Influence of Teacher ICT Competence on Learner Engagement in Public Junior Schools in Matungulu Sub- County, Machakos County, Kenya

This study investigated influence of teacher Information and Communication Technology competence on learner engagement in public Junior Schools in Matungulu Sub- County, Machakos County Kenya. The study was guided by one research question: how does teacher ICT competence influence learner engagement? The study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population comprised 84 public Junior Schools, 300 Junior School teachers, 168 school administrators, and 1,200 Grade 8 learners in Matungulu Sub-County. The study used stratified sampling followed by simple random sampling within strata to select 12 schools, simple random sampling to select 48 teachers and 48 Grade 8 learners who completed questionnaires and purposive sampling to select 12 school Principals who participated in semi-structured interviews, alongside an ICT resource observation checklist completed across the sampled schools. Validity of the instruments was established through expert review, alongside face validity confirmed during pilot testing. Internal consistency reliability of the quantitative instruments was established through Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, with a threshold of 0.70 or higher considered acceptable. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, and inferential statistics, including Pearson correlation and simple regression analysis, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings indicated that teachers rated their own ICT competence and classroom practice considerably more positively than learners experienced it, and eight of the nine principals interviewed reported the absence of a formal school-level ICT policy. The tested null hypotheses failed to be accepted at p ≤ 0.05. The study concluded that ICT integration significantly and positively influences curriculum implementation, though constrained by unreliable infrastructure, low frequency of use, and the near-absence of formal school-level ICT policy. The study therefore recommended timely ICT funding, formal school ICT policies, and sustained teacher training. Key words: Teacher ICT Competence; Learner Engagement; Public Junior Schools