BYOD Implementation Factors in Schools: A Case Study in Malaysia

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative has been implemented widely in developed countries as a mechanism to prepare the students for the 4th industrial revolution. Success stories of the initiative vary depending on factors pertaining to its implementation. This study aims to identify the key factors to implement BYOD in schools for educational purposes. The research employed a mix-method approach by means of a survey. The data was collected from teachers through questionnaires and and from the school management through interviews. The respondents included 204 teachers from 5 schools in Putrajaya and Dengkil. Principals, senior assistants, ICT teachers and technicians from three schools were interviewed. They represented the school management group. A descriptive statistical analysis is conducted using SPSS statistical software. The research has identified four key factors for the successful implementation of BYOD in Malaysian schools. Two of the factors are related to the Cyber Security Policy at the schools enforcing a secure network infrastructure and safety control requirement in the implementation of BYOD at schools. These security-related factors are important for the schools from the very beginning. They can be further categorized according to the implementation stages: pre-, during and post-adoption; cost allocation, preparation of controls and training to support BYOD's implementation at schools are the corresponding factors to each stage. On the other hand, the other two key factors are related to the schools' readiness - ensuring the successful implementation of BYOD whereby the school management group is willing and prepared to tackle any arising BYOD-related issues in the future.