Are Teachers Technophobic? Measuring Information and Communication Technology Competency among Teacher Educators in Central Visayas, Philippines

This paper presents an empirical investigation of the level of competency in information and communication technology (ICT) operations and concepts as perceived by teacher educators in the four provinces of Central Visayas, Philippines. All respondents of the study were full-time faculty of teacher education programs in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. A total of 383 responses from the faculty of 76 private and public higher education institutions were included in the analysis. A survey questionnaire was used based on the National ICT Competency Standard for Teachers. The study reveals that the level of competency in ICT operations and concepts is “good.” The result implies that the teacher educators can interpret and discuss basic computer operation and other information devices, including basic troubleshooting and maintenance, but have not experienced the actual demonstration of it. The level of competency in ICT operations and concepts is affected by the respondent’s age, marital status and number of years in teaching. Desktop, tablet and laptop ownership, and Internet access, also affect the level of competency in ICT operations. It can be concluded that the teacher educators are using and applying basic ICT tools with the desire to achieve innovative teaching and learning. There is an urgent need to increase the level of ICT competency among teacher educators, especially in the concepts and operations of technology.