AN ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC STAFF EXPERIENCES WITH E-LEARNING AND THEIR EFFECT ON ITS UPTAKE IN UNIVERSAL SECONDARY EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN KAMPALA

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ experiences with e-learning and their influence on its uptake in Uganda’s Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools, with a view of developing a Strategic E-Learning Implementation Framework (SEIF). Specifically analysed was the instructional engagement, satisfaction, challenges, and coping strategies experienced by teachers in the process of facilitating e-learning uptake in USE schools. Grounded in Connectivism, Technology-Mediated Learning Theory (TMLT), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study explored how teachers’ individual, infrastructural, institutional and systemic experiences shape e-learning uptake in resource-constrained secondary education environments. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to simultaneously collect and analytically triangulate quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative strand involved a structured questionnaire administered to 393 teachers selected from 10 USE schools in Kampala Capital City using stratified sampling, considering gender, subject specialization, qualifications, years of experience, and technological proficiency. The qualitative component focused on using a semi-structured interview to interview 10 purposively selected headteachers. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Uganda Christian University Research Ethics Committee (UCUREC). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were employed to assess teachers’ instructional engagement, satisfaction, and institutional experiences with e-learning and their effect on its uptake. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression techniques were used to examine underlying dimensions and predictors of e-learning uptake. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data complemented quantitative findings to provide an in-depth contextual understanding of these experiences. The results revealed that teachers experienced suboptimal instructional engagement and satisfaction with digital platforms such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Google Classroom because of the challenges they experienced and ineffective coping strategies they applied to cope with them. E-learning uptake was below expectation. These experiences were significant predictors of e-learning uptake. The challenges teachers faced with e-learning included negative attitude, unstable electricity, poor internet access, insufficient ICT tools, and weak administrative and leadership responsiveness. Teacher instructional engagement, satisfaction and institutional challenges were more significant predictors of e-learning uptake than individual motivation or reflection. Therefore, efforts to improve e-learning in USE schools in Kampala Capital City should pay more attention on addressing institutional constraints while without neglecting teachers’ individual satisfaction and motivation to engage instructionally in facilitating e-learning uptake. The study contributes to the existing literature by integrating four theoretical frameworks and generating new empirical insights from an under-researched context, thereby developing a Strategic E-Learning Implementation Framework (SEIF). Based on this framework, the study offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, school leaders, and development partners to address structural gaps and support scalable, sustainable e-learning implementation in Uganda’s secondary education sector.