Comparing perspectives on the role of ICT in education

1. Comparing perspectives on the role of ICT in education Bob Fox & Peter Twining SITE Conference Orlando March 2006

2. Overview • Background • Looking at occupational groups • Conclusions, discussion

3. The ‘problem’ • Reality rhetoric gap (Trend, Davis & Loveless 1999) • High investment (e.g. Twining 2002) • Low impact on learning (e.g. Pelgrum 2001; Cuban 2001; OFSTED 2002a, 2002b) • Shared understandings? (Twining 2002) Cuban (2001) Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom, London: Harvard University Press. OFSTED (2002a) Primary Subject Reports 2000-01: Information and communication technology, London: HMSO. OFSTED (2002a) Secondary Subject Reports 2000-01: Information and communication technology, London: HMSO. Pelgrum (2001) Obstacles to the integration of ICT in education: results from a worldwide education assessment, Computers & Education, 37 pp163-178. Trend, Davis & Loveless (1999) Information and Communications Technology, London: Letts. Twining (2002) Enhancing the impact of investments in educational ICT, Milton Keynes: Open University.

4. dICTatEd’s ApproachDiscussing ICT, Aspirations & Targets for Education • Rationales in literature • 19 discrete rationales (mapped to Computer Practice Framework (CPF)) • Questionnaire • Views/aspirations • Shared ‘visions’? • Encourage debate

5. Analysis – Variations among Occupational Groups

6. Eight Occupational Groups • From total selection of 5885 respondents • Sample includes 2136 responses • Some ‘double counting’ Categories • Secondary Teachers • Teaching Assistants • Primary Trainees • Secondary Trainees • Teacher Educators • Advisers • Parents • Primary Teachers

7. Teacher Educators: N = 151 • Parents: N = 233 • Teaching Assistants: N = 64 • Primary Trainees: N = 485 • Secondary Trainees: N = 385

8. Advisers: N = 192 • Advisers = 44 • Advisory Teachers = 39 • Inspectors = 7 • Consultants = 102Not all are ICT specialists

9. Primary Teachers: N = 210 • Teachers = 178 • Deputy Heads = 9 • Heads = 23 • Secondary Teachers: N = 442 • Teachers = 399 • Deputy Heads = 25 • Heads = 18

15. Rationales 10) In order to increase productivity in education 11) In order to reduce the cost of education 12) In order to make education more efficient 13) As a substitute for teachers 14) In order to reward learners 15) As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology 16) As preparation for work (employment) 17) In order to support and stimulate the country’s economic development 18) In order to impress stakeholders 19) In order to reduce inequalities of differential access outside formal education • As a tool to support learners in thinking about their own learning • In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded • In order to learn IT skills. • As a tool to achieve traditional teaching and learning goals across the curriculum • In order to extend and enrich the curriculum • In order to motivate learners • As a catalyst for educational change • Because of the impact of ICT on the nature of knowledge • In order to fundamentally change teaching and learning • As a tool to support learners in thinking about their own learning • In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded • As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology • As preparation for work (employment) • In order to reduce inequalities of differential access outside formal education

16. Top Ten Rationales • In order to learn IT skills • As a tool to achieve traditional teaching and learning goals across the curriculum • In order to extend and enrich the curriculum • In order to motivate learners • Because of the impact of ICT on the nature of knowledge • As a tool to support learners in thinking about their own learning • In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded • As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology • As preparation for work (employment) • In order to reduce inequalities of differential access outside formal education

17. 8 12 9 16 10 6 13 1 4 15 18 11 17 7 3 19 14 5 2 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Distribution of Means (N = 2136)

18. 2.06 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Rationale 15: As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology

19. Parents 2.14 Advisers 1.96 2.06 Teaching Assistants 2.38 Teacher Educators 1.87 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 1.6 Secondary Teachers 1.99 Primary Trainees 2.11 Secondary Trainees 2.14 Primary Teachers 2.00 Rationale 15: As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology

20. 1.93 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Rationale 1: In order to learn IT skills

21. Advisers 1.53 Parents 2.08 1.93 Teaching Assistants 2.28 Teacher Educators 1.71 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 1.4 Secondary Teachers 1.89 Primary Trainees 2.00 Secondary Trainees 2.18 Primary Teachers 1.72 Rationale 1: In order to learn IT skills

22. 1.91 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Rationale 9: In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded

23. Teaching Assistants 2.41 Advisers 1.77 Parents 1.79 1.91 Teacher Educators 2.04 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 1.4 Secondary Teachers 1.90 Primary Trainees 2.00 Primary Teachers 1.83 Secondary Trainees 1.80 Rationale 9: In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded

24. -1.97 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Rationale 13: As a substitute for teachers

25. Advisers -2.06 Teacher Educators -1.59 Teaching Assistants -2.52 Parents -2.16 -1.97 -2.4 -2.2 -2.0 -1.8 -1.6 -2.6 Secondary Teachers -1.72 Primary Trainees -2.09 Primary Teachers -1.92 Secondary Trainees -2.05 Rationale 13: As a substitute for teachers

26. 0.71 -2 -1 1 2 0 -3 3 Rationale 7: In order to fundamentally change teaching and learning

27. Parents 0.33 Advisers 1.09 0.71 Teaching Assistants 0.5 Teacher Educators 1.23 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.2 Primary Trainees 0.75 Secondary Teachers 0.84 Secondary Trainees 0.37 Primary Teachers 0.7 Rationale 7: In order to fundamentally change teaching and learning

28. Rankings • (Based on 3 points for 1st choice, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd) • These correlate highly, but not precisely, with rating order (about 0.7)

29. Rationale 15: As preparation for living in a society that is permeated with technology 1st Choice: Parents, Secondary teachers, Secondary trainees, Teaching Assistants 2nd Choice: Teacher educators, Primary teachers, Primary trainees 3rd Choice: Advisers

30. Rationale 3: In order to extend and enrich learning across the curriculum 1st Choice: Teacher educators, Advisers, Primary teachers, Primary trainees 2nd Choice: Secondary teachers 3rd Choice: Secondary trainees 4th Choice: Parents 5th Choice: Teaching Assistants

31. Rationale 1: In order to learn IT skills 1st Choice: 2nd Choice: Parents, Secondary trainees 3rd Choice: Primary teachers, Primary trainees, Teaching Assistants 4th Choice: Secondary teachers 5th Choice: 6th Choice: Teacher educators 7th Choice: Advisers

32. Rationale 6: Because of the impact of ICT on the nature of knowledge 1st Choice: 2nd Choice: Advisers 3rd Choice: Teacher educators, Parents, Secondary teachers 6th Choice: Teaching Assistants, Primary trainees, Secondary trainees 8th Choice: Primary teachers

33. Rationale 9: In order to provide access to the curriculum for those who might otherwise be excluded from it 1st Choice: 2nd Choice: Teaching Assistants 3rd Choice: 4th Choice: Teacher educators, Advisers, Primary teachers, Primary trainees 5th Choice: Parents, Secondary teachers, Secondary trainees

34. Least Popular Rationale: Rationale 13 (As a substitute for teachers) Primary Teachers, Secondary Teachers, Secondary Trainees ~ For Primary Trainees it was 5th worst… Rationale 18 (In order to impress stakeholders) ~ No category placed this last Rationale 11 (In order to reduce the cost of education) Teacher Educators, Primary Trainees Rationale 14 (In order to reward learners) Advisers, Parents Rationale 17 (In order to support and stimulate the country’s economic development) Teaching Assistants

35. Conclusion

36. Helping each other • Stimulating debate • Auditing views • Students on entry and exit • Staff • More responses => Finer grained analysis www.meD8.info/dictated www.meD8.info/qqa