Beyond Basic ICT Access: Pedagogical Integration of Geospatial Technologies in Geography Teaching in Temeke Municipality, Tanzania

Ally Mohamed J; Prospery M.  Mwila

doi:10.61227/sjmjxm94

Authors

Ally Mohamed J Educational Officer, Ilala Municipality
Prospery M. Mwila Saint Augustine University of Tanzania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61227/sjmjxm94

Keywords:

ICT integration, Geography education, geospatial technologies, TPACK, GIS, secondary schools, Tanzania

Abstract

Digital technology is now central to competence-based Geography education, yet access and pedagogical use remain uneven in Tanzanian public schools. This study examined how ICT integration supports Geography teaching and learning in Temeke Municipality. Its main objective was to assess whether available technology was being converted into subject-specific, learner-centred practice. A mixed-methods approach and cross-sectional survey design were used. The sample comprised 120 participants: 100 students, 16 Geography teachers, and four Ward Education Officers. Student and teacher questionnaires and semi-structured officer interviews generated the data. Questionnaires were administered in selected schools; interviews were conducted, recorded in notes, and compared with survey responses. Quantitative data were coded in SPSS and summarized through frequencies and percentages, while qualitative responses were organized thematically and integrated during interpretation. Expert review and piloting supported content validity; internal consistency was assessed against a Cronbach's alpha threshold of .70, although the achieved coefficient was not reported. Participation was voluntary and confidentiality was protected. Findings showed a pronounced access-use gap: computers, laptops, tablets, projectors, internet services, videos, and PowerPoint were available or used in several schools, but digital maps, GIS, satellite imagery, GPS, online inquiry, and collaborative digital tasks were rarely available or enacted. Teachers generally possessed basic operational skills but lacked geospatial pedagogical competence. The study concludes that generic hardware access alone does not transform Geography learning. It recommends curriculum-aligned geospatial resources, reliable connectivity and electricity, school-based coaching, practical professional development focused on inquiry, mapping, field data, and spatial reasoning, and sustained municipal support for technical continuity.

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