Abstract
Educational technology is now widely implemented to improve educational problems in the schools and universities. Its main goal is to empower teachers with additional tools so as to improve learning in the classroom. This study was undertaken to investigate the success and challenges of instructional plasma TV in Ethiopian high schools. The study employed systematic literature review and case study research methods. Data for the study was collected using interviews, observations, and document survey methods. The samples for the study were selected using purposive sampling methods. The collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis method.
The study revealed that the instructional plasma TV integration in Ethiopian high schools brought some benefits for the students. Its multimedia content presentation attracts student attention for learning, simplifies complex concepts with visual demonstration, and helps teachers to upgrade their pedagogical skills by watching plasma teacher. However plasma TV is not without problems. The problems are classified as student, teacher, and technical related problems. The instructional delivery is fast and uses advanced command of English. These problems become a barrier for student learning. With regard to teachers, their role is limited to classroom managers rather than source of knowledge to their students. They cannot use their skills and knowledge to assist their students. Most of the class time is allocated for the plasma teacher. Technical problems like power interruption, class scheduling, and failure of plasma hamper the normal operation of the teaching learning process.
Empirical research on the impact of instructional TV on student learning achievement showed inconsistent findings. This is because of contextual factors such as school management, student background, and type of subject. The plasma TV improves learning because of its multimedia content presentation but its effectiveness depends on the contextual factors. For example in Ethiopia, most of the problems that are associated to barriers of learning from plasma TV are associated to contextual factors. Therefore, countries should thoroughly assess their capability before implementation of instructional TV as it is a complex process that includes human and technical factors.
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Assefa, T. (2017). Educational Technology Implementation in Ethiopian High Schools: Benefits and Challenges of the Instructional Plasma TV. In: Marcus-Quinn, A., Hourigan, T. (eds) Handbook on Digital Learning for K-12 Schools. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33808-8_25
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