A SURVEY OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCE TOWARDS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
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A SURVEY OF
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCE TOWARDS INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
ABSTRACT
Throughout
the world there is awareness of the fundamental role of new Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) in the field of education. The importance of ICT in
empowering teachers and enhancing teaching achievement has been highlighted in
several studies.
This study
examined empirically teachers’ attitudes and competence towards Information and
Communication Technology in education. Gender influence on their attitude and
competence were examined.
Information
in this research was obtained from primary and secondary source. The primary
source in this case is a questionnaire with a sample of 50 mathematics teachers
(25 males and 25 females) from secondary schools in Yaba; Lagos while the
secondary source includes textbooks, journals and International Networking
(Internet). The survey included questions concerning attitudes and competence
of the teachers towards the use of ICT as well questions related to the level
of ICT usage.
The findings
of the study which was analyzed using frequency count and chi-square statistics
revealed that majority of the teachers have positive attitude towards the use
of ICT; are competent in the use of few basic ICT tools; and significant gender
differences in competent level and attitudes of the teachers towards the use of
ICT tools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The potentials
of information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate students’
learning, improve teaching and enhance institutional administration had been
established in literature (Kazu & Yavulzalp, 2008; Kirschner &
Woperies, 2003). The use of information and communication technology as a tool
for enhancing students’ learning, mathematics teachers’ instruction, and as
catalyst for improving access to quality education in formal and non-formal
settings has become a necessity. Recognizing the impact of new technologies on
the workplace and everyday life, teacher education institutions try to
restructure their education programmes and classroom facilities, in order to
husband the potentials of ICT in improving the content of teacher education.
Information and communication technology as tools within the school environment
include use for school administration and management, teaching and learning of
ICT related skills for enhancing the presentation of classroom work,
teaching/learning repetitive tasks, teaching/learning intellectual, thinking
and problem solving skills, stimulating creativity and imagination; for
research by mathematics teachers and students, and as communication tool by
mathematics teachers and students (Collis & Moonen, 2001; Derbyshire, 2003;
Moursund & Bielefeldt, 1999).
Information
and communications technologies are computer based tools used by people to work
with information and communication processing needs of an organization. Its
purview covers computer hardware and software, the network, and other digital
devices like video, audio, camera, and so on, which convert information (text,
sound, motion, etc,) into digital form (Moursund & Bielefeldt, 1999).
Successful integration of ICT in the school system depends largely on the competence
and on the attitude of mathematics teachers towards the role of modern
technologies in teaching and learning. Thus, experienced mathematics teachers,
newly qualified, and student-mathematics teachers need to be confident in using
ICT effectively in their teaching (Kyriakidou, Chrisostomou, & Bank, 2000).
Simply
having ICT in schools will not guarantee their effective use. Regardless of the
quantity and quality of technology placed in classrooms, the key to how those
tools are used is the teacher; therefore mathematics teachers must have the
competence and the right attitude towards technology (Kadel, 2005). Attitudes
refer to one’s positive or negative judgment about a concrete subject.
Attitudes are determined by the analysis of the information regarding the
result of an action and by the positive or negative evaluation of these results
(Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). There is a common saying that attitude determines
altitude. Studies have established close links and affinities between
mathematics teachers’ attitude and their use of ICT. More positive attitudes
towards the computer were associated with a higher level of computer experience
(Dyck & Smither, 1995; Teo, 2008). Students’ confidence on ICT can be
explained through the attitude and behaviors of their mathematics teachers.
Mathematics teachers’ behavior is a critical influence on students’ confidence
and attitude towards ICT as they provide important role model to their students
(Derbyshire, 2003). The literature suggests that lack of adequate training and
experience is one of the main reasons why mathematics teachers do not use
technology in their teaching. This also eventuates in mathematics teachers’
negative attitude towards computer and technology. In addition, lack of
confidence leads to reluctance to use computers by the mathematics teachers
(Kumar & Kumar, 2003).
Attitude of
pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers towards computer and technology
skills can be improved by integrating technology into teacher education
(Zammit, 1992). Findings have revealed that a significant relationship exist
between computer attitude and its use in institutions for pre-service
mathematics teachers (Khine, 2001), and also for serving mathematics teachers
in the affective attitude, general usefulness, behavioral control, and
pedagogical use (Yuen & Ma, 2002). Attitude is a major predictor of future
computer use. Lee (1997) study indicated the importance of appropriate
responses to the trainee’s feelings about using ICT as one of the factors
critical to success. Thus, there is the need to take care of the emotional
needs of student mathematics teachers as attitude is a major predictor of
future ICT use. Student mathematics teachers have positive attitude and are
highly enthusiastic about interactive whiteboards as an important feature of
teaching and learning, and this motivated them to practice using the technology
(Kennewell, & Morgan, 2003)
Gender gap
exists in education in sub-Saharan Africa, and out-of-school children, more of
whom are girls, are deprived of any opportunity to gain ICT related knowledge
and skills in school. African women have the lowest enrolment rates in the
world in science and technology education at all levels. A study conducted in
four African countries identified that while in principles girls are given the
same opportunity as boys of access to computer, gender equity does not exist in
practice (Derbyshire, 2003). However, Kirkpatrick and Cuban (1998) review had
established that when female and male students had the same amounts and types
of experiences of computer, females’ achievement scores and attitudes are
similar to that of male’s at all educational levels.
Studies had
established that females tend to be less interested in computer and use them
less often in their spare time (Schaumburg, 2001). In addition, studies have
established that girls are less confident than boys in their computer skills,
and that some international studies have found that boys scored better than
girls in computer related knowledge and skills in vast majority of countries.
In addition, the three computer related occupation (computer scientists,
computer engineers and system analysts, and computer science and engineering)
are the top career choices for boys (Derbyshire, 2003). Female also have more
negative attitude towards computer (Bebetsos & Antoniou, 2008), thus they
are often less computer literate than male (Kadel, 2005; Schaumburg, 2001;
Townsend, 1997), thus they are often less computer literate than males
(Schaumburg, 2001) and this may result in different ways of using the computer
(Jackson, Ervin, Gardner, & Schmitt, 2001). Sefyrin (2005) study showed
that competence in ICT could be seen as a question of interest in ICT, where
men are more interested in ICT than women. The study thus confirmed the view of
gender and competence as actively constructed in a social process. This is
because understandings of the terms were negotiated among individuals in the
groups studied, and therefore used as norms with which individuals understood
themselves and their behaviors.
Serving and
student-mathematics teachers need to be skilled in the use of ICT and also to
be able to critically evaluate strategies for the acquisition and the
appropriate application of ICT in diverse curriculum area (Robbin, 1998). Major
ICT competencies required by mathematics teachers were highlighted by Kirschner
and Woperies (2003) to include competency in making personal use of ICT;
mastery of a range of educational paradigms that make use of ICT; competency in
making use of ICT as minds tools; competency in using ICT as tool for teaching,
competency in mastering a range of assessment paradigms which involves use of ICT;
and competency in understanding the policy dimensions of the use of ICT for
teaching and learning. Pre-service teacher education should focus on the need
for student-mathematics teachers to have ICT skills for their own use in the
preparation of materials for teaching and learning activities; the need to
facilitate the direct use of ICT in students’ learning activities within the
classroom situation; and the need for mathematics teachers to develop in their
students a critical awareness of ICT applications and the social implications
(Robbins, 1998). Similarly, Marija and Palmira (2007) classified ICT
competencies into two: basic and educational ICT competence. These competences
are further elaborated in the ICT competency standards for mathematics teachers
developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO, 2008a, 2008b). Based on these documents, the information
and communication technology competency is comprehensive than mere focus on ICT
skills. Rather, it is a comprehensive approach to education reform in six broad
areas of policy, curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, the use of technology,
school organization and administration, and teacher professional development.
The UNESCO (2008a, 2008b) standards for mathematics teachers are meant to
improve mathematics teachers’ practice in using ICT in an innovative way for
teaching, collaborating with colleagues, and for school organization.
Lee (1997)
found that a great number of pre-service mathematics teachers are not equipped
with basic computer operational skills; therefore, for mathematics teachers to
be able to integrate ICT into the school curriculum, groundwork must be done at
the pre-service teacher education level. Teacher educators need to understand
the dimensions of pre-service teacher attitude as a means of developing teacher
education curriculum relevant for the contemporary knowledge age.
1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Studies have
revealed that there is a wide gap between policy development and implementation
in the Nigerian schools as regards computer education in Nigerian schools
(Jegede & Owolabi, 2005). Examining information and communication
technology in the Nigerian health sector, only mobile phone and the Internet,
to some extent, are available in the Nigerian hospitals (Idowu, Ogunbodede,
& Idowu, 2003). On mathematics teachers’ competence, mathematics teachers
in Nigerian secondary schools are not competent in basic computer operation and
in the use of generic software (Yusuf, 2005), although they have positive
attitude towards the use of computer in Nigerian secondary schools (Yusuf,
1998). These findings have revealed the low level of ICT penetration in the
Nigerian school system, although the attitudes of mathematics teachers have
been positive. These studies conducted on computer and ICT have focused mainly
on practicing mathematics teachers in Nigerian secondary schools to the
detriment of research on pre-service mathematics teachers. Most studies that
examined the attitude of pre-service mathematics teachers towards ICT were
conducted outside Nigeria; in fact, very few studies on attitude and competence
in the use of computers have focused on the academic and non-academic staff of
Nigerian higher institutions (Jegede, 2008, Ololube, 2007). Gaining an
appreciation of mathematics teachers’ attitude and perceived competence in the
use of ICT may provide useful insight into the future of technology
integration, acceptance and usage in teaching and learning in Nigerian teacher
education institutions and other developing countries.
1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The main
purpose of this study is to investigate the competence and attitude of
mathematics teachers towards information and communication technology.
Specifically, the present study examined:
1. The
attitude of mathematics teachers towards the use of ICT.
2. The
competence of mathematics teachers in the use of ICT.
3. The
influence of gender on mathematics teachers’ competence and attitude towards
ICT.
1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The
following research questions will guide the study:
1. What is
the attitude of mathematics teachers towards information and communication
technology (ICT)?
2. What is
the level of competence of mathematics teachers in the use of information and
communication technology (ICT)?
3. Will
there be difference between the attitude of male and that of female mathematics
teachers towards information and communication technology?
4. Will
there be differences in competence in the use of information and communication
technology (ICT) between male and female mathematics teachers?
1.4
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Based on the
research questions the following hypotheses were derived:
Hypothesis
One: There is no significant difference between the attitude of male and that
of female mathematics teachers towards information and communication technology
(ICT).
Hypothesis
Two: There is no significant difference
between the competence of male and that of female mathematics teachers in the
use of information and communication technology ICT).
1.5 SCOPE OF STUDY
This study
examined empirically teachers’ competence and attitude towards information and
communication technology. Gender influence on their competence and attitude
were also examined. Participants were 50 mathematics teachers from ten
different secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The data collected through
a questionnaire were analyzed using frequency count and chi-square statistics,
revealed the attitude towards the use of ICT and competence in the use of few
basic ICT tools. The significant difference established between male and female
teachers’ attitudes and use of ICT. The assumption is that the teachers lacked
the necessary competence in the full integration of ICT in the curriculum which
underscores the need to improve the ICT contents of teacher education programs
in Nigerian schools.
1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS
ATTITUDE: Attitude refers to the way of
thinking and behaving. It can be
positive or negative.
COMPETENCE:
This is the ability of having the skill or knowledge to do something well or
effectively.
PARADIGMS: A paradigm is a model for something which
explains it or shows how it can be produced.
PEDAGOGY: Pedagogy is the study and theory of the
methods and principles of teaching.
ICT: Information Communication
Technology
CHE: Council of Higher Education
ITMD: Instructional Technologies
and Materials Development
MS APP: Microsoft Word Application
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