COMPETENCES AND USE OF ICT BY FUTURE TEACHERS AND KINDERGARTEN EDUCATORS: USING AN ONLINE SURVEY TO PORTRAY THE CASE OF A PORTUGUESE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Nowadays, the preservice teachers’ education is faced with the complex and challenging issue of developing programs that improve both future teachers’ ICT competences as well as technological pedagogical content knowledge to incorporate them in their future practice.

The aim of this study is twofold: describe and analyze the extent of ICT use and self-reported competences by preservice elementary teachers and kindergarten educators in a higher education institution in Lisbon; establish their expectations regarding the future use of collaborative technology for learning purposes.

The study population is made up of 297 students enrolled at the Basic Education Bachelor degree during the 2016-2017 academic year. In this bachelor, although there are no ICT compulsory courses, students are presented to these tools and are expected to use and develop ICT knowledge and skills in different courses.

For data collection we have used an on-line survey with closed questions about access, frequency, context, purpose and confidence regarding ICT use and motivation towards future use of collaborative ICT. A total of 131 students, 124 females and 7 males, answered the online survey. After a descriptive analysis, non-parametric tests were used in order to explore the existence of significant relationship between different variables.

Almost all respondents reported to have internet access in their homes and to have computer as well mobile phone with camera. Of the respondents, 89% informed to use almost daily or even every day the computer at home, while only 22% reported using this device at school with the same frequency. More than 80% of the students stated the almost every day use of ICT tools to do school work and to navigate the internet.

Of the ICT tools considered in the questionnaire, internet browsing, research, preparation of presentations, text edition and live conversational tools were the technologies which the majority of students reported having used with great confidence. However, more than 50% of the students do not know or do not know how to use data bases, statistic software and tools that allow the construction of concept maps and collaborative pages. Moreover, there is no relation between the reported use of almost ICT tools addressed in the questionnaire and the bachelor year on which students were enrolled. The only exception was the statistical tools. In addition, we only found a relation between sex and the reported use of research tools.

Results also indicate that students reported positive expectations regarding using ICT for collaborative work. The introduction of these tools is significantly regarded by the students as an opportunity to learn new things and to improve the final product of their works as well as an interesting experience. Statistical calculations revealed that there is no significant relationship between students’ ICT motivations and bachelor year.

Although the evaluation regarding ICT use is generally positive there are some important educational tools which even students’ in the third year of the bachelor don’t know. Based on the results obtained, this study suggests a set of recommendations in order to improve students’ knowledge and competences regarding ICT. These recommendations include the integration of compulsory science education curricular activities that require the use of data bases, statistic software and tools that allow the construction of concept maps and collaborative pages.