A change agent’s facilitation process for overcoming the barriers of ICT adoption for educational administration – The case of a rural-Bangladesh vocational institution

Abstract

The factors influencing the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a professional and management tool outside the classroom have received little research attention. The two objectives of this research were: how do stakeholders of educational administration experience the barriers of ICT adoption, and how can they facilitate the transformation process in addressing the barriers that prevent the adoption? Taking a case from the development context of rural Bangladesh, the investigation is based on three theoretical stances: educational administration, the diffusion of innovations, and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). Field-study based change agent facilitation applied PRA as a two-way diffusion communication method. The study concludes that barriers originate from the levels of individuals, the educational institution, the national agencies, and the external environment. PRA provided a useful framework facilitating communication to highlight barriers and gain a deeper understanding of what exactly the barriers at different levels are in a specific institution and how they influence practice.