A study of information and communication technology (ICT) utilization in Sunday catechism classes in the archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The current study was carried out in the context of Church efforts to promote the utilization of ICT in religious activities, especially in catechism education to children and adolescents in the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City. In this day and age, information and communication technology (ICT) has become an important integrated component in every area of people’s lives from the workplace and to the school/educational environment, from social activities to religious practices. The Church acknowledges that these ICT advances provide people with various ways of learning new knowledge, sharing ideas and faith, and expanding means of communicating with other people, creatively and conveniently. This research was conducted in May, 2012. The quantitative research approach was employed by means of a survey questionnaire. Data obtained from 351 lay catechists were statistically analyzed in order to identify the types of ICT used in catechesis classes and, at the same time, to examine gender and age differences in ICT utilization. The results of data analysis revealed the following: (a) lay catechists used different types of ICT to support their teaching practice, with Internet/Catholic websites being the most frequently used ICT tool, followed by mobile phone, and then by desktop/laptop computer; (b) there are no differences within catechists’ gender in the use of ICT tools for catechism activities in catechism classes; and (c) there are no differences among catechists’ ages in the use of ICT tools for catechism activities in catechism classes.