Kwalitatief onderzoek naar de beslissingsbevoegdheid van docenten en onderwijsondersteunend personeel in het voortgezet onderwijs bij het registreren van (on)geoorloofd verzuim.
High prevalence of HIV, teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortions are challenges faced by many countries in the Global South. Research shows that much of the health problems that arise are due to a...Show moreHigh prevalence of HIV, teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortions are challenges faced by many countries in the Global South. Research shows that much of the health problems that arise are due to a lack of general basic understanding on reproductive biology. However engaging in open discussions on sexual and reproductive health is not always fruitful due to social and cultural barriers. Using the theory of empowerment, the thesis looks into the relation between ICT, youth and public health in Mara region, Tanzania. Research findings point to a growing usage of ICT within the region, however mostly limited to radio and mobile phones. Efforts in Tanzania to improve information access on public health are visible, although they are more often than not handled as individual cases rather than collective attempts to work towards a long-term goal. A strong centralised system that allocates sufficient funds and resources for further developing sexual and reproductive health matters is therefore required along with research to assess the effectiveness of the changes implemented.Show less
The role of ICT in the classroom is becoming increasingly prominent for the transmission of knowledge. One of the challenges associated with the educational use of ICT is finding out what motivates...Show moreThe role of ICT in the classroom is becoming increasingly prominent for the transmission of knowledge. One of the challenges associated with the educational use of ICT is finding out what motivates teachers to use ICT for educational purposes. The main focus of this study is to examine the relationship between external factors and the educational use of ICT among primary school teachers. A distinction was made between three types of external factors: postive cognitive valences, perceived external support and school collegial support. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 227 primary teachers in the Netherlands. Ten teachers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. No relationship is found between gender and positive cognitive valences. The data didn’t support the expectations of a relationship between school collegial support and educational ICT use. The results show that perceived external support influences the educational use of ICT among primary school teachers. In particular, the results show that environments supporting teachers to engage in ICT activities increase the ICT usage of primary school teachers. The outcome of the qualitative analysis shows that teachers referred mostly to the school as a source of external support. Parents were the second-most mentioned source and students seemed to be the least prominent source of external support. Further research is necessary to make a distinction between different types of perceived external support and their influence on educational ICT use.Show less
ICT has become increasingly integrated into daily life: WiFi spots are available in every public place and social media are very popular. However, the usage of ICT within primary education is more...Show moreICT has become increasingly integrated into daily life: WiFi spots are available in every public place and social media are very popular. However, the usage of ICT within primary education is more variable: Some teachers utilize ICT more extensively than others. This paper provides the results of quantitative and qualitative research conducted on ICT usage within primary education in The Netherlands. Research questions were answered, to answer the following question: What factors motivates a primary school teacher to use ICT in their lessons? The research questions that were used to give an answer were: What is the relation between ‘frequency of participation’ and ‘readiness for action’ (chi-square)? Is there a difference in educational ICT-use between men and women (t-test)? Does ICT-attitude predict the educational ICT-use (linear regression)? What factors stimulate/limit the PrOnt-activities of teachers? The study consisted of 218, randomly selected, respondents who work at a primary school in The Netherlands. Ten respondents were interviewed. The results were presented at the University of Leiden. The results of the research indicate that there are multiple factors that may influence ICT usage by a teacher. There was correlation to be found between gender and ICT usage, with men using ICT more often than women. Frequency of being a part of an activity and personal attitude are also factors that correlate with the usage of ICT. More research should be done to gain a deeper understanding of what is actually causing these correlations that have been identified.Show less
The use of ICT can provide a positive contribution in many areas of education. Important for school boards is to find out the way they can promote ICT in education. The purpose of this study was to...Show moreThe use of ICT can provide a positive contribution in many areas of education. Important for school boards is to find out the way they can promote ICT in education. The purpose of this study was to test whether there is a link between schoolfactors and the degree of educational use of ICT by the teacher. Treated schoolfactors are the present facilities, participation in professional development activities in the field of ICT and the subjective norm. This study consists of quantitative and qualitative research methods. For the quantitative study 216 teachers have completed a questionnaire. For the qualitative study 10 teachers are interviewed. Through statistical tests the expected relationships between school factors and the use of ICT by the teacher are tested. The results reveal that a high number of computers in the classroom results in a high degree of educational use of ICT by the teacher. Also, the results showed that teachers who regularly participated professionalize activities in the field of ICT in higher degree use ICT in their lessons. Finally, it appears that the opinion of colleagues attending professional development activities can predict participation in these activities. It concerns a weak link. However, the qualitative analysis shows that the majority of teachers indicated to be influenced in some degree by opinions of colleagues. The conclusion is that there is a visible link between school factors and the educational use of ICT by the teacher.Show less
In this study a difference in the use of educational ICT between young and older teachers was examined in multiple areas. Therefore 226 teachers from various schools in the Netherlands did a...Show moreIn this study a difference in the use of educational ICT between young and older teachers was examined in multiple areas. Therefore 226 teachers from various schools in the Netherlands did a questionnaire. Furthermore ten teachers from this sample were interviewed. The subjects of the questionnaires and the interviews were about the attitude towards the use of educational ICT, the way ICT was used, the degree of ICT use and the performance of carrying out ICT support tasks. Data were analyzed through various quantitative analyses, and qualitative analysis. The analyses showed that there is a difference between young and older teachers in the use of educational ICT. The young teachers have used the same amount of educational ICT and performed as many educational tasks as older teachers, but in a different way and with a different attitude towards the use of educational ICT. Consequently, the attitude towards ICT should change along with the innovations in ICT. Thereby all the education in the field of ICT simultaneously will be gathered simultaneously.Show less
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
The central question in this research is whether gender, work experience and affective valences of teachers in primary education influence the educational use of ICT. In this research 226 teachers...Show moreThe central question in this research is whether gender, work experience and affective valences of teachers in primary education influence the educational use of ICT. In this research 226 teachers were asked to complete a survey and also ten teachers were interviewed. To analyse the questions the chi-square test, the independent t-sample test, the regression analyses were used and we did a qualitative analyse of some interviews. The conclusion is that there was no difference found between men and women and the affective valences they have about ICT. Also the number of years of experience does not affect the educational use of ICT in their classroom. The affective valences of the teachers do influence the educational use of ICT. The more positive a teacher is about the educational use of ICT, the more they use it in class. Also the opposite was founded. For further research it is important not only to look at individual factors of teachers, also school characteristics can influence the use of ICT in education.Show less
The use of Information Technology (IT) is quickly growing in education. There are no legal agreements about the use of IT in primary schools in the Netherlands. Students deserve an equal chance in...Show moreThe use of Information Technology (IT) is quickly growing in education. There are no legal agreements about the use of IT in primary schools in the Netherlands. Students deserve an equal chance in society and therefore an equal chance in education. To gain insight on how IT is implemented in Dutch primary education research has been done on the differences with regards to IT-use and attitude between first and second year teachers (N = 54) and teachers years 3 to 8 (N = 149). A questionnaire was distributed to primary school teachers in the Netherlands. Ten teachers also participated in interviews. The constructs to probe the key question were: IT-use, IT-attitude and IT-media. By means of qualitative research the interviews were analysed. The quantitative methods which were used in the research are: Chi-square test, t-test and regression analysis. It was expected that first and second year teachers would use less IT than the other teachers. The results however seem to contradict this. It may be concluded that first and second year teachers use significantly less IT in their lessons, whilst on the other hand they do not have significantly less IT-media available. Another aspect of the research was how IT-use was influenced. It can significantly be concluded that a positive IT-attitude promotes the use of IT.Show less
Does age matter when we consider the use of information and computer technology in the classroom by teachers? The present study examines a number of variables in relation to this question. No...Show moreDoes age matter when we consider the use of information and computer technology in the classroom by teachers? The present study examines a number of variables in relation to this question. No difference was found between the younger and older teachers with regards to their affective valences towards the use of ICT. Age does not predict the use of ICT in the classroom. Nor does it dictate what type of ICT-media is used by the teacher. The only difference that was found between the younger and the older teachers was in the way they acquired their knowledge about ICT use. Younger teachers seem to adopt a more informal way on how to improve their ICT skills.Show less
The contribution made by advances in technology to modern society has been significant. One key area in which we are seeing growth in the use of technology is in the educational sphere. This study...Show moreThe contribution made by advances in technology to modern society has been significant. One key area in which we are seeing growth in the use of technology is in the educational sphere. This study focused on primary school teachers in the Netherlands, concentrating on the different characteristics of teachers in relation to technology use in the classroom. The characteristics investigated were; gender, the particular grade being taught and affective valences towards technology. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to conduct this study; a questionnaire was filled in by 220 respondents and 10 respondents were interviewed. The findings showed that gender had no effect on the likelihood of using technology in the classroom. but teachers teaching higher grades were more likely to use technology. In addition to this teachers who had negative affective valences toward technology were more likely not to use technology. Surprisingly, teachers with positive and neutral affective valences toward technology showed no difference in actually using technology.Show less
Het rendement dat het onderwijs uit ICT haalt is nog niet optimaal. Dit wordt veroorzaakt door veel factoren, zoals docentkenmerken, schoolkenmerken en achtergrondkenmerken van docenten. De huidige...Show moreHet rendement dat het onderwijs uit ICT haalt is nog niet optimaal. Dit wordt veroorzaakt door veel factoren, zoals docentkenmerken, schoolkenmerken en achtergrondkenmerken van docenten. De huidige studie heeft onderzocht wat de invloed is van leeftijd en ICT-houding van basisschoolleerkrachten op hun onderwijskundig ICT-gebruik en handelingsbereidheid om zich professioneel te ontwikkelen op het gebied van ICT. De respondenten in deze studie waren 230 basisschoolleerkrachten in de leeftijd van 21 tot en met 66 jaar, waarvan 49 mannen en 181 vrouwen. De ICT-houding, onderwijskundig ICT-gebruik en handelingsbereidheid van deze leerkrachten zijn gemeten door middel van een vragenlijst, ontwikkeld door de Universiteit Leiden. Het onderwijskundig ICT-gebruik is bovendien gemeten bij tien leerkrachten uit deze groep (3 mannen en 7 vrouwen) door middel van een kwalitatief interview. Een chikwadraattoets wees uit dat er geen significant verband is tussen leeftijd en handelingsbereidheid. Uit een t-toets bleek dat er ook geen significant verband is tussen leeftijd en onderwijskundig ICT-gebruik. Een enkelvoudige regressie analyse wees wel uit dat ICT-houding significant voorspellend is voor de mate van onderwijskundig ICT-gebruik (F(1,224)=64,70, p<0,01). Uit de kwalitatieve analyse is ten slotte gebleken dat bijna alle basisschoolleerkrachten een digibord gebruiken in hun lessen en computers of laptops gebruiken in de klas om leerlingen vaardigheden te laten oefenen.Show less
In primary education female teachers are overrepresented. In the IT sector males are overrepresented. IT is usually associated to masculinity. Is this relation in regards to IT also evident in...Show moreIn primary education female teachers are overrepresented. In the IT sector males are overrepresented. IT is usually associated to masculinity. Is this relation in regards to IT also evident in primary education? The use of Information Technology (IT) in primary education is increasing day by day. This research concerns the subject of IT in primary education. There has been an examination, whether there is a difference in attitude towards the use of IT between male and female teachers. This study was conducted among 231 teachers in primary education in the province of South-Holland. From the 231 teachers 79% was female and 21% male. The data was collected by students from Leiden University by means a questionnaire and a structured interview. The conclusion of this examination is that there is no difference in attitude towards the use of IT between men and women, but there is a difference in gender with regard to implementing IT tasks in education. IT tasks are used more by male teachers then their female counterparts. There is no relationship between the gender of the teacher and the attitude towards IT, but there is a strong difference between the gender and the use of IT. This means that the degree to which IT is used during the lessons can be predicted based on the attitude of the teacher in relation to IT. During class teachers use smart boards, student software methods and computers as IT resources. In some cases teachers use laptops, an IT room, I-pads or smartphones.Show less
In Dutch society as a whole and via the education system, it can be seen that ICT is becoming a more popular medium for knowledge exchange. This study reviewed various background characteristics...Show moreIn Dutch society as a whole and via the education system, it can be seen that ICT is becoming a more popular medium for knowledge exchange. This study reviewed various background characteristics such as age, gender and years of experience of primary school teachers in relation to the educational use of ICT. A questionnaire was used and issued to 218 respondents in order to gather data to complete the quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis consisted of 10 interviews, 5 with male teachers and 5 with female teachers. The results showed that male teachers and teachers under the age of 45 are more likely to use and apply ICT methods and tools in their lessons for a multitude of educational purposes. It could also be seen that the Smartboard tool was the most predominantly used tool by the teachers surveyed. In conclusion, the number of years of experience of the teachers seems not to be as significant as their gender and age when considering the extent to which teachers will elect to use ICT tools in the classroom.Show less
Over the last two decades the productivity gap between the United States and the European Union has increased. In the 1990s the EU was one of the leading countries in the IT (information technology...Show moreOver the last two decades the productivity gap between the United States and the European Union has increased. In the 1990s the EU was one of the leading countries in the IT (information technology) development. With huge firms like Nokia who introduced the GSM standard for mobile telecommunication the European Union was a significant player. However, since the 1990s the EU lost its important market positions to countries like the USA and China. Dominant companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft all have their roots in the American soil. the main question this paper wants to answer is: Why is the European Union lagging behind the United States in the development of the IT market?Show less
