Another successful SIM PhD Student
Congratulations to Mohamed Kinaanath for completing all of the requirements for his PhD.
The title of Mohamed’s thesis is “The Use of Information and Communication Technology in Teaching and Learning within Higher Education Sector of a Small Island Developing State: The Case of the Maldives.” You can access a digital copy in the VUW Research Archives.
Mohamed’s study focussed on the factors that influence Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in higher education teaching and learning in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), using the Maldives as a representative case.
An Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of ICT use in higher education in SIDS was developed using TAM theory, Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and a TOEG (Technology-Organisational-Environment-Geography) framework. For the research, Mohamed utilised an interpretive paradigm with qualitative research methods (interviews; focus group discussions; qualitative survey and document reviewing).
The factors that were impeding the adoption of ICT related to four separate contexts: the technology context; the organisational context; the environmental context; and the geographical context. Based on the findings, a practical roadmap was formulated by utilising the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) continuum model of ICT development and the TOEG framework to recommend four broad stages in terms of adoption and use of ICT in higher education.
The study contributes to existing knowledge by providing a clear understanding of the present role of ICT as well as information on how ICT can be used in higher education in SIDS such as the Maldives.
Mohamed’s research is important for providing a wider understanding of the future directions for adoption of ICT within higher education in SIDS.
Congratulations also to to Mohamed's supervisors, Associate Professor Hans Lehmann and Alastair Smith - and to Dr Brian Harmer who was one of the supervisors prior to his retirement.