Monitoring the Use of ICT in Education

Author(s):

Ed SmeetsJohan van BraakJo Tondeur Ilse Sinnaeve Jan Elen Geraldine Clarebout Marleen Evers Ton Mooij Carolien van Rens Hans van Gennip

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

16. ICT in Education and Training

Format:

Symposium

Session Information

16 SES 02 A, Monitoring the Use of ICT in Education

Symposium

Time:

2009-09-28

11:15-12:45

Room:

NIG, HS 2i

Chair:

Ton Mooij

Discussant:

Colin Harrison

Contribution

Many school leaders and teachers feel that information and communication technology (ICT) can contribute to making education more attractive to pupils and to providing enriched learning environments (Kennisnet, 2008). Many teachers state that pupils are more motivated and attentive when computers and the internet are used in class. In addition, ICT allows for greater differentiation, with programmes tailored to individual pupils' needs (Balanskat, Blamire, & Kefala, 2006). Moreover, greater use of ICT has been found to be strongly associated with improved test performance (Harrison, Lunzer, Tymms, Taylor Fitz-Gibbon, & Restorick, 2004). The benefits of ICT, however, depend on decisions made by teachers with respect to the use of ICT and the integration into other activities in the classroom (Cox & Abbott, 2004). These decisions are influenced by the teachers’ pedagogical views and their views of the potential contribution of ICT to the teaching / learning process (Becta, 2004; Hermans, Tondeur, Van Braak, & Valcke, 2008; Higgins & Moseley, 2001; Hokanson & Hooper, 2001), and by teachers’ skills in using ICT in this process (Mueller et al., 2008). In addition, school-related factors are important as well, e.g. the school policy with regard to ICT, the role of the school principal and the availability of an ICT infrastructure and support (Hayes, 2007; Scrimshaw, 2004; Tondeur, 2007). In general, studies show that traditional ways of using ICT, mainly of a skills-based nature, are favoured by many teachers (Niederhauser & Stoddart, 2001; Smeets, 2005; Tondeur, Van Braak, & Valcke, 2007). ICT is largely being used in ways that support existing teaching practice (Hayes, 2007). ICT is underexploited to create learning environments where students are more actively engaged in the creation of knowledge (Balanskat et al., 2006). Chances of more pupil centred open-ended ICT applications depend to a large extent on teachers’ decisions. In order to gain more insight into the development of the use of ICT in education, as well as into factors that hamper and factors that foster these processes, the monitoring of relevant processes and conditions with respect to the use of ICT in education in a reliable and valid way is of great importance. This includes teacher factors, characteristics of educational practice, factors at the school level, and pupil outcomes. Various aspects and outcomes of monitoring will be addressed in this symposium.

Method

In the first contribution teachers’ pedagogical practices with and without ICT in primary schools as well as factors at the teacher level and the school level are assessed by means of a web survey. Multilevel analyses will be carried out to assess the contribution of various variables at the teacher level as well as the school level on the extent of the use of ICT in transfer of knowledge and in construction of knowledge. In the second contribution an approach will be outlined which includes the use of vignettes to assess the use of ICT in educational practice in a reliable and valid way. In the third contribution the focus is on the assessment of the level of self-reported ICT competencies of students in primary and secondary education.

Expected Outcomes

Previous data sets from the study of teachers’ pedagogical practices show that the use of ICT in the process of knowledge construction mainly depends upon the year group, the extent of pedagogical practices focusing at knowledge construction without ICT, teachers’ views of the desired learning environment, their skills with respect to the use of ICT in education, and their views on the pupils’ ability at autonomous learning. The assessment by means of vignettes of the use of ICT, which is addressed in the second contribution, shows that educational approaches that emphasize internal regulation of the learning process are associated with a higher frequency of ICT use. The assessment of students’ self-reported ICT competencies shows that ICT competence and skills increase significantly over the years, but that the attitudinal component of ICT competencies seems to decrease over the years.

References

Balanskat, A., Blamire, R., & Kefala, S. (2006). The ICT Impact Report: A Review of Studies of ICT Impact on Schools in Europe. Brussels: Insight Team, European Schoolnet (EUN). Becta (2004). Review of the research literature on barriers to the uptake of ICT by teachers. Coventry, UK: British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Cox, M. J. and Abbott, C. (Eds) (2004) , ICT and Attainment – A Review of the Research Literature. Coventry / London, UK: Becta / DfES. Harrison, C., Lunzer, E.A., Tymms, P., Taylor Fitz-Gibbon, C., & Restorick, J. (2004). Use of ICT and its relationship with performance in examinations: a comparison of the ImpaCT2 project’s research findings using pupil-level, school-level and multilevel modelling data. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20, 319–337. Hayes, D.N.A. (2007). ICT and learning: Lessons from Australian classrooms. Computers and Education, 49, 385-395. Hermans, R., Tondeur, J., Van Braak, J., & Valcke, M. (2008). The impact of primary school teachers’ educational beliefs on the classroom use of computers. Computers and Education, 51, 1499-1509. Higgins, S., & Moseley, D. (2001). Teachers’ thinking about Information and Communications Technology and Learning: beliefs and outcomes. Teacher Development, 5 (2), 191-210. Hokanson, B. & Hooper, S. (2000). Computers as cognitive media: examining the potential of computers in education. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 537-552. Kennisnet (2008). Vier in Balans Monitor 2008. Stand van zaken over ict in het onderwijs. [Four in Balance Monitor 2008. State of Affairs of ICT in Education]. Zoetermeer, The Netherlands: Kennisnet. Mueller, J., Wood, E., Willoughby, T., Ross, C., & Specht, J. (2008). Identifying discriminating variables between teachers who fully integrate computers and teachers with limited integration. Computers and Education, 51, 1523-1537. Niederhauser, D.S., & Stoddart, T. (2001). Teachers’ instructional perspectives and use of educational software. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17 (1), 15-31. Scrimshaw, P. (2004). Enabling Teachers to Make Succesful Use of ICT. Coventry, UK: British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). Smeets, E. (2005). Does ICT contribute to powerful learning environments in primary education? Computers and Education, 44 (3), 343-355. Tondeur, J. (2007). Development and validation of a model of ICT integration in primary education. Academic dissertation. Ghent, Belgium: University of Ghent. Tondeur J., van Braak J. & Valcke M. (2007) Curricula and the use of ICT in education: Two worlds apart? British Journal of Educational Technology, 38 (6), 962–976.

Author Information

Ed Smeets

Radboud University

ITS

Nijmegen

157

Johan van Braak

Ghent University

Department of Educational Studies

Ghent

Jo Tondeur

University of Ghent, Belgium

Ilse Sinnaeve

University of Ghent, Belgium

Jan Elen

University of Leuven, Belgium

Geraldine Clarebout

University of Leuven, Belgium

Marleen Evers

University of Leuven, Belgium

Ton Mooij

Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, The

Carolien van Rens

Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, The

Hans van Gennip

Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, The

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