Roger Lee 95444332

RTL 2 PART A Literature Review – The Relationship between positive learning environment and

the use of ICT in the classroom.

Establishing a platform for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to be a

useful and successful tool in the modern classroom requires many practitioners from across the

education sector (Voogt, G. Knezek, Cox, D. Knezek, Brummelhuis, 2013) in a co-ordinated

effort to link research and, policy and best practice. Though it becomes the role of the teachers

to implement the use of this technology in their classrooms and therefore making their role an

imperative one, it is through sound research and policy making that the use of ICT can have a

positive impact on student outcomes. Teacher attitudes and experience levels have been

shown to impact on the successful use of ICT in the classroom, with a majority of teachers

holding positive attitudes towards the importance and use of technology in their classrooms

(Sanmamed, Sangrà, Muñoz-Carril, 2017), though a significant number of teachers studied

consider it time-consuming. Importantly it is the knowledge and training that teachers have

with regards to the use of ICT that demonstrates the widest polarity in teacher attitudes,

signaling that more training and information may be required for teachers to save time in their

classes whilst using this ICT.

An investigation into student teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in an inclusive

educational practice have shown that while student teachers have positive attitudes towards

the use of ICT in an inclusive educational environment, the surveyed teachers expressed

reservations about the positive nature of ICT within an inclusive educational practice (Beacham,
McIntosh, 2014). It would appear then that there is a gap between the positive attitudes and

intentions of teachers regarding the use of ICT in the classroom and the actual implementation

and use ICT within an inclusive teaching practice. Though it is widely acknowledged that

traditional teaching methods can no longer sustain the attention of students in the modern

classroom (Khine, Ali, Afari, 2017), results of the study investigating Teaching Pedagogical

Content Knowledge (TPACK) indicate that a student teachers professional competency can be

linked directly to their knowledge, understanding and training in ICT use in the classroom. This

could account for the gap seen in attitudes towards the attitudes of teachers towards the use of

ICT and implementation of its use by teachers mentioned above.

Further investigation of the factors that can affect the transfer of the knowledge

surrounding the use of ICT in the classroom have indicated that a higher level of training in ICT

for student teachers leads to a more positive attitude towards the use of ICT and the

effectiveness of the transfer of knowledge that the use of ICT can bring to the classroom(Agyei,

Voogt, 2014). Evidence here suggest that a higher level of formal training is essential to

teachers being able to transfer their positive attitudes towards the use of ICT into their teaching

practice more effectively. The availability of training resources and the lack of ICT infrastructure

within a school contributed heavily in the teachers' ability to transfer their knowledge and skills

when using ICT effectively within their lesson plans and delivery. Another factor in effective

delivery of content using ICT is the age and experience levels of teachers. Schools in

Johannesburg were studied (Chikasa, Ntuli, Sundarjee,2014) in which it became evident that

teachers with more overall experience tend to have less experience and training with ICT

devices and systems than their younger less experienced colleges (who subsequently have
more experience and knowledge with ICT devices in general). Training and experience is

therefore important for teachers that are endeavouring to implement ICT in a positive learning

environment.

An Interactive White Board (IWB) is a tool that has been developed to assist learning in

the modern classroom the world over, with its use being adaptable to many different languages

and national syllabi. This form of technology not only transform the way in which people learn,

it can also improve the outcomes of students when compared to the results of students who do

not have access to this technology in their classroom (Yang, Wang, Kao, 2012). This technology

when coupled with adequate training for staff demonstrated an improvement in efficiency of

information and content delivery as well as student participation during lessons. These devices

can be directly linked to an improvement in student outcomes and indicate that the use of

these devices signals a positive learning environment is being enjoyed. Multi-media

presentations and audio-visual capabilities are among the positive advantages that using the

IWB can bring to a well-rounded pedagogy. When coupled with interactive software these

resources can be utilised to develop an increasing pool of lesson plans and teaching resources

that can be shared globally when combined with file-sharing via the internet.

So far, I have concentrated on the relationship between the use of ICT in a positive

learning environment from the perspective of teacher attitudes and training as well as available

resources. It is also important to note that students' views on the use of ICT can provide insight

into this relationship. It would almost be self-evident to suggest that students' attitudes

towards the use of ICT in the classroom would be overall positive (Räihä, Tossavainen,

Enkenberg, Turunen, 2014). Students growing up around ICT devices therefore experience a
positive enhancement to their learning environment within the subject areas of computing and

internet skills. With students using these tools within their social networks and general

interests of life, we see that these skills transfer into the learning environment seamlessly as

students already possess the knowledge and application of the technology that their teachers

(who are older) did not possess at the same age. This gives the current students somewhat of

an advantage in using the ICT devices, and this will hopefully transfer into the next generation

of teachers who will have interreacted with these devices as young students and carry this

knowledge and experience forward into their teaching practices without requiring the same

level of training that current teachers that have not experienced ICT in their schooling may

require.

Gaining exposure to ICT at home and within schooling has related to a higher level of

operational skills within university bachelor students (Verhoeven, Heerwegh, Wit, 2016), and

this link confirms the relationship between the use of ICT and a positive learning environment.

Furthermore, bachelor students who move into scientific research have been shown to use

information systems for their research with greater proficiency because of their exposure to ICT

as a learning tool during the school environment.

It is therefore clear to see that the use of ICT can aid a teacher in creating a positive

learning environment for their students. This technology however requires resources and

training for teachers of all ages to be able to utilise it full. Overall the attitudes of students and

teachers towards the use of ICT is largely positive, and this desire to incorporate these systems

into positive pedagogies and student outcomes bodes well for the future of the educational

applications of ICT use.

PART B – Data collection protocols

The following is a data collection method for a set of interviews that will be conducted by the

researcher. The protocol is as follows.

Interview protocol- Ask for the teachers' or students name, age and current class/ grade, and

explain the purpose of the research. Also provide the participants with a WSU consent form to

sign if the willingly agree to take part in the study to comply with ethical practices. No

participants should be coerced onto participation if they are apprehensive about taking part.

The interviews will be open ended and will have a general target running time of 20 minutes,

though this can be extended or reduced if need be. As this study seeks to gauge the changing

experiences of students, some question may be omitted or added for clarification of certain

data points. Though the interviews will be semi-structured, the researcher should allow for

detailed responses to lead the interview into more in-depth investigations.

Linking research questions to interview questions

Research question (for students) - Has the use of ICT had an impact on your schooling?

Interview questions (for students) - Have you experienced the use of ICT devices during your

schooling?
Have these devices influenced (either measurable in academic results or in your sense of

accomplishment) your schooling experience?

Were there any issues or problems that arose from using these devices?

How could these issues be avoided or improved upon?

How could these devices be used better to aid students in their learning?

What is your opinion on the use of these devices within the classroom setting?

Have your results been affected by the use of ICT devices?

How have your results been affected by the use of ICT in the classroom?

Research question (for teachers) - Has the use of ICT devices impacted on your teaching

practice?

Interview questions – What ICT devices and tools have you used in your classroom?

What training have you received for the use of these devices and software systems?

What do you see as the benefits of using these devices to your overall pedagogy?

What is your general feeling about using these devices?

How could you improve your knowledge of these devices to better student outcomes?

Can you attribute the use of these devices to any changes in student engagement or

achievements?

PART C – Data collection protocol (explanation)

 I have chosen to undertake this data collection protocol to discover if there is any links

between the use of ICT devices in classrooms to any measurable effect on student outcomes. It

is clear that teacher attitudes towards the use of these devices are largely positive (Sanmamed,

Sangrà, Muñoz-Carril, 2017), and this research seeks to further understand the causal links

between their use and actual measurable outcomes. The interview protocols are designed in

order for the participants to delve into their own personal experiences with these devices to

gain an understanding of weather these positive attitudes translate into academic results. The

interview questions will therefor yield qualitative and qualitative data that could give an

indication of not only the attitudes of the participants, but also a quantitative data set that can

demonstrate a translation between the apparent positive attitudes towards the use of ICT and

the actual measurable effect of these devices on student outcomes.

The questions are designed to elicit candid and honest responses from the participants,

and the responses should give a multi-faceted pool of data to aid my group in their research

question. Previous studies regarding the use of ICT have focused on student attitudes towards

ICT have provided us with data that suggests that students to have a positive outlook on the

use of ICT devices in their classes (Räihä, Tossavainen, Enkenberg, Turunen, 2014) yet these

studies do not provide a definitive link between the positive attitudes and positive outcomes for

students. The interview process intends to build upon this previous research and begin to

create a link between ICT use and its effects.

Furthermore, the interview will attempt to extract data that can assist teachers in

developing their ICT skills. This approach is predicated on the assumption that the use of ICT

devices does have a positive effect on student outcomes, and in doing so can provide data on
how this positive effect can be enhanced for future generation of both teachers and students. I

have chosen to follow this assumption base on the indications of the research mentioned in my

literature review, as there is very little data to indicate that the use of ICT is not beneficial to

student outcomes, and therefore can be used better in future. The research that I have touched

on in the literature review indicates that student (or trainee) teachers are increasingly gaining

high levels of skill with ICT devices (Beacham, McIntosh, 2014), and these skill levels should

continue to develop as ICT devices become more commonplace in classrooms across the global

education system.

This research should begin to create a direct link between the use of ICT devices and a

measurable effect on student outcomes. Previous research has laid the foundation for such a

bridge to be initiated, and the data yielded form this study will begin to give researchers and

educators alike a better understanding of the positive effect ICT devices can have within a

positive learning environment.

References

Agyei, D. D., & Voogt, J. (2014). Examining factors affecting beginning teachers' transfer of

learning of ICT-enhanced learning activities in their teaching practice. Australasian

Journal Of Educational Technology, 30(1), 92-105.

Beacham, N., & McIntosh, K. (2014). Student teachers' attitudes and beliefs towards using ICT

within inclusive education and practice. Journal Of Research In Special Educational

Needs, 14(3), 180-191. doi:10.1111/1471-3802.12000

Chikasa, S., Ntuli, M., & Sundarjee, R. (2014). ICT integration in teaching: An uncomfortable

zone for teachers: A case of schools in Johannesburg. Education As Change, 18(1), 137-

150. doi:10.1080/16823206.2013.847013

Khine, M., Ali, N., & Afari, E. (2017). Exploring relationships among TPACK constructs and ICT

achievement among trainee teachers. Education & Information Technologies, 22(4),

1605-1621. doi:10.1007/s10639-016-9507-8

Mercedes González-Sanmamed, Albert Sangrà & Pablo-César Muñoz-Carril (2017) We can, we

know how. But do we want to? Teaching attitudes towards ICT based on the level of

technology integration in schools, Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 26:5, 633-647,

DOI: 10.1080/1475939X.2017.1313775

Teija Räihä, Kerttu Tossavainen, Jorma Enkenberg & Hannele Turunen (2014) Pupils’ views on

an ICT-based learning environment in health learning, Technology, Pedagogy and

Education, 23:2, 181-197, DOI: 10.1080/1475939X.2013.795076

Voogt, J., Knezek, G., Cox, M., Knezek, D., & Ten Brummelhuis, A. (2013). Under which

conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning? A Call to Action.

Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(1), 4-14. doi:10.1111/j.1365-

2729.2011.00453.x
Verhoeven, J., Heerwegh, D., & Wit, K. (2016). ICT learning experience and research orientation

as predictors of ICT skills and the ICT use of university students. Education &

Information Technologies, 21(1), 71-103. doi:10.1007/s10639-014-9310-3

Yang, K., Wang, T., & Kao, Y. (2012). How an interactive whiteboard impacts a traditional

classroom. Education As Change, 16(2), 313-332. doi:10.1080/16823206.2012.745759