2026-10-06T13:04:49Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32009730 2026-10-05T18:04:11Z category_26152 category_26074 category_26107 category_28816 category_29236 item_type_3 month_year_10_2026

<b>Students’ Experiences of ICT Access, Participation, and Learning in Botswana’s Computer Awareness Programme</b> Irina Zlotnikova (17602485) Derrick Khupe (23644168) Hlomani Hlomani (13102616) Secondary education Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy Applications in social sciences and education Other information and computing sciences not elsewhere classified digital inequality ICT access Botswana secondary education digital learning <p dir="ltr">This study explores students’ experiences of ICT access, participation, and learning opportunities in Botswana’s Computer Awareness programme through a digital inequality lens. Using a qualitative design, open-ended questionnaire data were collected from 25 students at a rural public junior secondary school in Northeast Botswana and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that students’ experiences were shaped by five interrelated dimensions: constrained access to ICT, uneven patterns of ICT use and participation, differences in confidence and proficiency, coping strategies under restricted conditions, and emotional and social influences on engagement. Limited devices, unreliable internet connectivity, power outages, restricted laboratory access, and shared computer use reduced opportunities for sustained hands-on learning and equitable participation. At the same time, peer support, family assistance, and self-directed learning emerged as important coping strategies that helped students sustain learning under constrained conditions. The study provides a student-centred account of digital inequality in a school-based digital skills subject, showing that equitable educational technology provision requires not only access to ICT but also meaningful participation, sustained hands-on practice, and support for developing confidence and digital skills.</p> 2026-04-14T11:31:47Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.32009730.v3 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_b_Students_Experiences_of_ICT_Access_and_Use_in_Botswana_s_Computer_Awareness_Programme_A_Digital_Inequality_Perspective_b_/32009730 CC BY 4.0