Abstract:

The factors that influence the integration process of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in the educational practices are one of the subjects most researched in the field of ICT and education. Regarding the factors related to the teacher, until now is known how this process is influenced by teacher’s individual experience with ICT (Potosky and Bobko, 2001; Rozell y Gardner, 1999), computer training (Shashaani, 1997), the genre (DeYoung and Spence, 2004; Jonson, De Castell and Bryson, 2003) and attitude towards educational innovation (Marcinkiewicz, 1993). Recently, Braak, Tondeur y Valcke (2004) distinguish between demographic aspects, aspects related with experience and attitudinal factors.

This research study four factors related to the teacher beliefs: self-perception of the competence in ICT, beliefs about the goal of the computer use in the classroom, belief about the ICT role in the curricula and beliefs about the computer use in the classroom in relation to the students.

Specifically, the research objectives are: (1) to describe each one of the teacher related factors above-mentioned that can influence the computer use in the classroom; (2) to study the educational computer use in the classroom; (3) to establish correlations between both kind of data.

The sample is formed by 278 teachers of eight scholar centers (183 primary school and 96 high school teachers). The data obtained is intentional since the educational centers studied are participating in the IA-TIC* project (Projecte de Centres Experimentals de Integració Avançada de les TIC en l’Ensenyament) initiated in the 2004. IA-TIC project is supported by Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia with the purpose to promote the classroom computer use in the teaching and learning process. IA-TIC provides technologic equipment, teacher training and academic management. Therefore, the educational centers studied have high levels of ICT integration and well-trained and experienced teachers in the computer use in the classroom.

The data collection was carried out by questionnaires that were later statistically analyzed.

Regarding the first goal, the results show a predominance of two different beliefs about the purposes and reasons of the computer use in the classroom. The first is related to the concept of productivity and the second to the concept of teaching innovation. A third less common belief is related to the ICT concept as a competitive knowledge.

About the second goal, computer uses in the classroom, stands out that three of the four uses with a major percentage are related with showing information of the curricular content to the students. Also, two of the three computer uses in the classroom with less percentage are directly linked with a low use of communication technologies.

Finally, and regarding the third goal, the results allow establishing relations between beliefs related to productivity concept and the educational uses associated to information processing. Also, is possible to relate the teachers’ beliefs about teaching innovations with the most innovative educational uses and the competence level perception of a particular ICT use with their application in the classroom.

The research concludes with a consideration about the results that could contribute with new keys ton understand the ICT integration process in the classroom.


* Experimental Centers of ICT Advanced Integration in Teaching Project.

Keywords:

teachers beliefs, computer educational uses, communication and information.