Stakeholder Engagement in Upscaling of Digital Literacy Programmes in Public Primary Schools in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

The current study examines how stakeholder involvement affects the upscaling of Digital Literacy Programmes (DLPs) in public primary schools in Elgeyo Marakwet county, Kenya. The use of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and the introduction of digital technology in primary education has set a new learning direction in Kenya. This study is based on the theories of Administrative Management Theory (Fayol, 1916) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989). The study used a concurrent triangulation mixed method design. The accessible population consisted of 120,929 people, representing 345 public primary schools. These included the Board of Management (BOM) chairpersons, head teachers, teachers, learners, and Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) in Elgeyo Marakwet county. A sample of 384 learners (Grades 6, 7, and 8), 307 teachers, 28 BOM chairpersons, and 28 head teachers were selected using Yamane’s (1967) formula. Purposive sampling was used to obtain all four QASOs. BOM chairpersons, head teachers, and QASOs were administered the semi-structured interview guides and teachers and learners were administered structured questionnaires. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data, while the quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical multiple regression) via SPSS (Version 23). The results showed that although the DLP policy and financing has improved, there are still challenges in teacher’s ICT acceptance and learner’s access to digital devices. The results also showed that the upscaling outcomes of DLP were statistically positive and significant. Further, they were positively predicted by stakeholder engagement (β = 0.125, p < 0.05, R² = 0.765). The findings offer the relevant evidence base for MIM to take necessary actions to overcome implementation gaps and enhance the governance of digital literacy.