Factors that explain the use of ICT in secondary-education classrooms: the role of teacher characteristics and school infrastructure

Paradoxically, in Spain, schools have relatively ample information and communication technology (ICT)infrastructure but low levels of classroom ICT use. In this study, we analyse the role of school ICTinfrastructure and teacher characteristics to explain ICT use in education. We use data from the Spanishsample in the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS), which consists of 3339 teachersfrom 192 secondary education centres. The analysis was conducted using multilevel logistic regressionmodels. The principal results indicate that the availability of educational software, teacher ICT training,collaboration among teachers, perceived self-efficacy, and teaching concepts influence classroom ICT use.School hardware and internet-connection infrastructure are less significant. Based on thefindings,recommendations are presented to orient Spanish educational policy to encourage the use of ICT in classroom

Integrating ICT in Kenyan secondary schools: an exploratory case study of a professional development program

This study explores the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Kenyan secondary schools. Specifically, it is a case study of four schools with no previous access to ICT. The professional development program from which data for this study were drawn was designed to support teachers learning to integrate ICT in the curriculum. Using a mixed method research approach, we collected data from multiple sources and triangulated the views of various stakeholders: questionnaires with teachers, focus groups with teachers, school leaders and ICT coordinators, field observations and document analysis. While the broader program focused on the use of ICT, the results highlighted in this study focus on the development of the four schools with respect to 1) vision building, 2) leadership, 3) collaboration, 4) expertise, and 5) access to adequate resources. The discussion centers on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to prepare schools in developing countries to integrate ICT in education

Cómo se utilizan las TIC en el aula?: un estudio sobre las creencias y los usos

Introduction. Several studies show that one of the essential factors in the way teachers use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their lessons are the beliefs they hold regarding ICT as tools for teaching and learning. This study analyses the relationship between these beliefs and the way teachers use ICT in the classroom through design of a System of Categories for the Analysis of Beliefs about and Uses of ICT. Method. We applied an open-ended questionnaire about beliefs and uses of ICT to 16 teachers of Child and Primary Education and collected 42 activities proposed by them where ICT were crucial. To analyse the answers, we designed a System of Categories for the Analysis of Beliefs about and Uses of ICT, based on three essential dimensions: what teachers said they taught, the psychological processes they activated in their students and the activities or tasks they proposed to achieve that learning. Results. The results indicate that there is a wide gap between the beliefs teachers hold and the way they actually use ICT. While they said that ICT should be used to make learning more student-centred and to foster motivation, most of the activities proposed were aimed at onedirectional conveyance of contents, and were neither highly developed nor did they noticeably transform traditional ways of teaching. Conclusions and Discussion. The paper concludes with a few reflections and suggestions about how ICT could really be integrated in the classroom based on a new learning cultureIntroducción. Numerosos estudios muestran que un factor clave para explicar la forma en que los docentes usan las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) en las aulas son las creencias que mantienen en relación con estos dispositivos como herramientas de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Este trabajo analiza la relación entre esas creencias y el uso que hacen los docentes de las TIC en el aula a través del diseño de un Sistema Categorial para el Análisis de las Creencias y Usos de las TIC. Método: Aplicamos un cuestionario de preguntas abiertas sobre creencias y usos de las TIC a 16 docentes de Infantil y Primaria y analizamos 42 actividades propuestas por ellos donde las TIC tuvieran un papel relevante. Para analizar las respuestas, diseñamos un Sistema Categorial para el Análisis de las Creencias y Usos de las TIC, basado en tres dimensiones fundamentales: qué es lo que los profesores dicen enseñar, qué procesos psicológicos activan en sus estudiantes y las tareas o actividades que proponen para alcanzar sus objetivos de aprendizaje. Resultados: Los resultados indican que existe una distancia considerable entre las creencias sostenidas por los profesores y el uso educativo que realmente hacen de las TIC. Mientras que los profesores afirman que las TIC son buenas herramientas para diseñar entornos de aprendizaje significativos centrados en el alumno, la mayoría de las actividades propuestas favorecen formas de enseñanza tradicionales centradas en el contenido. Conclusiones y discusión: El artículo concluye con algunas reflexiones y sugerencias para una verdadera integración de las TIC en el aula basada en una nueva cultura del aprendizajeThe Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness has supported this research through the Project EDU2013-47593-C2-1-

Developing a validated instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies : meeting the demands of the 21st-century

The main objective of this study is to develop a self-report instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies in education. The questionnaire items of this instrument are based on an existing comprehensive framework and were created with input from experts in the field. The data were collected from a sample of 931 final-year pre-service teachers in Flanders (Belgium). A first subsample was used for an exploratory factor analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A two-factor structure of ICT competencies was identified: (a) competencies to support pupils for ICT use in class and (b) competencies to use ICT for instructional design. This two-factor structure was confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis. Recommendations are made on how this reliable instrument can help assess the level and progress of pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies

Õpetaja professionaalne agentsus digitaalse tehnoloogia integreerimisel õpetamisse Eesti ja Läti koolides

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneDoktoritöö “Õpetaja professionaalne agentsus digitaalse tehnoloogia integreerimisel õpetamisse Eesti ja Läti koolides” eesmärgiks on uurida, kuidas õpetaja professionaalne agentsus on väljendatud viisides, millega õpetajad tegutsevad erinevates personaalsetes, situatiivsetes ja kontekstuaalsetes tegurites, mis on seotud digitaaltehnoloogia integreerimisega õppetöösse nii Läti kui ka Eesti koolides. Minu doktoritöö aktuaalsus on ühest küljest seotud asjaoluga, et Euroopa õpetajad on üldiselt vabad otsustamaks kasutatavate õpetamisviiside üle, kuid teisest küljest mainivad õpetajad järjest piiravamaid töö hindamisvahendeid, väliseid hindamissüsteeme, aruandereegleid ning õppekavade nõudeid. Taoliste pingete uurimine näitab, kuidas õpetaja professionaalne agentsus ilmneb konkreetsetes kontekstides erinevate personaalsete, situatiivsete, sotsiaalsete ja kontekstuaalsete mõjude taustal. Oma doktoritöös soovin selle asemel, et läheneda õpetaja agentsusele “muutuste poolt” vs “muutuste vastu” vaadete kaudu, mõista õpetajate reageeringuid hariduslikele muudatustele oluliselt laiema spektri kaudu. Selle doktoritöö empiirilised materjalid hõlmavad andmeid 26 semistruktureeritud intervjuust erinevate aineõpetajatega Eestis ja Lätis, tunnivaatlusi ja uurimust õpetajate infootsingulisest käitumisest veebis. Oma doktoritöö tulemusena pakun välja uue tüpoloogia, mis koosneb viiest erinevast õpetaja agentsuse väljendusviisist: entusiastlik omastamine, pragmaatiline sulandamine, reserveeritud tasakaalustamine, piiratud kohanemine ja skeptiline ritualism. Doktoritöös näitan, et õpetajate seisukohad ja valikud IKT integreerimisel õppetöösse on seotud väga keeruka võrgustikuga mõjutustest, millest olulisematena tuleb rõhutada enesetõhususe tajumist, tugevat ainevaldkonnaga seotud identiteeti ning vajadust vastata õpetajate tööle esitatud kvaliteedinõuetele. Variatiivsused õpetaja agentsuse väljendusviisides paljastavad raskesti märgatavaid konflikte ja ebakõlasid erinevate ning sageli tehnoloogiaga mitte seotud väärtuste, survete ja nõudmiste vahel, mille keskel püüavad õpetajad leida tasakaalu oma professionaalsete rollide ja vastutuste täitmiseks. Minu doktoritöö näitab, et leidub õpetajaid, kelle jaoks IKT kasutuselevõtt on avanud uusi võimalusi eksperimenteerimiseks, mängimiseks ja uute õpetamismeetodite katsetamiseks. Samas osutus teiste õpetajate jaoks IKT kasutamine vahendiks välise heakskiidu saavutamisel ning kaasaegse ja “moodsa” õpetaja kuvandi loomisel ning hoidmisel. Paljude valimisse kuulunud õpetajate jaoks on IKT kasutus koolides tekitanud olukordi, kus neil on tulnud muuta oma seniseid praktikaid ning teha valikuid selle kohta, kuidas IKT-d õpetamisse sobitada. Tuginedes oma doktoritöö järeldustele, rõhutan, et vaid siis, kui mõistame õpetajate olulist rolli IKT strateegia vahendajana ja pöörame tähelepanu kontekstidele, kus õpetajad sätestatud põhimõtteid tõlgendavad ning ellu viivad, on võimalik aru saada, miks tehnoloogia integreerimine koolides toimub just nii, nagu see toimub. Õpetajate praktikaid mõjutavate erinevate tegurite vastastikmõju komplekssuse ja mitmetahulise olemuse mõistmine võib viia tulemuslikuma dialoogini poliitikakujundajate ning õpetajate kogukonna vahel ning sedakaudu läbimõeldumate arengustrateegiateni.The aim of the doctoral study “Teacher professional agency in relation to digital technology integration in teaching in Estonian and Latvian schools” is to explore how teacher professional agency is manifested in the ways teachers navigate within the different personal, situational and contextual factors related to digital technology integration in teaching in Latvian and Estonian schools. The topicality of this dissertation lies in the fact that digital technology is widely perceived as an integral part of every subject area. Additionally, teachers in Europe generally are granted autonomy in deciding on their instructional approaches, although they report being increasingly exposed to tightening performativity measures, which include the use of ICT, external evaluation systems, accountability rules and curriculum requirements. Explorations of such tensions reveals how teacher professional agency emerges in relation to ICT use within particular contexts shaped by various personal, situational, social and contextual influences. This doctoral study avoids the often-applied “pro-change versus con-change” conceptualization of teacher agency, instead showing the broadness of the spectrum of teachers’ responses to educational change. The empirical basis of this study consists of data from 26 semi-structured interviews with different subject teachers in Estonia and Latvia, class observations, and a study of teacher online search behaviour. As a result of this doctoral study, a new typology of teacher agency manifestations is proposed, distinguishing between enthusiastic appropriation, pragmatic assimilation, reserved balance, hampered accommodation and sceptical ritualism. This PhD study demonstrates that out of the complex network of influences, teacher stances and choices of ICT integration in teaching are most strongly related to self-efficacy beliefs, strong subject-related identity and the need to establish teacher accountability policies. Variations in teacher agency manifestations reveal the underlying conflicts and inconsistencies between the different and often non-technological values, pressures and demands which teachers try to balance in order to fulfil their professional roles and responsibilities. This doctoral study indicates that for some teachers the arrival of ICT opened new avenues for experimenting, playing and trying out new teaching methods, while for others the use of ICT turned out to be a means of receiving external approval and creating and sustaining the image of being a “modern” teacher. For many teachers in the sample, the presence of ICT in schools created situations where teachers had to re-consider their existing practices and make choices regarding how ICT could be made to fit in. Speaking of the implications of this study, it should be emphasised that only through acknowledging the important role of teachers as mediators of ICT policy implementation and paying close attention to the contexts in which teachers “read” and enact policy messages is it possible to understand why technology integration in schools happens in the ways it does. Understanding the complexity and multifaceted nature of the interplay of various factors shaping teachers’ practices might lead to better policies and improved dialogue between policy makers and teachers

Pre-service teachers as designers in the context of advertising literacy education

The present study describes how teacher design teams (TDTs) in pre-service education were set up to create in-school programs about advertising. A multiple case-study design was employed to reveal what kinds of input-, process-, and output-related factors facilitate or hinder the collaboration of three voluntarily participating teams of pre-service teachers. By combining pre-TDT questionnaire data with an analysis of audiorecorded team design discussions and reflective data collected after the design process, we found that the participating student teachers (1) were unfamiliar with design assignments at the start of the project, but were all intrinsically motivated to take part; (2) especially express practical concerns when designing learning materials, and (3) argue that TDTs positively contribute to their professional development. As this study revealed both facilitating and hindering factors, recommendations for future organization of and research on TDTs in pre-service education are offered

Teacher change: Individual and cultural risk perceptions in the context of ICT integration

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of risk and risk-taking behaviours in the context of ICT-related educational change. Perceptions and behaviours are examined through teachers’ talk about risk: their individual perceptions of risk-taking, and how perceptions relate to risk perceptions in the wider school culture. When teachers implement new teaching practices and experiment in the classroom they are taking risks. Without the risk-taking, change is not possible. The research presented in this thesis examines teachers’ perceptions of risk in the area of ICT integration – utilizing ICT in the classroom to support student learning effectively. The research was carried out in Australia and the United States. A two-phase, mixed-method strategy was employed in the study. The first phase was primarily questionnaire-based, and captured data from both secondary and primary-level teachers, concerning aspects of teaching-efficacy, computer-efficacy, measures of playfulness & anxiety, and school culture. This phase made it possible to explore some of the relationships between these variables, develop and test instrumentation to distinguish between more and less risk-averse teachers and then select some contrasting teachers for further investigation. Phase two involved observation of these eight teachers’ teaching, several rounds of in-depth interviews, and the gathering of field notes from school visits. The thesis shows that risk-taking needs to be understood as an interaction between personal (teacher) and cultural (school) variables. Findings revealed that a primary area of concern in teachers’ perceptions of risk was risk to student achievement. Teachers who showed more potential to take risks talked about student achievement in terms of intrinsic motivation and engagement, while teachers with less potential to take risks saw achievement in terms of quantifiable results and test scores. Depending on a teacher’s risk-taking habits, perceived risks had more or less impact on the decision to integrate ICT into the classroom. Risk-taking behaviours related to teachers’ perceptions of the teacher role and school expectations of ICT-integration. Teachers’ risk perceptions proved to be related to their school’s cultural type, categorized using a grid-group typology. The two case study schools were found to be hierarchical cultures. In hierarchical cultures, technology is viewed as low-risk, as long as the manner in which it is used is approved by an expert. The findings have significant implications for the introduction of new technologies into school cultures, particularly in relation to the impact of school leadership and trust when schools are introducing ICT-related change initiatives

Pedagogical Beliefs and Attitudes toward Information and Communication Technology: A Survey of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in China

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.Though pedagogical beliefs have been identified as critical factors in the success of technology integration, very few studies have included them in technology-adoption models. The present study revises the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by adding teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, and tests the revised model among university-level English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in China. Specifically, the revised model examines how teachers’ constructivist and/or transmissive pedagogical beliefs influence four key constructs of the TAM: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use, and intention to use. Survey data were collected from 202 Chinese EFL teachers and analyzed using path analysis. The revised model showed a good model fit. The results indicated that the sampled teachers’ pedagogical beliefs were more constructivist-oriented than transmissive-oriented, and that the former type of beliefs had a significant positive influence on three of the above-mentioned TAM constructs (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward use). Teachers’ transmissive pedagogical beliefs, on the other hand, did not have any significant impact on their attitudes toward information and communication technology (ICT) or their perceptions of its usefulness, though such beliefs did significantly affect their perceptions of how easy ICT was to use. Implications of these findings for teacher education and professional training are discussed

Developing the scales on evaluation beliefs of student teachers

The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to investigate the validity and the reliability of a newly developed questionnaire named ‘Teacher Evaluation Beliefs’ (TEB). The framework for developing items was provided by the two models. The first model focuses on Student-Centered and Teacher-Centered beliefs about evaluation while the other centers on five dimensions (what/ who/ when/ why/ how). The validity and reliability of the new instrument was investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis study (n=446). Overall results indicate that the two-factor structure is more reasonable than the five-factor one. Further research needs additional items about the latent dimensions “what” ”who” ”when” ”why” “how” for each existing factor based on Student-centered and Teacher-centered approaches