Institutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for ELearning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools

dc.contributor.authorNantagya Grace Ssebanakitta
dc.contributor.authorJoel Yawe Masagazi
dc.contributor.authorMary Kagoire Ocheng
dc.contributor.authorKyakulumbye Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-28T07:21:37Z
dc.date.available2025-09-28T07:21:37Z
dc.date.issued2025-09-17
dc.descriptionJournal article published in the East African Journal of Education Studies by East African Nature & Science Organisation
dc.description.abstractThis study, titled "Institutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for E-Learning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools," investigates the strategies employed by teachers to overcome barriers to e-learning adoption within low-resource educational settings. Specifically, it explores how teachers in Kampala-based USE schools adapt to infrastructural, institutional, and pedagogical challenges, and proposes a contextual model to guide future integration efforts. Guided by the overarching objective to identify teacher-led strategies for navigating e-learning challenges, the study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, combining quantitative data from 393 teachers and qualitative insights from 10 headteachers across all USE schools in Kampala City. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, with rigorous procedures to ensure validity, trustworthiness, and triangulation. The findings reveal that teachers employed a combination of personal, peer-based, and institutionally facilitated strategies, including the use of personal devices, offline content sharing, peer mentorship, rotational scheduling, and community-supported ICT resource mobilization. Despite their creativity and adaptability, these coping mechanisms were often fragmented, inconsistent, and dependent on individual initiative rather than system-wide planning. Qualitative insights underscored the critical role of empathetic leadership, flexible budgeting, and informal CPD structures in supporting these grassroots innovations. Drawing on Constructivism, Connectivism, Technology-Mediated Learning Theory (TMLT), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study developed the Institutionally Mediated E-Learning Uptake Model (IMELUM). This model highlights the dynamic interplay between infrastructural readiness, leadership support, teacher competence, and institutional culture as key mediators of sustainable e-learning engagement. The study concludes that while teacher-led coping strategies are commendable, they are insufficient without systemic institutional support, strategic policy alignment, and sustained investment. It recommends formalizing grassroots innovations into national digital education frameworks, strengthening school-level professional development, and incentivizing collaborative partnerships. Suggested directions for further research include: evaluating the long-term impact of peer mentorship on e-learning competence, assessing the role of institutional leadership in sustaining digital transformation, and investigating scalable funding models for ICT integration in secondary schools.
dc.description.sponsorshipAuthor
dc.identifier.citationSsebanakitta, N. G., Masagazi, J. Y., Masagazi, M. K. & Stephen, K. (2025). Institutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for E-Learning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools. East African Journal of Education Studies, 8(3), 574-591. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.3.3662
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11951/1850
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherEast African Nature & Science Organisation
dc.subjectE-Learning Uptake
dc.subjectInstitutional Readiness
dc.subjectTeacher Engagement
dc.subjectUniversal Secondary Education (USE)
dc.subjectDigital Competence.
dc.titleInstitutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for ELearning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools
dc.typeArticle

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