EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS

Synthesis Report

Educational Technology Challenges in the Netherlands

Jordan S. Rolls

University of Maryland Global Campus

EDTC 645: Integration of Technology: Global Perspectives

Professor Joseph Wieczorek

October 18, 2022

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
2
Introduction

Across the globe, nations have developed a vast amount of technology, proving that the

21st century is one of innovation and progress. Technology has taken on a larger role in

classrooms around the world, but differs by each country. According to Matthew Lynch, the

United States, United Kingdom, parts of Asia, Latin America, and Israel are among the top

contenders leading the educational technology movement acoss the globe (Lynch, 2018). Aside

from those leading countries, there are others taking the plunge for a larger implementation of

technology in education. With rapid growth within the last decade, “in terms of current

valuation, the Netherlands’ EdTech ecosystem sits seventh in Europe, though only tenth in terms

of overall funding” (Techleap, 2022, para. 9).

After first being introduced in 1993 as its own subject area, schools started integrating

technology with science education in 2004 (de Vries, 2019, p. 21). Educational technology can

be a proactive strategy for the Netherlands to solve societal issues. Problems like “talent

shortages, upskilling, reskilling, and competitive positioning” (Techleap, 2022, para. 11). With

resolution in mind, it is imperative for the Netherlands to move further in pursuit of developing

their educational technology programs in primary and secondary schools.

Technology Integration

The Netherlands Educational Research Association (NERA) participates in an annual

conference each year, organized by the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

The Information and Communication Technology in Education (ICT) organized the symposium

in 2003 and “gave an excellent impression of the kind of research on ICT and education that is

currently conducted in the Netherlands'' (van Merrienboer & Brand-Gruwel, 2005, p. 407). This

was groundbreaking exposure to the foundation of educational technology already happening in

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
3
the country. When it comes to integration of content, “ the schools are responsible for the

innovation of their own teaching, including the use of ICT, while the government stimulates and

facilitates such innovation” (van Merrienboer & Brand-Gruwel, 2005, p.408). Currently, learning

management systems (LMS) are used among Dutch schools for the organization and

management of any and all digital learning. LMS usage is protected in the “2013 Dutch primary

education act, which required schools to use a learning tracking system for systematically

monitoring the development of individual pupils and the school as a whole” (Kerssens & van

Dijck, 2021, pgs. 253-254). Schools also implement digital learning platforms (DLP), which are

aimed at “testing knowledge, skills, and developing attitudes in schools'' (Kerssens & van Dijck,

2021, p. 253). When the two learning systems become interrupted by incompatibility, “Dutch

commercial providers started to offer so-called integrated digital learning environments,

developed by both legacy suppliers (e.g., Rolf Group and Heutink) and digital startups (e.g.,

Prowise Inc, Cloudwise, Skool)” (Kerssens & van Dijck, 2021, p. 254).

Based on data posted by the Statista Research Department (2022), 79% of students in the

Netherlands reported that graphing calculators were their most used device in the classroom in

2018 (figure 1). Only 71.1% of students reported the use of desktop computers, and 54.1%

reported the use of laptops (Statista, 2022, figure 1). With even less representation, tablet usage

is reported at 17.2% in schools in the Netherlands during 2018 (Statista, 2022, figure 1). This

data shows that although there is proof of implementation of technology in K-12 classrooms,

Dutch schools are still working for “improved accessibility for a broader audience to high-

quality learning resources” (Techleap, 2022, para. 21) in their schools.

Professional Development
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
4
When envisioning the appropriate support for teachers, fourteen schools throughout the

Netherlands participated in a series of interventions to promote the professional learning

community. These “interventions can be grouped into five clusters: 1) shared school vision on

learning; 2) professional learning opportunities for all staff; 3) collaborative work and learning;

4) change of school organization, and 5) learning leadership” (Admiraal, Schenke, De Jong,

Emmelot., & Sligta, 2019, p. 684). When the data was collected, all five categories were

analyzed to determine which portions of the interventions proved to be the most

beneficial/impactful. Cluster 2, professional learning opportunities for all staff, showed to be the

most frequent with a total of 81 occurrences throughout the three years of the trial (Admiraal,

Schenke, De Jong, Emmelot., & Sligta, 2019, p. 690). With this evidence, we can conclude that

there is a large need for professional development based on the number of occurrences. Although

these fourteen schools were able to participate in the trial of these interventions, it is imperative

to recognize that other schools did not receive this additional support for their learning

communities.

Through reading Volume 36 of the European Journal of Teacher Education, it is evident

that the Netherlands has specific schools promoted to professional development of teachers. A

study was conducted on multiple candidates to determine what teachers and educational

professionals need, versus what is perceived that they need. The outcome of the survey

“suggest(s) that in Dutch professional development schools, increased attention is needed both

by researchers and practitioners on the process and outcome dimensions of doing teacher

research” (Vrijnsen-de Corte, den Brok, Kamp, & Bergen, 2013, p. 3), meaning that based on

educator preference, the appropriate topics, skills, and network training that is needed is not

being provided at the appropriate level.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
5
Infrastructure Issues

When selected to be part of the fourteen schools implementing the interventions, those

schools received additional funding to support the process. Without being part of this program,

other Dutch schools didn’t have the same funding opportunity from the government to support

their technological needs. According to the OECD, the Netherlands is among many countries

that receive mixed funding “mostly from central budgets, while most expect sub-central

governments to contribute significantly to raising funds for school education” (OECD, 2017, p.

61). On average, “55% of initial public funds for schooling originate at the central government

level, while regional and local governments contribute about 22% of initial funds” (OECD, 2017,

p. 61). These funds are spread across all areas of need, not just technological, but like few other

European countries, the Netherlands may receive additional funding that is allocated by their

choice. Unlike other countries, the Netherlands has a past of mismanagement, which “led to calls

for stronger supervision of educational governance” (OECD, 2017, p. 208). Financial stability

for schools has been questioned in the country due to lack of appropriate allocation, risks taken,

and quality issues.

With the implementation of LMS and DLP platforms, there is a need of “coordination

between local-national initiatives governing platformization at the sectoral level of Dutch

primary school education and the development of common infrastructures at the national and

European levels” (Kerssens & van Dijck, 2021, p. 251). Without this unification of these

platforms in the ecosystem, the platforms themselves can become destabilized entirely. The

Netherlands wants to implement a full platformization of primary education in the country,

which will lead to the assemblages of “digital infrastructures, hardware devices, operating

software, cloud services, data analytics, social sharing, and sector-specific software” (Kerssens
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
6
& van Dijck, 2021, p. 252). Given the success of platformization, the ecosystems that it creates

will in turn have companies with “rule-setting power” (Kerssens & van Dijck, 2021, p. 252). A

downfall of which could be the privatization of each individual ecosystem. This causes conflict

between the differentiation of private and public education based on the organizing principles set

by the company with ruling power. Although platformization can be a dynamic move by the

country, it also has the potential to completely destabilize the educational infrastructure.

Conclusion

Given there is a lot of discussion about the misuse and stability of the financial influence

in schools, I would like to find additional information about reports taken on the issues recorded.

Since school leaders were given the choice on how to allocate the finances, I would be interested

to see exactly what the funds were used for and how the turn around was. There seem to be many

opportunities for professional development, but the right materials aren’t being taught. Perhaps

the allotted funds could be used for more beneficial training for teachers? The professional

development schools in the Netherlands could use more detailed research and response about the

actual needs of teachers and the school systems. The EdTech movement proves to be innovative,

but I think the country struggles to organize priorities for the perfect succession. I would like to

learn more about the EdTech movement and the detailed plans of effective implementation

despite the challenges they face.

Similar to the United States, the Netherlands needs more support in professional

development for teachers. It would be helpful to know more about the standards followed for

core curriculum and technology to see where the needs lie in comparison. Knowing the level of

technology curriculum in primary and secondary schools would help determine whether schools

have the appropriate devices to deliver curriculum.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
7
References:

Admiraal, W., Schenke, W., De Jong, L., Emmelot, Y., & Sligta, H. (2019). Schools as

professional learning communities: What can schools do to support professional

development of their teachers? Professional Development in Education (47)4, 684-698.

https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/doi/pdf/10.1080/19415257.2019.166557

3?needAccess=true

de Vries, M. J. (2019). International stem education: The netherlands as a case. Technology and

Engineering Teacher (78)4, 21-25. https://eric.ed.gov/?

id=EJ1197924#:~:text=Technology%20Education%20was%20introduced

%20there,integrate%20it%20with%20Science%20Education.

Kerssens, N. & van Dijck, J. (2021). The platformization of primary education in the

netherlands. Learning, Media and Technology (46)3, 250-263.

https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.1876725

Lynch, M. (2018, May 24). Which country is leading the edtech movement? The Edvocate.

https://www.theedadvocate.org/which-country-is-leading-the-edtech-movement/

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2017). The funding of

school education: Connecting resources and learning. OECD Publishing.

https://doi.org/10.1787/24133841

Statista Research Department. (2022, June 13). Devices used at schools in the netherlands 2018.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/940327/devices-used-at-schools-in-the-netherlands/

Techleap. (2022). Learning. Unlearning. Relearning: How dutch edtech can spark vital change

in the netherlands. https://www.techleap.nl/articles/learning-unlearning-relearning-how-

dutch-edtech-can-spark-vital-change
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN THE NETHERLANDS
8
Vrijnsen-de Corte, M., den Brok, P., Kamp, M., & Bergen, T. (2013). Teacher research in dutch

professional development schools: Perceptions of the actual and preferred situations in

terms of the context, process and outcomes of research. European Journal of Teacher

Education (36)1, 3-23.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.1080/02619768.2012.662639

van Merrienboer, J. J. G. & Brand-Gruwel, S. (2005). The pedagogical use of information and

communication technology in education: A dutch perspective. Computers in Human

Behavior (21)3. 407-414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2004.10.004