This study has focused on factors that affect the educational use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) by teachers in primary education. In total, 232 teachers participated in the...Show moreThis study has focused on factors that affect the educational use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) by teachers in primary education. In total, 232 teachers participated in the study, of which twelve teachers were interviewed for a qualitative analysis. Analysis of the data shows that the attitude towards ICT and the ICT culture that prevails at a school has influence on the degree of educational use of ICT by teachers. Schools that are in favor of the use of ICT are associated with more frequent use of ICT by teachers. Also a positive attitude towards ICT is accompanied by an increase in educational ICT use. Additionally there is a connection between the degree of professional development and teachers' attitudes towards ICT. All teachers use ICT in some way during their lessons. There is a distinction between teachers that use ICT as a tool and teachers who have changed their way of teaching through the use of ICT in the classroom. The extent to which the teachers use ICT is dependent on their attitude towards ICT, the ICT culture within a school and their professional development in educational ICT use.Show less
ICT is getting more and more embedded in our society. Almost everyone has a computer or laptop of some sort these days. But how does this use of ICT translate into use in everyday classes? In...Show moreICT is getting more and more embedded in our society. Almost everyone has a computer or laptop of some sort these days. But how does this use of ICT translate into use in everyday classes? In schools ICT is getting used more often, but not every teacher uses ICT in the same way and same amount. Different background characteristics influence the teachers. The main goal of this study is to find out if, and which, characteristics influence the teachers in their use of ICT in the classroom. The research for this paper took place in 34 Dutch primary schools with a total of 225 participants that all filed out a survey about their background characteristics and their use of ICT in the class. After that ten of them were interviewed about how they think about ICT in the class. The quantitative survey shows that older teachers are less inclined to use ICT in their classrooms and that having children of their own does not make a difference in their use of ICT in the class. Working fulltime or part-time however, does make a difference. According to this study, teachers that work part-time are less inclined to use ICT in their classes. Even though personal characteristics do influence the use of ICT in the class, the qualitative interview shows that almost all teachers are very positive about using ICT in their class. They say for example that students learn better and the lessons have more variety when ICT is used.Show less
