins i u ions in o o ced ecess in o m o unp eceden ed and in e mi en o al lockdowns, in an e o o cu b he sp ead
o he deadly and con agious i us. I is es ima ed ha 64.6% o he Wo ld s uden popula ion was a ec ed by he lockdowns
(UNESCO, 2020) and in Uganda abou 73,000 educa ion ins i u ions, 548,000 eache s and 15million lea ne s we e di ec ly a ec ed
by he school closu es (MoES, 2022). The e was a need o con inue wi h lea ning and eaching in a emo e way because i was no
clea when he educa ion ins i u ions would e-open gi en ha he i us was s ill sp eading and he educa ion calenda was o be
dis up ed. Some pa en s e en ea ed ha hei child en we e o e g owing su passing he app op ia e age which hey p esumed o
he gi en classes. I was e iden ly sa e o s udy using ICT de ices ha allowed eal ime in e ac ion be ween he eache and he
lea ne s.
Ha ing ecei ed clea ance om he educa ion minis y, he inno a i e way o con inue wi h he educa ion p ocesses despi e he
educa ion hal , was o use echnology enhanced lea ning o schools, colleges and uni e si ies because i was possible wi hou
necessa ily con e ging in o schools. Howe e , he i s an icipa ed ela i ely cheape s a egy o use adios and ele ision o deli e
lessons o hese a ec ed lea ne s hi a dead end as some egions pu po edly did no ha e access o a adio o ele ision se while
some claimed ha hey lacked elec ici y and ne wo k ecep ion o he adios and ele isions in hei a eas, while o he s ea ed he
lack o concen a ion o he lessons ai ed ou on such de ices. In June 2020, he GoU h ough he Co id 19 Eme gency educa ion
esponse p ojec (CERP) sough a $14.7 million g an om he Global Pa ne ship o Educa ion (GPE) o cushion and mi iga e he
impac o Co id 19 h ough suppo ing con inui y o lea ning du ing lock down in he p e-p ima y, p ima y and lowe seconda y
le els o educa ion (MoES, 2022).
To he Na ional Cu iculum De elopmen Cen e (NCDC), he in eg a ion o ICT in eaching and lea ning is one o he aspi a ions
o he new e o ms in he educa ion cu iculum especially a he lowe seconda y. This he e o e was a blessing in disguise o he
implemen a ion o such e o ms basing on he echno-phobia ha has pe mea ed in he eaching a e ni y. Howe e , in his pape
we hypo hesize and a gue ha he use o ICT o enhance eaching and lea ning especially a he lowe le els o lea ning like
seconda y schools did no a ou he en i e schools equally and he e o e unde mined he inclusi i y as a c i ical p inciple o
educa ion access ac oss he Globe. In ac , as A wine (2021) posi s, he eali y was ha mos school child en we e no lea ning.
Could his be a ibu ed o in e ne accessibili y and ICT issues? Fo example, acco ding o he Uganda Communica ions
Commission (UCC), Uganda has he highes p iced in e ne in he Eas A ica egion. In Uganda o ins ance, buying a gigaby e o
da a cos s app oxima ely ($2.75), as compa ed o Kenya’s ($2.48), Rwanda ($2.25) and Tanzania’s ($2.25). This makes he
applica ion o ICT e y di icul o lea ning especially in he u al se ing schools. Some o he c i ical ques ions ha one should
be asking is ha ; we e he lea ne s eady o he up ake o ICT in lea ning a ha ime? This includes he esou ces, he physical
ICT in as uc u e, he in e ne connec i i y and/o he gene al accep ance o his app oach o eaching? O was he e con inui y
and/o sus ainabili y o he ICT led educa ion d i e in he schools e en a e he es ic ions and lockdowns we e li ed o eased?
All hese ques ions inspi ed aking on such a s udy in he selec ed dis ic s o Jinja and Kamuli and alongside he esea ch ques ions
in o med he analysis and in e p e a ion o he indings.
Signi icance o he s udy
The s udy may be o signi icance o he ollowing;
i) To he Cu iculum de elope s
The componen o ICTs in eaching and lea ning is e y c i ical. The e o e, he indings om his s udy may be o signi icance o
he cu iculum de elope s a he NCDC o inco po a e ICT in all he cu iculum documen s especially inco po a ing ICT enhanced
assessmen s so ha he lea ne s can ge o lea n he ICT and he e o e be able o apply i o na ional examina ions o e en la e in
hei wo ld o wo k.
ii) To he schools’ adminis a ion
Findings o his s udy may be o signi icance o he a ious schools especially hose whe e he s udy was ca ied ou . The indings
may show how eady o un eady hei s uden s we e p io o si ing o na ional examina ions. This may implo e he school
adminis a ion o pu up mechanisms ha enhance ICT eadiness by s uden s o any such educa ion dis up ion o e en o hei own
de elopmen o ICT skills in hei s uden s and eache s.
iii) To MoES and o he policy make s
In oducing ICTs o lea ning is undamen al o quali y educa ion especially a seconda y le el, bu s uden s’ eadiness o use he
ICTs is ano he ac o . The indings om his s udy may in o m he MoES and policy make s on he bes ICTs in as uc u e ha
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9174
wo ks o all egions and schools in Uganda pu ing in o conside a ion he powe , in e ne accessibili y and he equisi e skills ha
he eache s and s uden s may ha e in implemen ing he use in eaching and lea ning ansac ions.
i ) To socie y
The membe s o he communi y/ socie y may no be awa e o he ole and he ype o ICTs ha may be used o eaching and
lea ning. Fo ins ance, he socie y may unde mine some ICTs like adios, ele isions and mobile phones as po en ial lea ning
equipmen . The indings may he e o e educa e he socie y on u ilising he unknown ICTs in educa ion and aining.
S a emen o he p oblem
In he en i e Wo ld, he ou b eak o he deadly Co id 19 i al disease b ough dis up ions o educa ion which was acili a ed by he
o al lock downs, e y s ic heal h p o ocols and igh es ic ions (Blace -Bacolod, 2022) all gea ed owa ds cu bing he sp ead as
a esul o cong ega ion. The go e nmen hough o con inui y o lea ning by de eloping and dis ibu ing home lea ning ma e ials
o he 15 million a ec ed lea ne s. Howe e , only 20% o he sel -s udy ma e ials o lea ne s in P1-P7 and S1-S4 we e p in ed and
dis ibu ed (A wine, 2021). In o de o p omo e eal ime lea ning, i ual lea ning using ICTs was he al e na i e o widen he
ca chmen a ea o eaching and lea ning. The sudden shi om con en ional class oom lea ning o online lea ning did no p o ide
ample ime o eache s and/o lea ne s o p epa e hemsel es o his ansi ion o a new lea ning ansac ion. Howe e , his was
mi ed by he inadequacies associa ed wi h high cos s o in e ne , limi ed bandwid h, sho age o skilled pe sonnel, echnology
illi e acy popula ion and inadequa e in as uc u e (Tumwesige, 2020) which e idences ha all we e no p epa ed o by he lea ne s,
eache s and go e nmen . Al hough, accessibili y o ICT emains a se ious global conce n, he p oblem o phobia o new
echnologies is ano he challenge (Midila, 2021). Acco ding o he Na ional IT su ey o 2017/2018 i was ound ha 65.3% o he
households owned a adio, 21.8% owned a ele ision, while only 5.9 % had access o a compu e a home (NITA, 2018). This could
esul in o a digi al di ide be ween he u ban and u al lea ne s who may be incapaci a ed o access he in e ne and elec ici y. In
addi ion, Uganda’s in e ne pene a ion is 29.4% compa ed o Tanzania’s 38% and Kenya’s 53% (Why in e ne is so expensi e in
Uganda, 2022). This clea ly demons a ed he unp epa edness o he ICT enhanced lea ning as an in e en ion o con inue wi h
lea ning. The p oblem a s ake he e o e is o unde s and he in luence o ICT on s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions
, he lessons lea n om which conclusions and ecommenda ions may be d awn o u u e p epa edness and edi ec policy o
educa ion e o ms in Uganda, o he wise he e o ms may no be possible wi hou a obus ICT p ac ice and cul u e in he schools o
Uganda.
Objec i es o he s udy
The main objec i e o he s udy was o es ablish he ex en o s uden s’ eadiness in using ICT in he absence o physical class
in e ac ion in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy was guided by he ollowing speci ic objec i es;
a) o examine he ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
b) o in es iga e he ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli
and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
c) o assess he ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
LITERATURE REVIEW
COVID-19 became synonymous wi h echnology and he gaps associa ed wi h lea ning du ing he o al lock downs we e a ibu ed
o he digi al di ide be ween u al o u ban a eas (Fanelli, Cajus e, Ce a & Amanya (n.d.) as well as size o he schools in e ms o
en olmen . Du ing he Co id 19 o al lockdowns in he en i e wo ld and speci ically o Uganda, s a egies we e pu in place o ha e
con inui y in lea ning o which some we e easible while o he s did no bea any ui s. This was allegedly and mainly a ibu ed o
insu icien s uden s’ eadiness owa ds e-lea ning.
In his pape , we concep ualized ICT eadiness as he pe cep ion and expe iences ha he lea ne s go a e exposu e o his kind o
lea ning ansac ion o which o he majo i y we e going h ough i o he e y i s ime. Fo ins ance, Bhaumik and P iyada shini
(2020), ca ied ou a s udy using quan i a i e desc ip i e su ey on 100 s uden s in Delhi o es ablish hei e- eadiness o online
lea ning du ing he Co id-19 lock down. Thei indings e ealed ha access o online lea ning was ound o be high, bu he eache s
online deli e y skills and digi al skills o he lea ne s was ound o be lacking.
E en be o e he ad en o Co id 19 disease and he subsequen educa ion dis up ion ha led o he o al lock down and closu e o
educa ion ins i u ions i was signi ican ly associa ed wi h he s uden s’ academic pe o mance. In a s udy by Osagie e al. (2019) on
he ole o ICT in he academic pe o mance o pos g adua e s uden s a he uni e si y o Benin, indings e ealed ha he e was a
signi ican di e ence be ween he use s and non-use s o ICT acili ies on academic ac i i ies. The s udy es ablished ha he e is a
posi i e impac o ICT on s uden s’ academic pe o mance. Whe eas hei s udy poses bo h a con ex ual and knowledge gap (ha ing
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9175
conduc ed hei s udy on pos g adua e s uden s and in ano he coun y), i can be in conco dance wi h he ole ha ICT adop ion can
play in he academic pe o mance o seconda y school s uden s in Uganda.
In a concep ual pape by Midila (2021) o es ablish he ole o ICT enhanced ins uc ion in COVID-19 lockdown in Nige ia, indings
e ealed ha he use o echnology enhanced accessibili y and quali y o educa ion in he Co id-19 lockdown pe iod, cou ses we e
aken online a a lesse and cheape cos han he adi ional physical lea ning en i onmen . Howe e , whe eas he au ho s a es he
ba ie s o ICT enhanced lea ning, he e is no inding o e lec he ICT eadiness o he s uden s as p oposed by he cu en s udy.
Mukhula, e al. (2021), ca ied ou a s udy o de e mine he le el o ICT eadiness and ICT policy implemen a ion in seconda y
schools in Mayuge Dis ic , u ilising he c oss-sec ional su ey design and a sample o 232 seconda y school eache s. F om he
s udy, i was e ealed ha he e was a mode a e le el o ICT adop ion eadiness and a mode a e le el o ICT policy implemen a ion,
and a signi ican mode a e posi i e ela ionship. Howe e , in he s udy, he sample was on eache s who a e he implemen e s o
he ICT enhanced lea ning, bu he s uden s and hei expe iences as ecipien s o he ICT se ices we e no conside ed a all in he
s udy. The cu en s udy in ended o collec he s uden s’ eadiness o ICT du ing Co id 19 lockdown. This s udy chose s uden s
as a single uni o analysis because i is he s uden s who may ha e ound di icul ies wi h he ansi ion o he ICT echnology in
lea ning du ing he Co id 19 lock down.
The slow a e o ICT adop ion p io o he Co id 19 lock down was acili a ed by he high cos o in e ne and ICT gadge s. Fo
ins ance, in a s udy by E on and Chance (2022) on uni e si y s uden s o illus a e how e-lea ning is used in Uganda, indings
e ealed ha e-lea ning app oaches in uni e si ies a ou ably co ela ed wi h inancial implica ions, and some academic s a lacked
e-lea ning aining. Howe e , he s uden s epo ed ha e-lea ning eased communica ion be ween hem and hei lec u e s, al hough
epo ed ha in e ne and ICT gadge s we e expensi e.
In a s udy ca ied ou by Kagoya (2020) in Uganda and Tanzania on he use o digi al ans o ma ion o add ess he educa ion
challenges b ough by Co id 19 e ealed ha he e was an inc ease in digi al ans o ma ion in home and pe sonal lea ning among
s uden s who had p io aced challenges o echnophobia. I is e y pe inen o es ablish he s uden s’ eadiness o ICT in eg a ion
du ing he Co id-19 lockdowns. Fo ins ance, in an e o o es ablish whe he ICT was being in eg a ed in he eaching and lea ning
p ocess among seconda y schools in Kigezi egion, Mbabazi and Na izi (2022) ca ied ou a s udy o es ablish he in eg a ion o
ICT in eaching and lea ning. The s udy employed a quan i a i e app oach and was guided by he MICTIVO model o ICT
in eg a ion. The esul s e ealed ha ICT was no being used in he eaching and lea ning p ocess and mos o he ICT in as uc u e
we e no a ailable in he schools and mos o he esponden s lacked ICT skills. To he con a y, Baluku and Kasujja (2020) ca ied
ou a mixed me hods s udy o es ablish ICT usage and i s in luence on s uden s’ academic pe o mance in Uganda Ce i ica e o
Educa ion (UCE) in Kasese dis ic . Using a sample o 291 esponden s, a c oss sec ional esea ch design and chi squa e es o
analysis, hei s udy es ablished ha accessibili y o ICT esou ces in eaching in luence he academic pe o mance o s uden s.
Thei s udy also e ealed ha he u iliza ion o ICT in as uc u e in luences s uden s’ academic pe o mance in UCE seconda y
schools in Kasese dis ic .
This he e o e accoun s o he pe cei ed low eadiness in some schools a he ad en o he o al lock downs which we e acili a ed
by he Co id 19 disease ou b eak. The s udy by Mbabazi and Na izi was in conco dance wi h he one by Kei ungi (2021) ha
inadequa e de ices, ea o use ICT and lack o in e es o lea n ICT skills hinde ed he ICT in eg a ion and he e o e up ake o ICT
as a mechanism o eaching in p epa a ion o na ional examina ions du ing he Co id 19 o al lockdown.
The s udy he e o e sough o es he ollowing null hypo heses;
H₀1 The e is no ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
H₀2 The e is no ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
H₀3 The e is no ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
METHODOLOGY
Resea ch design
The s udy employed a c oss-sec ional esea ch design o es ablish he associa i e ela ionships be ween he a iables o he s udy,
u ilising he quan i a i e app oach o inqui y. Acco ding o C eswell (2009), a esea ch design is a plan and p ocedu e o esea ch
ha span he decisions om b oade assump ions o de ailed me hods o da a collec ion and analysis. C eswell s esses ha he
o ien a ion, ype and na u e o a pa icula s udy de e mines he choice o a pa icula esea ch design. In his case, we aimed a
es ablishing he ela ionship be ween he di e en a iables concep ualized in his s udy o come up wi h conclusions on u u e
s uden s’ ICT eadiness and p epa edness o unp eceden ed si ua ions ha may lead o educa ion dis up ion.
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9176
Resea ch app oach
The s udy ook a quan i a i e app oach o da a collec ion and analysis. The app oach was chosen because i aided he esea che s o
collec plen i ul o da a in eal ime, es ablish s a is ical ela ionship be ween he s udy a iables which helps in gene aliza ion o
he esea ch indings o he en i e popula ion unde s udy.
Da a collec ion ins umen s
A i e-poin like scale sel -adminis e ed ques ionnai e was adminis e ed o he s uden s in he selec ed schools and he esponden s
illed hem and hey we e collec ed immedia ely.
Sampling and sampling p ocedu e
The s udy u ilized he simple andom sampling echnique o schools and esponden s in o de o minimise he possibili y o bias
du ing da a collec ion.
Ta ge popula ion
The s udy a ge ed ‘A’ le el s uden s in senio six class o Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Eas e n Uganda om schools ha we e
andomly selec ed om Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s. These we e a ge ed because hey we e he ones a ec ed di ec ly by he
lockdown and subjec ed o i ual echnology mode o lea ning p io o si ing hei UCE Na ional examina ions. This is jus i ied
by a s udy by Mukhula e al. (2021), which concluded ha seconda y schools in Mayuge (one o he Eas e n egion dis ic s) we e
in he ea ly s ages o domes ica ion o ICT and ICT policy implemen a ion.
Sample size:
The size o he popula ion o he s uden s was un known a he ime o ca ying ou he s udy. The e o e, he s udy u ilized he
Coch an Fo mula (1977) o de e mining sample size o an unknown popula ion. I he popula ion size is unknown, he popula ion
p opo ion is unknown (Uaka n, Chaok om hong, & Sin ao (2021).
n = z2
4(e)2
Whe e: n = sample size
z = 1.81 (z sco e a 93% con idence le el)
e = 0.07 (desi ed le el o p ecision)
n = 1.812
4(0.07)2 = 167 s uden s
Da a p ocessing
The da a collec ed was cleaned o inconsis encies, coded and en e ed in o he compu e o analysis.
Da a analysis
Desc ip i e s a is ics we e used o analyse he demog aphic da a while in e en ial s a is ics o chi-squa e es o dependence and
mul iple eg ession analysis we e used o analyse and es ablish he associa i e ela ionships wi h he aid o STATA e sion 15.0
s a is ical compu e so wa e. Because he da a was ca ego ical in na u e, his jus i ied a chi-squa e es o independence and la e
mul iple eg ession analysis o es ablish he le el o dependence be ween he a iables in he s udy.
Response a e:
Ou o he sample o 167 s uden s supplied wi h ques ionnai es, 153 e u ned he ques ionnai es p esen ing a esponse a e o 92%.
The eason o he high esponse a e was a ibu ed o guided supe ision when illing he ques ionnai es. Acco ding o Nul y
(2008), a esponse a e o 60% o highe is app op ia e. C eswell (2012) also concu s ha su ey esea che s seek high esponse
a es om pa icipan s so ha hey can ha e con idence in gene alizing he esul s o he popula ion hey a e s udying.
Desc ip i e analysis
The esponden s we e asked he g ade ha hey sco ed a hei UCE le els o es ablish i he lock down and he subsequen
in oduc ion o ICT as a eaching and lea ning s a egy a ec ed hei pe o mance. The ollowing we e he indings based on he
i ems measu ed du ing he s udy;
Pe o mance a UCE le el examina ions
The esponden s we e asked o espond o he g ade ha hey sco ed du ing hei UCE na ional examina ions. The pu pose o his
was o es ablish i he lock down had a ec ed hei pe o mance in he UCE na ional examina ions. This was also in ended o
es ablish i he inno a ion o ICTs as mode o lea ning in p epa a ion o hei examina ions had any in luence on how hey
pe o med.
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9177
Figu e 1: Pie cha showing he pe o mance o he s uden s a UCE le el.
F om a o al o 153 esponden s, he esul s e eal ha 61.84% epo ed o ha e a ained a 1s G ade a hei UCE examina ions sa
in 2021. This was ollowed by 30.92% o he s uden s who epo ed o ha e sco ed a 2nd G ade, 6.579% sco ed 3 d G ade while only
0.66% o he s uden s epo ed o ha e sco ed a 4 h G ade in he UCE examina ion o 2021.
This led o u he in es iga ion o wha ICT esou ces hey had used du ing he lockdown o pu poses o lea ning ahead o hei
p epa a ions o he UCE examina ions.
Usage o ICT esou ces
Table 1 Showing he esponses on he ICT esou ces ha he s uden s used du ing he lockdown.
ICT RESOURCES
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
1. RADIO
54
16.36
2. TELEVISION
86
26.06
3. PHONE
89
26.97
4. PC / LAPTOP
28
8.48
5. INTERNET
57
17.27
6. NONE
16
4.85
TOTAL
330
100.00
Sou ce: Field da a 2023
The esponden s we e asked abou he ICT esou ces hey used du ing he lockdown o pu poses o lea ning in p epa a ion o he
na ional examina ions. The esponses we e based on a mul iple esponse ques ion. The indings e ealed ha ele ision and phone
we e he mos widely used ICT esou ces by he s uden s a 26.06% and 26.97% espec i ely. The e was also a negligible di e ence
be ween access o he in e ne and adio as ICT esou ces which we e epo ed a 17.27% and 16.36% espec i ely. A ew o he
esponden s had used pe sonal compu e s o lap ops o lea ning pu poses a 8.48% while 4.85% o he esponden s epo ed no o
ha e had access o any ICT esou ces du ing he lock down o lea ning pu poses.
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9178
CHI SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE
Chi squa e es o independence was un be ween he wo ca ego ical a iables; pe o mance o s uden s a UCE and s uden s’
p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down o es o p esence o a ela ionship be ween
he wo. Resul s a e p esen ed as in Table 2.
Table 2: showing he chi squa e es o independence be ween s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses
o lea ning du ing he lock down and s uden s’ pe o mance a UCE.
PERFORMANCE OF
STUDENTS AT UCE
STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS TO UTILIZE ICT RESOURCES FOR PURPOSES OF
LEARNING DURING THE LOCK DOWN
NO
YES
To al
1s G ade
6
88
94
2nd G ade
7
40
47
3 d G ade
2
8
10
4 h G ade
1
0
1
To al
16
136
152
Sou ce: Field da a 2023
Pea son chi2(3) = 12.1181 P = 0.007
Acco ding o Table 2, abo e, esul s o he es e ealed a P alue o 0.007 which is less han 0.07 (P alue =0.007<0.07) a 93%
le el o signi icance. This indica es ha he e is a s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween s uden s’ pe o mance and s uden s’
p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down.
This was in line wi h he s udy by Osagie e al. (2019) ha he e is a posi i e impac o ICT on s uden pe o mance which calls o
MoES and he schools’ adminis a ion o endea ou and in eg a e ICT in all lea ning ac i i ies i he s uden s a e o be eady o i s
use and p epa a ion o na ional examina ions. This was also simila o he indings by Baluku and Kasujja (2020) ha accessibili y
o ICT esou ces in eaching in luence he academic pe o mance o s uden s.
Table 3: Chi squa e es o independence be ween s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning
(dependen a iable) du ing he lock down and he independen a iables
INDEPENDENT
VARIABLES
STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS TO UTILIZE ICT RESOURCES FOR
PURPOSES OF LEARNING DURING THE LOCK DOWN
No
Yes
Pea son chi
P alue
ICT In as uc u e
1. Yes
2. No
11
5
102
35
0.2413
0.623
Technological skills
1. Yes
2. No
13
3
122
15
0.8399
0.359
Managemen suppo
1. Yes
2. No
15
1
110
27
1.7355
0.188
Table 3, abo e, p esen s a summa y o he ela ionship be ween he dependen a iable (s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT
esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down) and he cons uc s o ICT eadiness (ICT in as uc u e, echnological
skills and managemen suppo ) as he independen a iable. I hus p esen s an explana ion o he ela ionship be ween he
dependen and independen a iables o he s udy. Thus, a chi squa e es ed he hypo hesis as illus a ed in able 3.
H₀1 The e is no ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja
dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy e ealed a P alue o 0.623 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue 0.623 > 0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we accep he
null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in
Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e
and s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions.
H₀2 The e is no ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9179
The s udy e ealed a P alue o 0.359 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue 0.359>0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we accep he
null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in
Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This he e o e implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween
echnological skills and s uden s’ p epa edness.
H₀3 The e is no ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja
dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy e ealed ha he P alue as 0.188 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue = 0.188>0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we
accep he null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional
examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween
managemen suppo and s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions.
The chi squa e es o independence he e o e e ealed ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween s uden
p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda and ICT eadiness (ICT in as uc u e, echnological
skills and managemen suppo ). Thus, his p omp ed he need o u he analysis o in es iga e he p esence o any exis ing
ela ionships by aking ca e o he e e ence g oups in each o he a iables using he Bina y logis ic eg ession echnique.
BINARY LOGISTIC REGRESSION
Bina y logis ic eg ession was un a he mul i a iable le el. I is a model ha shows whe he s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT
esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda was dependen on all o any o he
h ee independen a iables in he s udy ha is; ICT in as uc u e, echnological skills and managemen suppo . A e u he
analysis, he indings e ealed ha s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down,
was independen o ICT in as uc u e, echnological skills and managemen suppo .
Table 4: Logis ic eg ession be ween he independen a iables (ICT in as uc u e, echnological skills and managemen
suppo ) and s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down.
Logis ic eg ession
Numbe o obs
=
153
LR chi2(3)
=
5.35
P ob > chi2
=
0.148
Log likelihood = -48.584433
Pseudo R2
=
0.052
S uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize
ICT esou ces o pu poses o
lea ning du ing he lock down.
Coe .
S d. E .
z
P>z
[93% Con . In e al]
ICT INFRASTRUCTURE
Yes
0.0077
0.8129
0.01
0.992
-1.5856
1.6010
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Yes
1.5815
1.0810
1.46
0.143
-0.5371
3.7002
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
Yes
-2.1408
1.2005
-1.78
0.075
-4.4937
0.2121
_cons
2.6706
1.0464
2.55
0.011
0.6198
4.7215
The model abo e e ealed ha ICT eadiness (ICT in as uc u e, echnological skills and managemen suppo ) explains only 5%
o he a ia ions in he s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses o lea ning du ing he lock down. This implies
ha ICT had a e y minimal impac on he s uden s’ pe o mance a UCE na ional examina ions. Howe e , he s udy by Mukhula,
e al. (2021) o de e mine he le el o ICT eadiness and ICT policy implemen a ion in seconda y schools in Mayuge Dis ic e ealed
ha he e was a mode a e le el o ICT adop ion eadiness and a mode a e le el o ICT policy implemen a ion. The e o e, acco ding
o logis ic eg ession, he hypo heses we e es ed as ollows;
H₀1 The e is no ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja
dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy e ealed ha he P alue was 0.992 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue 0.992>0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we
accep he null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional
Unpacking ICT Readiness and S uden s’ P epa edness o Na ional Examina ions Du ing he Co id-19 Pandemic in
Uganda. A Case o Kamuli and Jinja Dis ic s o Uganda.
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 11 No embe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 9180
examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween ICT
in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions. Howe e , his was inconsis en wi h he inding by Baluku and
Kasujja (2020) in a s udy o es ablish he in luence o ICT in as uc u e o academic pe o mance in Kasese dis ic ha e ealed
ha he u iliza ion o ICT in as uc u e in luences s uden s’ academic pe o mance a UCE in seconda y schools.
H₀2 The e is no ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy e ealed ha he P alue was 0.143 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue 0.143>0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we
accep he null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween echnological skills and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional
examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This he e o e implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship
be ween echnological skills and s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions. This was in con a y wi h he s udy by Mbabazi
and Na izi (2022) in hei s udy o es ablish he in eg a ion o ICT in eaching and lea ning. The esul s om hei s udy e ealed
ha ICT was no being used in he eaching and lea ning p ocess and mos o he ICT in as uc u e we e no a ailable in he schools
and mos o he esponden s lacked ICT skills. This implies ha he s uden s we e no p epa ed o use o ICT in eaching and
lea ning.
H₀3 The e is no ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden p epa edness o Na ional examina ions in Kamuli and
Jinja dis ic s o Uganda.
The s udy e ealed ha he P alue as 0.075 which is g ea e han 0.07 (P alue =0.075>0.07) a 93% con idence le el, hus we
accep he null hypo hesis ha he e is no ela ionship be ween managemen suppo and s uden s’ p epa edness o Na ional
examina ions in Kamuli and Jinja dis ic s o Uganda. This implies ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican ela ionship be ween
managemen suppo and s uden s’ p epa edness o na ional examina ions.
This is u he indica ed by he independence o pe o mance on ICT in as uc u e, Technology skills and Managemen suppo
whose P alues we e all g ea e ha 0.07 a 93% con idence le el i.e., P alue = 0.992, P alue = 0.143 and P alue = 0.075
espec i ely. This is an indica ion ha he s uden s we e ill p epa ed o use ICT o lea ning pu poses du ing he lockdown in
p epa a ion o UCE examina ions. The de ailed analysis o he models is p esen ed in he ollowing ables;
Table 5: Logis ic eg ession be ween ICT in as uc u e and s uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT esou ces o pu poses
o lea ning du ing he lock down.
Logis ic eg ession
Numbe o obs = 140
LR chi2(4) = 11.69
P ob > chi2 = 0.0198
Log likelihood = -39.667596
Pseudo R2 = 0.1284
S uden s’ p epa edness o u ilize ICT
esou ces o pu poses o lea ning
du ing he lock down.
Coe .
S d.
E .
z
P>z
[93% Con .
In e al]
The in eg a ion o ICT in eaching and
lea ning impac ed my pe o mance in UCE
examina ions.
Yes
0.2861
0.6851
0.4200
0.6760
-0.8408
1.4129
Access o ICT esou ces imp o ed my
c i ical hinking skills and p oblem-sol ing
abili ies in p epa a ion o UCE
examina ions
Yes
-2.2379
0.7219
-3.1000
0.0020
-3.4253
-1.0505
Access o ICT esou ces posi i ely a ec ed
my mo i a ion o lea n and p epa a ion o
UCE examina ions
Yes
0.7281
0.7037
1.0300
0.3010
-0.4294
1.8857
