Lessons from two Dutch projects for the introduction of computers in schools

The systematic introduction of computers in schools for general secondary education in The Netherlands started in the early 1980s. Initially, the Dutch government experimented in 1983 with a project in 100 lower general secondary schools limited in scope to gain experience with educational computer use (100-school project). In the period 1985¿1989 the government implemented a second stimulation project focused at all lower secondary schools: New Information Technology in Secondary Education. This project consisted of the provision of hardware and courseware to all general secondary schools, organizing nationwide in-service teacher training, and the intensifying of software development.\ud \ud With respect to the 100-school project the question was whether there would be any differences in computer implementation and problems with computer use at schools in the 100-school project as compared to other schools which could only profit in the second promotional program.\ud \ud The question addressed for the second promotional program concerns the use of software packages and courseware which were provided to all schools for general education during the NIVO-project.\ud \ud An important conclusion for The Netherlands is, that the provision of hardware, software and in-service training was adequate to introduce computer education (called: information and computer literacy) as a new subject in nearly all lower secondary schools. But the set of stimulation activities does not seem to be adequate or sufficient to realize the integration of computer use in existing subjects

The relation between problem areas and stages of computer implementation

Although during the last decade the number of computers at secondary schools has increased considerably in many countries, only a small percentage of teachers are using computers for instructional purposes. In the COMPED study principals, computer coordinators and teachers were asked to indicate the obstacles which are hampering the introduction of computers in their school and classroom practice.\ud \ud The results which are based on data from France, Japan, the Netherlands and USA, show that the most important problems are: lack of hardware, software, knowledge and time. These problems in implementing computers in education are at the same time the most important reasons why non-users do not use computers for instructional purposes. A comparison between the relative most intensive computer-using schools and the less intensive users shows that both groups have mostly the same problems as mentioned before. Besides, schools with a high level of computer use have more often than other schools overcome organizational problems

Status of introductory computer education in the Netherlands: results of a survey

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is conducting an international comparative study on educational computer use in more than 20 countries. This paper analyzes some of the Dutch results of the IEA survey on the use of computers in lower secondary schools. The findings show that at present computers are mainly used for introductory computer courses, but that the integration of computers into existing subjects is still limited. The main problems identified in the study are: insufficient availability of courseware and hardware, time constraints and a high need for teacher training

The relation between problem areas and stages of computer implementation

Using data from an international comparative study on the use of new technologies in education in about 22 countries, an assessment of the relation between problem areas and stages of computer implementation was undertaken. The study--"Computers in Education" (COMPED)--has been conducted since 1987 by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The COMPED assesses national policies regarding the goals of computer education and the actual use of computers, school plans and implementation of plans, experiences and opinions of teachers, and the effect of innovations at the student level. National policy, school policy, and teacher questionnaires are used to collect data on both elementary and secondary educational levels. Exploratory and contrast analyses were performed on study data. Results indicate that the most important problems of computer users are, at the same time, the most important reasons given by non-users for non-use. The problems with implementing computer technology in education, experienced by principals, computer coordinators, and teachers, are related to conditional factors, such as lack of hardware, software, knowledge, and time. The most important differences between schools with low and high levels of computer use are associated with organizational problems. Six tables are included. (TJH

Computers in primary and secondary education : the interest of an individual teacher or a school policy?

During the period of 1989¿1992 the number of Dutch elementary schools that are in the possession of computers increased by 40%. More than half of the teachers in grades 4, 5 and 6 (9-11 yr) actually use the computer in the classroom. In secondary education all schools are in possession of computers. The number of teachers who use a computer for existing subjects in the second grade has doubled in the past 3 yr. Although there is a substantial growth of computer use in primary as well as secondary schools, the data show also that computer usage very much depends upon the individual teachers and is not embedded in the curriculum of existing subjects

Determinants of computer use in lower secondary schools in Japan and the United States

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors explaining differences between schools in the extent to which computers are used by subject teachers as a means of enhancing instruction and optimizing student learning. A conceptual model of key factors in educational reform and innovation is developed on the basis of theory and previous research. The parameters in this model are estimated using the linear structural relations approach and data collected for the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) study of computers in education in two countries, Japan and the United States. The results show that, in both Japan and the United States, internal innovation assistance, teacher competence and a strategy for monitoring and problem coping are associated with the outcome variable, the degree of computer use in lower secondary schools. In Japan three other variables are also positively related to this outcome: perceptions of the school leadership concerning the relevance of computer use, whether the school has developed an explicit policy for implementation, and whether the school provides opportunities for staff development. Less variation among the predictor variables is found in the United States compared with Japan. The explanation may be that many schools in Japan are still working on the introduction of the innovation, whereas most schools in the United States have reached the stage of institutionalization