Abstract:

We have conducted an implementation science project exploring the systematic effect of equipping primary school teachers to incorporate digital learning materials (DLM) into classroom activities. As part of the implementation science framework used in the study–Active Implementation Framework–we drew upon a mixed-methods approach collecting data from a series of interviews, observations, surveys, log-books, and analysis of the data collected from the DLM.

This study explores 34 teachers’ needs, first, and understanding, then, of the integration of DLM into teaching and learning activities developed over time and during the four stages of the implementation project. Teachers participated in a series of workshops based on their expressed needs and then systematically used the DLM, integrating them, during the workshops, into classroom activities. This research is solely based on the explorative thematic analysis of the interview data collected at three intervals, before, during and towards the end of the implementation. All interviews were conducted with Zoom and recorded. We seek to answer the research question: What expectations about digital learning material in relation to teachers’ teaching emerge from the interview data, and how do they differ from a temporal perspective?

The researchers have used ChatGPT-4o to analyse the interview data for two reasons. First, to understand if ChatGPT-4o does a sufficient and maybe even surprising job at capturing the intricacy of practitioners’ concepts about the scope of the research. Second, to check for the accuracy of the analysis by listening to the interviews and going back to the transcribed raw data at random times to build a human-machine trust for future research purposes. It is crucial to pinpoint that the researchers have transcribed all the interviews by Whisper, and then listened to all the interviews while decoding each speaker.

The preliminary results indicate that:
1) Teachers anticipated digital tools would enhance student engagement but recognized the need to adjust their teaching methods to integrate these technologies effectively.
2) Teachers encountered difficulties such as technical problems, inadequate training, and challenges in keeping students focused and engaged with digital platforms.
3) Variations in students' digital literacy affected their ability to engage with digital materials, with some excelling while others struggled, leading to uneven learning experiences.
4) The temporal evolution of teacher perspectives on digital learning shows that while initially hesitant, many teachers' attitudes toward digital tools shifted over time as they adapted to and, in some cases, came to value the flexibility these tools offered. Finally, the analysis conducted through ChatGPT-4o was checked for accuracy by randomly choosing 10 events for which the researchers asked ChatGPT-4o to point to specific codes from the interviews and the specific speaker. This resulted in an accurate analysis, which was also supported by the researcher who had listened to all the interviews.

This study demonstrates the positive effects of systematic professional development interventions, the core of our project. It could indicate the impact of professional development on teachers' competence and confidence in using digital tools. But also that ChatGPT-4o can be used for conducting a thematic analysis, especially when the researcher is faced with large interview raw datasets.

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence, thematic analysis, teachers' expectations, digital learning materials.