Examining teachers’ beliefs about ICT in education: implications of a teacher preparation programme

Abstract

The survey presented in this article examines current teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. A total of 1165 primary and secondary education teachers participated in the study, immediately after following a training programme on basic ICT skills. The authors’ results showed that the majority of the teachers in the sample have positive attitudes towards the training programme they attended, the general role that ICT can play in education and the integration of ICT in the educational process. The authors’ findings also revealed some parameters that interfere negatively, thus making many teachers cautious of or sceptical about ICT integration in educational practice. Multivariate analysis identified three groups of teachers that exhibited a consistent approach: a group of teachers having positive attitudes towards the items of the research, a second group with negative attitudes and a third one with neutral beliefs about ICT in education. Moreover, the authors’ analysis extracted significant information on the profile of the teachers within each of the three groups. They found that personal factors (subject matter, teaching experience and gender) are strongly associated with the beliefs and perceptions teachers hold about ICT in education.

Keywords:

• ICT in Education
• Teachers’ Beliefs
• Teachers’ Professional Development
• Educational Policy