Abstract:

In recent years, schools have been using free operating systems in order to integrate digital telecommunications in the teaching-learning process. Valencia Community is working with the LliureX operating system. The objective of this research was to assess whether this system has contributed to the training of the students of the Degree in Preschool and Primary Education and enabled them to incorporate the LliureX programmes and applications in their future teaching methodologies. 101 students of the subject Educational Process Design (part of the curriculum of the aforementioned degree in the Education Faculty of the University of Alicante) have participated in the research. The methodology employed has combined the processes of quantitative and qualitative interpretation: so, students were given a closed questionnaire (pre-test) to find out students’ level of knowledge about free software (specifically LliureX), and then an open questionnaire (post-test) to analyze the advantages and disadvantages they observed when using programs like this. The results show teachers have little knowledge of free programs and their use in schools, and some reluctance to use them in their future educational practice. We believe, therefore, that it is necessary that students acquire knowledge and skills of this type during initial teacher education, in order to be able to integrate them in their future teaching practice.

Note: This research was funded by Emerging Research Projects, the Department of Research, Development and Innovation at the University of Alicante (GRE11-07/2011).

Keywords:

Initial teacher education, free software, LliureX, educational technologies.