Review by: Hasanbegovic, Jasmina (2004-07-07)

This paper aims to analyse training programmes initialised by a national initiative in the U.K, designed to raise ICT competence development of all U.K. primary and secondary teachers and to foster their positive attitudes to computers. The analysis presented in the paper focuses on the teachers’ perspective and calls into question the extent to which teachers have made significant progress as a result of the so-called NOF (New Opportunities Fund)training.

Main research goals are to provide some evidence on teachers’ perspectives of their experiences and on the impact that the NOF initiative has had on their classroom practice by using a 98-item instrument comprising both open and closed questions. This instrument enabled the researchers to map the views expressed on NOF training by the teachers in their narrative responses and the potential impact that NOF training has had on the teachers’ attitudes to use computers in their teaching.

The methodical approach is a systemic one, integrating design and delivery features for the ICT training of the NOF programme itself and comparing it with recent research on professional training. Furthermore, the evaluation included reviews of NOF ICT training and independent research on NOF training ensuring the consideration and assessment of different stakeholders. The questionnaire itself was designed to elicit information on the teachers’ use of computers in school and at home, their experience and competence in using computers and their perceptions of the value of computers in teaching.The open questions of the questionnaire providing narrative data on teachers’ attitudes to NOF training were analysed according to the key themes attitudes to NOF training, to ICT training in general and to ICT in teaching and learning, whereas negative, positive and positive with reservations attitudes were categorised. The potential impact of the NOF training on teachers’ attitudes to computers in education was assessed by a 20-item attitude scale. The data were therefore subjected to a straight-forward principal components analysis which yielded two factors “Confidence in using computers” and “Importance of computers to teachers”. Beyond that, the factor mean scores were compared to examine how different groups of teachers, according to whether they had completed NOF training, were undertaking it or had not yet started it, had responded according to whether they had completed NOF training, were undertaking it or had not yet started it.

The results show that the NOF completed group expressed more confidence, but exhibited no significant differences for the pairings of gender, age or school type. A comparison between the means of the subgroups that expressed positive and negative attitudes to NOF training in their free responses showed a significant difference concerning the importance of computers. The negative views expressed by teachers in the free, response items concerned the nature, level and delivery of the training, lack of time, the exploitation of teachers’ own time and expense and the lack of technical and social support and good equipment.

Overall, this study shows a valuable, systemic approach for assessing a nation-wide ICT training initiative from the perspective of teachers and delivers a good practice for quality assessment in other countries or initiatives.