The beliefs behind the teacher that influences their ICT practices

This paper explores teacher beliefs that influence the ways Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are used in learning contexts. Much has been written about the impact of teachers’ beliefs and attitudes to ICT as ‘barriers’ to ICT integration ( [Ertmer et?al., 2007], [Higgins and Moseley, 2001] and [Loveless, 2003]). This paper takes a closer look at the types of beliefs that influence ICT practices in classrooms and the alignment of these beliefs to current pedagogical reform in Australia. The paper draws on data collected through the initial phase of a research project that involved an Industry Collaborative of four Catholic primary schools (prep - grade 7). Data are drawn from teacher surveys, interviews and document analysis. The results present specific links between ICT beliefs that are informing teachers’ practices. ICT beliefs and practices are aligned to reform agenda for digital pedagogies. The findings of this research inform teacher ICT practice and requirements for ICT professional development.     

Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship

Early studies indicated that teachers’ enacted beliefs, particularly in terms of classroom technology practices, often did not align with their espoused beliefs. Researchers concluded this was due, at least in part, to a variety of external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that aligned more closely with their beliefs. However, many of these barriers (access, support, etc.) have since been eliminated in the majority of schools. This multiple case-study research was designed to revisit the question, “How do the pedagogical beliefs and classroom technology practices of teachers, recognized for their technology uses, align?”     

The impact of synchronous inter-networked teacher training in Information and Communication Technology integration

This paper summarises the outcomes of research that recorded and interpreted change in pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs when immersed in unique synchronous networked collaboration. The pre-service teachers were involved in the design and implementation of synchronous networked tasks, supported by the theoretical and pragmatic application of ‘informed’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) integration. The pre-service teachers’ use of digital technology graduated from a didactic, broadcast delivery of information to more constructivist strategies that involved interaction, collaboration and ‘good’ learning. Moreover, the pre-service teachers gained competencies during a 12-week programme that led to the development of a suggested framework for ICT task development able to effectively promote and support improvements in learning.     

Developing situated knowledge about teaching with technology via Web-enhanced Case-based activity

Situated, case-based approaches, featuring virtual teachers’ activity and reasoning in university classrooms, may provide a viable alternative to immersive field-based apprenticeships. Despite widespread advocacy on situated teacher education, research on preservice teachers’ situated learning remains rare. This study examined how preservice teachers gain situated knowledge about teaching with technology by engaging the experiences of practicing teachers through Web-enhanced, Case-based activity (CBA). Situated knowledge of exemplary teachers often espouses a constructivist epistemology and a student-centered pedagogy when they use computers for teaching. Also, their knowledge for teaching with technology requires linking computer skills with associated curriculum and pedagogical strategies. Based on this initial framework, in this study, preservice teachers’ changes in perceptions and understanding about teaching with technology were documented over the course of a semester. A qualitative case study was used, and constant comparative methods were used to continually compare emerging themes and refine categories. Web-enhanced CBA helped most preservice teachers to both understand appropriate uses of technology and refined their perspectives by using experienced teachers’ captured knowledge and practices. Research is needed to refine our understanding of situated case-based approaches’ potential to promote both meaningful technology integration knowledge and skill and to address a range of everyday classroom teaching and learning issues, decisions, and practices.     

ICT and learning: Lessons from Australian classrooms

Research into Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in schools is well into its third decade but there is still a pressing need to better understand how computer-based technologies are influencing learning opportunities, and how the local conditions of schooling impact on teachers’ attempts to integrate these technologies in their classrooms. In this article, we provide some insight into these questions through our research in six diverse public schools in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. We observed classrooms and conducted interviews with teachers and other key stakeholders, such as principals and technology coordinators about the integration of ICT. Our goal was to describe and examine the ways in which teachers, in a range of settings, are utilising ICT in their classroom practices to mediate student’s learning experiences Our findings indicate that ICT is largely being integrated in ways that support and supplement existing classroom practices. From our observations, we believe that successful integration of ICT requires fundamental shifts in the core activities of schools. These shifts include new teaching. The cases described in this article suggest some ways in which these shifts may be initiated and sustained.     

microLESSONS in teacher education: Examining pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs

It is a challenge for teacher educators to shift pre-service teachers away from traditional pedagogical beliefs towards constructivist ones. At the National Institute of Education in Singapore, microLESSONS is introduced into the instructional technology course of the teacher education program to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to adopt constructivist instructional approaches towards the design of multimedia learning packages. Based on a class of pre-service teachers in the Diploma in Education program, this paper examines how participation in the microLESSONS series changes pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. Although the study shows that the beliefs of pre-service teachers are resistant to change and are unlikely to be affected by a short, one-off constructivist-based practical experience provided by the microLESSONS series, the series may have enhanced their confidence in designing and developing multimedia learning packages based on constructivist principles. The series has also given them a better understanding of the diverse use of technology for enhancing teaching and learning.     

Information literacy skills: Teacher understandings and practice

This article reports on a project, involving three New Zealand schools, which investigated teachers’ understanding of information literacy and their associated classroom practices. Recently published work, while lamenting school students’ lack of information literacy skills, including working with online resources, provides little research investigating classroom teachers’ knowledge of information literacy skills and their related pedagogical practice. The findings of this project indicate that while some of the teachers in this project had a reasonably good understanding of the concept of information literacy, very few reported developing their students’ information literacy skills.     

Who assigns the most ICT activities? Examining the relationship between teacher and student usage

The expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in schools is expected to promote learning. To what extent teachers are utilizing the new ICT tools to engage students in learning activities remains a question. This study reports what kind of activities teachers are likely to assign students, and what type of teachers are more likely to assign such activities. Teacher ICT usage and student ICT assignments are examined using a sample of 3729 elementary and junior high school teachers in Taiwan. The results from correlation and regression analysis indicate that teachers who infrequently use basic ICT tools such as word processing rarely assign student ICT activities. At the other end of spectrum, teachers who create complicated multimedia materials are most likely to assign student multimedia activities. Regression results show that teachers’ frequency of building websites is the best predictor for assigning ICT-based sharing activities to students, though the likelihood is greater for junior high school than elementary school teachers. The results suggest that teachers assign students activities which require a variety of ICT tools, and teachers’ own ICT practices influence the type of ICT activities they assign to students.     

Modeling primary school pre-service teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) for meaningful learning with information and communication technology (ICT)

Within the field of educational technology, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has been theorized as a seven-factor construct to describe teacher’s integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching. However, this framework has yet to be successfully validated through survey instruments. This paper examines the construct validity of a TPACK survey that was contextualized for the pedagogical approaches employed in a 12-week ICT course designed with reference to the TPACK framework for Singaporean primary school pre-service teachers. Using this framework, the researchers were able to uncover five of the seven TPACK constructs which were a better model fit as compared with several extant studies of TPACK surveys. Using these results, pre and post-course structural equation models were constructed to explain the relationships amongst the different constructs of teachers’ TPACK perceptions. It was found that pedagogical knowledge had a direct impact on TPACK at the beginning of the course. As teachers made connections between their technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge to form technological pedagogical knowledge during the course, the direct relation between pedagogical knowledge and TPACK became insignificant where as the relations between pedagogical knowledge and technological pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge and TPACK were strengthened. The comparison between the pre and post-course models also revealed that the pre-service teachers’ perceived relations between content knowledge and TPACK changes from insignificant to significant. The implications of these findings and suggestions to improve the construct validation of the TPACK framework are discussed in this paper.     

Teachers’ attitudes toward web-based professional development,with relation to Internet self-efficacy and beliefs about web-based learning

This study was conducted to explore the relationships between teachers’ Internet self-efficacy, beliefs about web-based learning and attitudes toward web-based professional development. The sample of this study included 421 teachers, coming from 20 elementary schools in Taiwan. The three instruments used to assess teachers’ Internet self-efficacy (ISS), beliefs about web-based learning (BWL), and attitudes toward web-based professional development (AWPD) revealed high reliability. In this study, the results supported that teachers’ Internet self-efficacy and beliefs about web-based learning were important predictors of their attitudes toward web-based professional development. The belief for the positive consequences of web-based learning is very important for the favorable attitudes toward web-based professional development.     

Teacher value beliefs associated with using technology: Addressing professional and student needs

Studies have indicated that when teachers believe technology uses are valuable, they are more likely to incorporate those uses into their practices. This hermeneutical phenomenology study investigated the value beliefs that underlie teachers’ uses of technology. To measure value beliefs, teachers’ uses (and reasons for those uses) of technology for teaching and learning were examined. Data were collected from eight award-winning teachers through an interview, observation, and electronic portfolio. Findings indicated that teachers used technology to address professional (e.g., creating customized classroom materials, improving classroom management by engaging students) and student needs (e.g., enhancing student comprehension, equipping students with technology skills), all of which related to the underlying value belief of promoting student learning. Based on these findings, professional development activities should emphasize the potential impact of specific technology uses on student learning.     

Student teachers’ thinking processes and ICT integration: Predictors of prospective teaching behaviors with educational technology

Student teachers should be prepared to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their future teaching and learning practices. Despite the increased availability and support for ICT integration, relatively few teachers intend to integrate ICT into their teaching activities (e.g., Ertmer, 2005). The available research has thus far mainly focused on isolated teacher related variables to explain the weak level of ICT integration. Also, most of this research was set up in Western settings. The present study centers on the impact of Chinese student teachers’ gender, constructivist teaching beliefs, teaching self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and computer attitudes on their prospective ICT use. For this purpose, a survey was set up involving student teachers from four Normal Universities in China (N = 727). Results show that prospective ICT integration significantly correlates with all teacher related variables, except for gender. Building on the results of a path analysis model, prospective ICT integration could be directly predicted on the base of teacher thinking variables (constructivist teaching beliefs, teacher self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy and computer attitudes in education), and indirectly by the gender of the student teachers. Implications for teacher education and further research are discussed.     

A study of high school English teachers’ behavior,concerns and beliefs in integrating information technology into English instruction

This study investigates the current trends and patterns of teachers’ concerns and teaching behavior with respect to technology integration. The following concerns of English teachers are addressed: teaching practice, perceive barriers of technology integration in the English instruction and the technology deployed in the classroom. Participants in this study were 332 junior and senior high school English teachers from Taipei and Kaohsiung Cities. The study found that despite pressure on schools to increase the application of technology, the adoption of teaching and learning practices using new technologies has been limited in terms of teachers’ SoCQ (The Stages of Concerns Questionnaire), their teaching behavior as well as their use of technology. Teachers’ concerns are generally oriented toward Personal and informational issues. English teachers’ technology-mediated English teaching behaviors are modest, and most teachers used technology to prepare their teaching activities instead of structuring higher levels of usage. As identified in the literature, higher levels of computer training, computer literacy, well-supported school environment, creative teaching practices and positive beliefs about technology integration among teachers result in higher task intensity, impact concerns and more technology-mediated teaching behaviors in the classroom. In terms of the difficulties affecting teachers’ technology integration into English instruction, this study identified significant relationships between first and second-order barriers. Implications for teachers’ technology integration are proposed.     

Teacher factors associated with innovative curriculum goals and pedagogical practices: differences between extensive and non‐extensive ICT‐using science teachers

Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) 2006 was an international study about pedagogical practices and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in math and science classrooms. One of the findings of SITES 2006 was that – across educational systems – a proportion of the math and science teachers in the 22 countries researched in the SITES 2006 study were using ICT extensively and their pedagogy was oriented towards lifelong learning which is considered relevant for the 21st century. Starting from this finding, a secondary analysis has been conducted to explore differences between extensive and non‐extensive ICT‐using science teachers with respect to pedagogical orientation, ICT competencies and professional engagement. Based on selected questions from the SITES 2006 teacher questionnaire, indicators have been developed for these constructs. Differences between the two groups were calculated using simple t‐tests and effect sizes. The findings showed that both groups of science teachers had a pedagogical orientation that reflected traditionally important as well as lifelong learning curriculum goals and practices, but extensive ICT‐using science teachers, much more than their non‐extensive ICT‐using colleagues pursued curriculum goals and practices that are oriented towards lifelong learning. In addition, extensive ICT‐using science teachers appeared more confident about their ICT competencies and felt more professionally engaged; two factors that were also found in other studies to positively relate to a lifelong learning orientation towards teaching and learning.     

Factors related to pedagogical beliefs of teachers and technology integration

In Taiwan, teachers are expected to integrate technology into instruction with learner-centered beliefs; however, teacher beliefs and practices may differ. The contextual factors influencing this inconsistency must be identified. This study first examines the relationship between pedagogical beliefs of teachers and teaching activities, and further identifies differences between teacher beliefs and teaching activities of Taiwanese teachers in each factor associated with technology integration. In total, 1139 elementary school teachers filled out a set of questionnaires that collected information about teacher pedagogical beliefs, frequent teaching activities, and factors associated with technology integration. Chi-square test results reveal that most Taiwanese teachers held learner-centered belief, but did not integrate constructivist teaching with technology. This analytical result confirms the conflict between teacher beliefs and teaching activities. Two-way analysis of variance results demonstrate that external requests and student test scores were principal considerations for constructivist teachers. Constructivist teaching with technology to enhance student achievement should influence teacher beliefs and practices. The study recommends that future studies conduct a cross-nation comparison to elucidate the factors associated with technology integration in different cultural contexts.     

The impact of Technology-Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) implementation on student learning and teachers’ teaching in a high school context

Technology-Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) is a pedagogical innovation established in a technology-enhanced multimedia studio, emphasizing constructivist-oriented teaching and learning. In Taiwan, an increasing number of schools are adopting the TEAL notion to deliver courses. This study examines the impact of TEAL on both student performance and teachers’ teaching of physics in the context of one of the high schools. A quasi-experimental research approach was used to conduct the study. Data sources include pre-/post-tests, interviews, class observations, and the researcher’s journals. The findings reveal that the benefits that the participants gained from exposure to the innovative instruction appear in various aspects in addition to the students’ test results. Having higher interest in attending physics classes and being more active in participating in extracurricular science activities on the part of the students, and being more enthusiastic about and confident in helping students strengthen their physics concepts on the part of the teacher, are among the non-test score gains. The students’ achievements and positive responses to the teacher’s instruction seem to have motivated his dedication and confidence. It is also found that teachers’ teaching beliefs and desire to change greatly affected their classroom practices and technology integration. To more effectively implement instructional innovations in a school, suggestions are provided.     

Little experience with ICT: Are they really the Net Generation student-teachers?

The aim of this study is to investigate the complexity of past experiences with ICT, pedagogical beliefs, and attitude toward ICT in education that the Net Generation student teachers have about their intention to teach and learn with technology. This study has a particular focus on their lived experiences as school students where ICT related policies were actively enacted in Korea and Singapore for the past decade. To unpack the profile of the Net Generation student teachers, we selected six factors (i.e., past ICT experiences, personal computer use, constructivist belief, computer efficacy, attitude toward computer in education, and prospective computer use) related to ICT use and examined them empirically with 225 first- or second-year student teachers in Korea and Singapore. Overall, our findings indicate that student teachers in both countries tend to hold fairly constructivist beliefs and positive computer efficacy and attitude; attributes that teacher educators can tap on. Student teachers' perceptions about their use of computers for personal purposes and their past experiences with ICT were not relatively high compared to the other variables examined. This study also provides empirical evidence that students teachers who hold constructivist beliefs, have strong computer efficacy, and show positive attitudes toward computers in education are more interested in using computers in future teaching practices. As a conclusion, we argue that the profile of the Net Generation student teachers shows a more heterogeneous composition than we initially expected, and that teacher educators need to be cautious about making generational assumptions solely based on the structural and technological changes.     

Innovative pedagogical practices using ICT in schools in England

Abstract This paper presents information about the case studies carried out in three primary and three secondary schools in England, during the school year 2000–2001. Data were collected as part of the qualitative phase of a major international research project: the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES). The research focused on innovative pedagogical practices involving ICT. Interviews with Headteachers and other administrators, teachers, students and parents; observations of lessons; analysis of school documents and surveys of Headteachers and ICT coordinators provided rich sources. Themes common to the case studies in England are identified and discussed.     

What stimulates teachers to integrate ICT in their pedagogical practices? The use of digital learning materials in education

The question ‘What stimulates teachers to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in their pedagogical practices?’ was addressed in the context of teachers’ usage of digital learning materials (DLMs). We adopted Fishbein’s Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction (IMBP), to investigate the various relationships between distal and proximal variables and intention. Mediation analysis revealed that the proximal variables attitude, subjective norm, and self-efficacy towards DLMs were significant predictors of teachers’ intention to use DLMs. The contribution of subjective norm, however, was modest. Attitude, subjective norm and self-efficacy mediated the effects of the following three distal variables on intention: previous use of DLMs, perceived knowledge and skills to use DLMs, and colleagues’ usage of DLMs. Persuasive communication and skills based training seem, therefore, appropriate interventions to promote a positive attitude towards DLMs and improve self-efficacy in using DLMs.     

Teachers’ opinion survey on the use of ICT tools to support attendance-based teaching

The present paper reports on the results obtained from a teachers’ opinion survey on the use of ICT tools to support of attendance-based teaching. In order to carry out this study, it was necessary to design a questionnaire to collect data among all in-service teachers with access to the university virtual campus. The findings show that respondents keep an open mind on incorporating ICT tools into their daily practices, on that point, this research has significantly contributed to the educational institution by providing accurate information about ICT use. The survey has also encouraged the university in its work on the integration of ICT in every area where it is possible, with the aim objectives of increasing access to learning, providing equal educational opportunities for all and ensuring lifelong learning, which are the mainstays of the Bologna Declaration.