A Study on the Use of ICT in Teaching in

Secondary Schools in Kuwait

Eid Alharbi

Thesis fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of

Education (PhD)

Cardiff School of Education

Cardiff Metropolitan University

ii

Declaration

This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being

concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.

Signature of author............. .........................................

Date.......20-1-2014........................................................................

STATEMENT 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other

sources are acknowledged by citations giving explicit references. A list of references is

appended.

Signature of author....................... ...............................

Date.......20-1-2014........................................................................

STATEMENT 2 I hereby give consent for this thesis to be made available for consultation within the

university library and for photocopying or inter-library loan for the purposes of

consultation and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations.

Signature of author................... ...................................

Date................20-1-2014...............................................................

iii

Acknowledgements

It would not have been possible to complete this thesis without the help and support

of a number of people. Firstly, I would like to thank Prof Gary Beauchamp & Dr

Cecilia Hannigan-Davies for their continued academic and moral support. Their

suggestions clarified many points, and guided me toward the standards and

requirements for the degree of PhD.

I would like to extend that appreciation to the support and the help of the PhD staff in

the School of Education at the Cardiff Metropolitan University, whose

understanding, patience and kindness supported me through the entire process.

Second, I would like to thank my wife and my children for their great patience during

the development of this thesis, without them, I would never have been able to

complete it.

iv

Abstract

Over the past few decades, information and communications technology (ICT) has become

gradually more important to schools and universities. There are wide of research exists to explore

and study the use of ICT in the process of learning and teaching in secondary schools.

This research examines how ICT is applied in the classroom of Kuwaiti schools from the

perspective of students, teachers and decision-makers. Based on four fundamental research

questions, the aim is to analyse the level and impact of ICT on teachers‟ pedagogy, the students‟

perception of ICT use in the classroom and to seek out any fundamental differences in public and

private education, as well as across genders.

The research adopted a mixed-methods approach to data gathering, using questionnaires and semi-

structured interviews to gather data from students, teachers and policy-makers in Kuwait. The

evidence was then analysed based upon the original research questions outlined.

The results show a sporadic use of ICT in Kuwaiti secondary schools and suggest that when

employed, evidence is mixed as to whether there is indeed a positive or negative impact from ICT

use. The research does suggest there is capacity in the skills of teachers and students to employ ICT

effectively, at least on a fundamental or technical level. There remains a significant gap between

possessing these schools and applying them in the school setting. Alongside this, there is some

support and recognition of the benefits associated with ICT use, and there are some teachers who

recognise the importance of ICT in developing more constructivist methods in the classroom. The

research therefore implies both a potential failure of Government and the profession itself to

effectively implement ICT in the Kuwaiti classroom.

v

Table of Contents

Sections Title Page Number

Declaration ii

Acknowledgements iii

Abstract iv

Table of Contents v

List Of Tables: viii

List Of Figures: xi

1 Background to the study 1

1.1 Overview 1

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem 2

1.3 Significance of the Study 3

1.4 Research Objectives 3

1.5 Research Questions 4

2 Literature Review 5

2.1 Introduction 5

2.2 Interactive Teaching 5

2.2.1 Can ICT affect Interactive Learning? 8

2.3 Learning Theories and Implication for ICT 13

2.3.1 The application of ICT in a Constructivist Approach 18

2.4 Use of ICT in teaching and learning 20

2.4.1 Effectiveness of ICT on the role of teachers 20

2.5 Effective use of ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Subject 32

2.5.1 Using ICT in Arabic (Subject) 32

2.5.2 Using ICT in English (Subject) 36

2.5.3 Using ICT in Mathematics (Subject) 41

2.5.4 Using ICT in Sciences (Subject) 48

2.6 Using ICT in International Teaching 54

2.7 The Differences between gender and ICT use and Effectiveness 56

2.8 Information, ICT and Motivation 58

2.8.1 What is Motivation? 58

2.8.2 ICT and Student Motivation 59

3 Kuwait 62

3.1 The State of Kuwait – General Background 62

3.2 Kuwaiti Education System 63

3.3 Private and Public Schools 63

3.3.1 Historical Background of using ICT in teaching within Kuwait 71

4 Research Methodology 73

4.1 Introduction 73

4.2 Research Design 74

4.3 Use of Questionnaires 77

4.3.1 Rationale for Questionnaire Use 77

4.3.2 Questionnaire Design 79

4.3.3 Pilot Study 80

4.3.4 Translation 81

4.3.5 Participation in Interviews 82

vi

4.4 Interview Techniques 86

4.4.1 Rationale for Interview Use 86

4.4.2 Interview Design 87

4.4.3 Implementation of the Interviews 88

4.4.4 Interview Procedure 88

4.5 Validity and Reliability 88

4.6 Epistemological Approach 91

4.7 Ethical Issues 92

4.8 Description of the Independent Variables 93

4.9 Critical Overview 96

5 Data Analysis 97

5.1 Introduction 97

5.2 Questionnaire Analysis 97

5.2.1 Overview 97

5.3 The Teachers‟ Results 98

5.3.1 ICT Confidence amongst Teachers 98

1.1.5.5 5.3.1.1 ICT Usage Level for Teachers by Comparison with Associates and

Students

511

1.1.5 ICT Usage in Teaching Practice 101

5.3.2.1 Relationship between the use of ICT in teaching and teaching methods 511

5.3.3 The Perspective of Teachers on ICT Use 105

5.3.3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in your teaching method 511

1.1.1.5 The effect of ICT use in teaching on teachers 511

5.4 Comparing Teachers‟ Confidence with Use 108

5.5 Analyzing Teacher Responses by Subject 109

5.6 Examining the Independent Variables 121

5.6.1 Comparison by Sector 121

5.6.2 Comparison by Gender 123

5.6.3 Comparison by Subject 124

5.7 Study results from the perspective of students or results related to students 126

5.7.1 Overview 126

5.7.2 Using ICT at Home 128

5.7.3 Viewpoints of students regarding using ICT in the teaching/learning process 131

5.7.4 Students‟ Confidence in ICT Use 134

5.7.5 Comparison levels between teachers and students in ICT Use 136

5.7.6 Analysing the Student Responses by Sector 138

5.7.7 Analysis by Sector using Combined Measures 148

5.7.8 Analysing the Student Response by Gender 151

5.7.9 Analysis by Gender using Combined Variables 163

5.8 Interview Data Analysis 165

5.8.1 Analysis by Research Question 165

5.8.2 Developing Categories from Codes 172

5.8.3 Reviewing the Key Questions from the Research 172

6 Discussion 175

6.1 Introduction 175

6.2 Use of Independent Variables 177

vii

6.3 Research Question 1 - How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching

and learning process?

178

6.3.1 Teachers ability to effectively use ICT 178

6.3.2 ICT Use in Practice 181

6.3.3 Perceptions of the Impact of ICT on Teaching Styles and Pedagogy 182

6.4 Research Question 2 - Does this confidence and application vary between

subjects?

186

6.5 Summary of Teacher Analysis 189

6.6 Research Question 3 - How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home? 190

6.6.1 Using ICT at School 191

6.6.2 Using ICT in the Home 191

6.6.3 Students‟ perceptions of ICT in the teaching/learning process 192

6.6.4 Students Confidence Level in ICT Use 193

6.6.5 Summary 194

6.7. Research Question 4 - Are there any differences between students‟ teaching and

learning in public schools and private schools in terms of their use of ICT in the

classroom?

196

6.8. Research Question 5 - Are there any differences between male and female

students‟ teaching and learning in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

200

7 Conclusions and Recommendations 202

7.1. Introduction 202

7.2. Research Question 1 - How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching

and learning process?

206

7.3. Research Question 2 - Does this confidence and application vary between

subjects?

204

7.4. Research Question 3 - How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home? 204

7.5. Research Question 4 - Are there any differences between students‟ teaching and

learning in public schools and private schools in terms of their use of ICT in the

classroom?

205

7.6. Research Question 5 - Are there any differences between male and female

students‟ teaching and learning in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

207

7.7. Recommendations 208

7.8. Limitations and Areas for Further Study 212

7.9. Closing Statements 213

References 214

Appendix 1 – The Student Questionnaire 229

Appendix 2 – The Teacher Questionnaire 237

Appendix 3 – Coded Interview Transcripts 244

Appendix 4 – Interview Coding and Frequency 258

Appendix 5 – Interview Coding Frequency by Question 260

Appendix 6 –Interview Categories from Codes 262

Appendix 7–permissions letters 561

viii

List Of Tables:

Page

number

Table 3.1: Schools Stages in Kuwait 70

Table 3.2: Secondary Schools and Students in Educational Districts – 2010/11 70

Table 3.3: Distribution of teachers in Kuwaiti schools in terms of nationality, gender and

educational stage

71

Table 4.1: Selection of Schools and Students for Questionnaires 83

Table 4.2: Overview of Schools Used in Questionnaires and ICT application 85

Table 4.3: Internal Consistency Estimates of Dimensions for instrument

Table 4.4: Description of student sample according to the following variables: Sector,

gender, section.

Table 4.5: Description of teachers‟ sample according to the following variables: Sector,

gender, specialisation, grade teaching, age, Number of years in teaching, attended any ICT

training courses

90

93

94

Table 5.1: ICT Confidence of School Teachers 98

Table 5.2: ICT Usage Level for Teachers by Comparison with Associates, and Students 101

Table 5.3: Teachers use of ICT at school and home 103

Table 5.4: Relationship between use of ICT in teaching and teaching methods 104

Table 5.5: Advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in teaching method 106

Table 5.6: The effect of using ICT in teaching on teachers 107

Table 5.7: Correlation Between ICT Confidence and Use 109

Table 5.8: Teachers‟ confidence in their ICT use 110

Table 5.9: ANOVA Test result for teachers‟ confidence in their ICT use, by subject 111

Table 5.10: Teachers‟ ICT use in schools, by subject 112

Table 5.11: Highest and lowest mean averages of ICT use, by subject 113

Table 5.12: ANOVA test result for Teachers‟ ICT use in Schools, by subject 114

Table 5.13: Teachers‟ ICT use at home, by subject 115

Table 5.14: ANOVA test result for Teachers‟ ICT Use at Home, by subject 116

Table 5.15: Teachers‟ opinions of ICT use in teaching practice, by subject 118

Table 5.16: ANOVA test results for teachers‟ opinions of ICT use in teaching practice, by

subject

119

Table 5.17: Teachers‟ perception of the impact of ICT use in the classroom, by subject 120

Table 5.18: ANOVA test results for teachers‟ perception of the impact of ICT use in the

classroom, by subject

120

ix

Table 5.19: Public and Private Teachers‟ Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT 121

Table 5.20: T-Test Output for Sector against Major Sections 122

Table 5.21: Mann-Whitney Output for Sector against Major Sections 122

Table 5.22: Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test for Teacher Confidence 122

Table 5.23: Male and Female Teachers‟ Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT 123

Table 5.24: T-Test Output for Gender against Major Sections 123

Table 5.25: Mann-Whitney Output for Gender against Major Sections 124

Table 5.26: Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test for Teacher Usage 124

Table 5.27: Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT by Teachers‟ subject 125

Table 5.28: ANOVA Output for Subjects 125

Table 5.29: Student Use of ICT at School 127

Table 5.30: Student Use of ICT at Home 129

Table 5.31: Using ICT at Home – Frequency 131

Table 5.32: Student Perceptions of ICT 132

Table 5.33: Students Opinions about using ICT in the teaching/learning process 134

Table 5.34: ICT Confidence Levels amongst Students 135

Table 5.35: Comparison between teachers and students in ICT confidence Level 137

Table 5.36: Students‟ ICT use in School, by sector 138

Table 5.37: T-test for Students‟ ICT use in School, by sector 140

Table 5.38: Students‟ ICT use at home, by sector 141

Table 5.39: T-test for Students‟ ICT use at Home, by sector 142

Table 5.40: Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector 143

Table 5.41: T-test for Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

sector

144

Table 5.42: Students‟ confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector 146

Table 5.43: T-test for Students‟ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

sector

147

Table 5.44: Combined Measures Analysis by Sector 148

Table 5.45: T-Test results for Combined Variables, by Sector 149

Table 5.46: Mann-Whitney Output for Student Combined Variables by Sector 149

Table 5.47: Shapiro-Wilk Test Results for Student ICT Use Normality 150

Table 5.48: Students‟ ICT use in School, by Gender 152

Table 5.49: T-test for Students‟ ICT use in School, by Gender 154

x

Table 5.50: Students‟ ICT use at home, by Gender 155

Table 5.51: T-test for Students‟ ICT use at Home, by Gender 156

Table 5.52: Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender 158

Table 5.53: T-test for Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

Gender

159

Table 5.54: Students‟ confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender 161

Table 5.55: T-test for Students‟ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

Gender

162

Table 5.56: Combined Measures for Students by Gender 163

Table 5.57: T-test Results for Combined Variable by Gender 164

Table 5.58: Mann-Whitney Results for Combined Variables by Gender 164

Table 5.59: Shaprio-Wilk Results for Student Confidence 164

Table 6.1: Teachers Confidence in ICT 179

xi

List of Figures Page number

Figure 3.1: Geographical location of Kuwait 62

Figure 3.2: Structure of the Ministry of Education 69

Figure 4.1: Description of student sample according to the

following variables: Sector, gender, section.

94

Figure 5.1: Description of student sample according to the

following variables: Sector, gender, section.

104

Figure 5.2: Using ICT at Home - Frequency 131

Figure 5.3: Students Opinions about using ICT in the

teaching/learning process

134

Figure 5.4: Comparison between teachers and students in ICT

Usage Level

137

Figure 5.5: Students‟ ICT use in School, by sector 139

Figure 5.6: Students‟ ICT use at Home, by sector 142

Figure 5.7: Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and

Learning, by sector

145

Figure 5.8: Students‟ ICT use in School, by Gender 153

Figure 5.9: Students‟ ICT use at Home, by gender 157

Figure 5.10: Students‟ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and

Learning, by Gender

160

Figure 5.11: Students‟ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and

Learning, by Gender

160

Figure 5.12: The Development of Categories from Codes 172

Figure 6.1: Arithmetic Mean against Standard Deviation for

Confidence in ICT of Teachers

180

Figure 6.2: ICT use in the Home versus School 191

1

1 Background to the study

1.1 Overview

In 2005, the Ministry of Education in Kuwait announced a strategic plan for education for

the subsequent twenty years, ending in 2025. One of the significant themes of this strategy

was the divide between developing countries and the advanced world. The strategy also

referred to the necessity of bridging the „gap‟ between the Kuwaiti educational system and

the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in everyday life. However,

despite these broad strategic aims, the strategy did not specify how these may be delivered

operationally.

Prior to the development of this strategy, in the early 1980s the Ministry of Education in

Kuwait developed its first ICT initiatives following a study investigating the feasibility of

using computers in secondary schools – one of their most fundamental aims.

The implementation of computer use in secondary schools began in 1987 with the

commencement of an introductory course in computing. However, progress in embedding

ICT into wider school use was slow, and until 1996 teaching computer use was made on an

ad hoc basis, dependent upon local organisational ambition and plans. Despite intentions to

initiate a national project to support the use of computers in schools, there was no

overarching strategy in place to support it.

Since the mid-nineties there has been an increasing trend towards more openness in ICT

use, notably the use of computers or other aspects of ICT in teaching across the curriculum.

This was enhanced by the first national project to teach ICT in schools which started in

four girls‟ secondary schools in 1996. This project formed the first step in implementing

the government educational strategy in bridging the gap between the old education system,

and the emergent needs of teaching ICT in schools. The total estimated cost of the project

was $24 million, available until 2003.

2

Research attempts to evaluate this national project in Kuwait have been minimal; only two

studies are available, namely El-Fraje et al. (1995) and the Ministry of Education (2001).

The El-Fraje et al. study examined the general achievements of this project with no

specific reference to the difficulties that teachers, students or administrators faced in

applying the specifications embedded in the national project. Their study did not

investigate the rationale and purposes underlying the project and the outcomes associated

with its implementation were not investigated. The second study was conducted in 2001 by

the body who initiated the project itself (the Ministry of Education in Kuwait). This study

examined the role of ICT in developing teaching methods for the Arabic language.

Although the term ICT was continually referenced throughout the project, it was always

misused (i.e. ICT has traditionally meant simply the „use of computers‟ in Kuwaiti

educational culture). Overall, these studies have failed to make a significant contribution in

assessing a national project costing some $24 million; however, they were the only studies

that evaluated this project. This paucity of investigative detail, in fact, stimulates the

researcher to investigate different aspects of the national project and the application of this

project in secondary schools. In part, the motivation behind this research is borne from this

- to undertake a more specific examination of the purposes, operations, difficulties, and

outcomes of the application of ICT in secondary schools.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

In a Kuwaiti context there has been a rapid change in the role of the teacher in recent years.

There are many new changes and challenges that teachers face, and are required to adapt

to. Included in this are a more modern and westernised approach from schools; new

methods of teaching and learning, an increase in student numbers, and (most importantly)

an explosion in the development of teaching with ICT. All of this means teachers need to

update their knowledge and skills to develop the educational process in the classroom.

With the advent of a new philosophy towards ICT and its role in education, a wide body of

research has developed investigating the role of ICT and its effect in developing an

interactive education environment. Many of these studies have provided evidence of the

3

significant contribution that ICT makes to improving methods of teaching and positively

impacting the learner (Kennewell and Beauchamp, 2007).

However, many of these studies have been limited to investigating the impact of ICT on

learners. There is substantially less research which focuses on the role which ICT plays in

creating and promoting a more interactive educational environment, as part of teaching and

learning. The presence of ICT in the interactive educational environment can help to

develop thinking skills and make classrooms an environment for educational growth. ICT

also helps students to develop new thinking skills which may transfer to different situations

which may require analysis and comprehension skills, and consequently critical skill

development (Al Hudhaifi and Al Dughaim, 2005). This again was a motivation for the

study; to investigate the role of ICT in promoting an interactive learning environment.

1.3 Significance of the Study

It is considered that the research is potentially of considerable importance, for a number of

reasons:

1. It will help to support policy makers in the Ministry of Education in Kuwait and

also teachers in developing ICT use within schools.

2. It will provide an opportunity to compare the views of teachers, students, and

policy-makers on ICT use in Kuwaiti schools.

3. It will support educational administrators and policy makers in choosing the

appropriate methods of managing changes associated with ICT use in the

educational system in Kuwait.

4. It will be considered to be the first study in Kuwait which takes into consideration

the different aspects of the application of ICT in the educational system.

1.4 Research Objectives

1. To investigate the difference that ICT makes to teaching and learning.

2. To explore how ICT affects teachers‟ confidence in the classroom.

4

3. To examine the teaching and ICT contributions to improving attainment – notably

students‟ perception of their attainment.

4. To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in the classroom for

teachers and students in selected subjects in the curriculum.

1.5 Research Questions

To address the research‟s objectives, the study seeks to answer the following questions;

1. How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

2. Does this confidence and application vary between subjects?

3. How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

4. Are there any differences between students’ teaching and learning in public schools

and private schools in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

5. Are there any differences between male and female students’ teaching and learning

in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

5

2 Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

This thesis will assess and evaluate the level and nature of ICT use in secondary school

classrooms in the State of Kuwait. This chapter will review the literature related to the use

and impact of ICT on learning in Kuwaiti secondary schools. Due to the central role of

learning in this thesis, the chapter will begin with a discussion of the most prominent

theories of learning from the last two centuries. It will then consider the new models of

interactive teaching being used in many schools in order to integrate ICT into the

curriculum and then finally relate these theories and new ideas to the use of ICT in Kuwaiti

secondary schools.

Even though some schools are wary of introducing too much ICT teaching into their

practice, this study aims to prove that embedding ICT into the teaching and learning

process is extremely valuable. While there has been some innovation in pedagogical

strategy, including notable successes through the use of ICT, most secondary schools still

have a long way to go because an old teacher-centred paradigm still exists in schools the

world over, as opposed to more modern approaches which focus on student-centred

principles.

In the literature review, the thesis considers the areas most pertinent to the five research

questions already specified, and considers the role of ICT in interactive teaching, the link

between various learning theories and ICT and thereafter the use of ICT by subjects,

internationally and studies which have examined the role of gender in determining ICT

use.

2.2 Interactive Teaching

Different definitions have been introduced regarding „interactivity‟ as a concept in the

study of teaching and learning. In this regard, significant importance is placed on theories

of learning, their discussion and the studies based on the language of discourse in the

classroom between the teacher and the students (Burns & Myhill, 2004).

6

Part of the rationale for this study is to highlight interactive teaching as a means of

enhancing students‟ learning. The learning theories discussed by Vygotsky (1972) and

Bruner (1986) in relation to the importance of the development of thinking and learning,

use the term „interaction‟ to refer to the different exchanges thought to be capable of

broadening thinking and enhancing learning. Learners, according to their suggestions,

develop understanding inside interactive social situations backed up with knowledge

through collaboration with others, who receive knowledge of cultural value and seek new

learning (Burns & Myhill, 2004).

In a study that addressed the effects of providing „procedural‟ opportunities for learning,

Cooper & McIntyre (1994) discussed a model involving a continuum, starting from a

discourse and extending through interactivity and interactive reaction, to a self-centred

learning. According to them "interactive" teaching exists where teachers integrate with

their plans as well as with knowing their students, provided that "teachers believe that the

correct use of students‟ inputs will take place only within a framework of specific criteria

based on the plans that precede the lesson they intend to provide" (Cooper & McIntyre,

1994: 639).

Interactive learning is achieved through maintaining a balance between direction,

command, presentation, explanation, illustration, questions, discussion, exploration,

confirmation, profound thinking, evaluation and summarising (DFES, 2002: 39-40).

Accordingly, we have to view interactive learning in its entirety, integrating as it does with

teaching components inside the classroom.

There is large-scale agreement that the quality and level of interaction between the teacher

and the learners is an important component of effective teaching (Kennewell, 2005).

Brown et al. (1998) point out that the pattern of classroom organisation should not be

considered to be the main feature of good learning, but that it is better measured by the

quality of interaction between the teacher and the students. Hargreaves et al. (2010)

suggest that effective interactive teaching, which is distinguished by constant mutual

interaction between the teacher and the learner, involves the exchange of thoughts and not

7

traditional methods of „dictation, response and feedback‟ which results from a teacher‟s

questions.

Muijs and Reynolds (2010) distinguish interactive learning in terms of the nature and

efficacy of the interaction between the teacher and the students. They suggest that

interaction enables the teacher to confirm that the learner understands the principles that

have been taught. It helps the students to practise and master target skills and clearly

highlights the way they think. It also helps the teacher to offer targeted learning support.

They have drawn on US studies from the 1980s, which highlight the following as features

of interactive learning:

The use of questions to revise what has been learnt earlier at the start of the lesson

and summing up what has been learnt at the end of the lesson.

Creating a climate where learners are encouraged to answer questions.

The inclusion of strategic and high-level questions, open-ended questions and

process-related questions.

Assessing learners‟ answers and offering clear feedback, especially when the

learner seems hesitant.

Making learners interested by rephrasing or dividing questions in case there are

incorrect or no answers.

Allowing the learner sufficient time to answer.

Having incorrect questions answered by other learners rather than the teacher.

(Muijs and Reynolds, 2010)

The UK National Literacy Strategy (NLS), in parallel with number strategy in the UK

(DFEE, 1998a, 1999), called for a greater emphasis on interactive learning, having been

considered one of the factors that lead to success - in conjunction with greater discussion,

trust, ambition and learning tempo. It has also pointed out that learning becomes

interactive when students‟ participations are encouraged, expected and enlarged (DFEE,

8

1998a: 8). Hargreaves et al. (2010, p. 224) defined nine different features of interactive

learning based on teachers‟ own interpretations of how to promote interactive learning:

Students‟ practice.

Students‟ practical and effective participation.

Students‟ expanded participation.

Cooperative activity.

The transfer of knowledge and „deep‟ work patterns.

Assessing and enlarging knowledge.

Meaning exchange and formation.

Paying attention to thinking and learning skills.

Paying attention to students‟ social and emotional needs / skills.

Burns and Myhill (2004) have suggested some important features that interactive lessons

offer; Mutual opportunities for discussion, which help children to develop independent

voices during discussion; appropriate direction and „patternisation‟ when the teacher

organises language and skills to think collectively; Environments that stimulate students‟

participation, and; raising students‟ level of independence.

Many studies in interactive learning emphasise the shift from high levels of teachers‟

control to greater self-centred learning on the students‟ part. It may be useful for future

researchers to imagine interaction in teaching regarding interaction and scaffolding nature

through dialogue. Kennewell, Tanner, and Beauchamp (2007) for example, expect

interactive teaching to include several levels of interaction in order to cope with teaching

objectives.

2.2.1 Can ICT affect Interactive Learning?

Using ICT effectively can lead to a more positive educational ethos in the classroom and in

effect a more communicative classroom. Effective use of ICT by the teacher can offer

greater interactivity at both a deep and surface level. We will explore the general use of

ICT, but also its impact on interactivity within the classroom.

9

Cox et al. (2003) undertook a review of the research and then concluded that ICT had

indeed had a positive effect on attainment in National Curriculum subject areas. They

qualified this assertion by stating that it was not just the everyday use of ICT as a tool, but

the skilful use of ICT by the teacher, when linked to careful pedagogical strategies

enhancing classroom communication. In order to get the best use of ICT teachers have to

be aware of ICT‟s range and features as a resource and should be deeply versed in ICT

techniques. This conclusion was confirmed by Somekh and Davies (1999) and Sutherland

(2005). They assert that the skilful use of ICT by trained practitioners is absolutely key to

higher attainment. ICT offers a range of key features including speed, automation,

capacity, range, provisionality and interactivity (Beauchamp (2012: 3).

Speed

Although ICT has offers massive capacity for improving the speed of teaching, it can be

detrimental to younger (or less able) children if used too quickly. Learners‟ needs must be

considered at all stages of planning and the pace and timing of the lesson adjusted to

learner responses through ICT use when necessary and productive.

Automation

The development of materials, in terms of scale, creativity and choice was far more

difficult before the advent of ICT - as was planning, recording and assessment of pupil

progress. ICT has indeed become an integral educational aid for teachers and school staff.

Capacity

Linked to automation is storage capacity. ICT has offers high levels of increased storage

capacity. Even small devices have huge memories which store great amounts of data.

Some data networks are not even „wired connections‟ and as cloud storage can be accessed

from anywhere, access to many sites is made easy and swift. ICT makes for an especially

bright future when linked to innovative and creative pedagogies.

10

Range

There is now a wide variety of media easily accessed and available so that lessons can be

ICT based. However, ICT should partner and complement traditional modes of teaching

such as „Big Books‟ and other materials, not just replace them.

Provisionality

Provisionality appears to have two components; temporariness and inventiveness. Lessons

can be changed at will, at teachable moments, and content easily effaced as with

Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) use. On traditional white or black boards writing was

difficult to erase: this is not the case with IWBs. Things can be quickly relocated, deleted,

or rearranged so speedily both remotely and in physical locations. Pedagogic materials can

be created or destroyed at immense speed. The process of learning is seen to be more

important than the product, but both are integrated during skilful use of ICT in the

classroom.

It seems there is a common assumption that ICT, as a tool, provides learners with

interactive experiences. The introductory programme for training teachers to use ICT, in

use in the UK, explains a number of the merits provided by ICT tools and sources, which

teachers have to understand they can benefit from - namely speed, spontaneity,

understanding, specialisation and interactivity (DfEE, 1998a). These characteristics give

ICT its distinctive features as a learning tool compared to other tools and sources

(Kennewell et al., 2008). It is possible that the embedding of ICT into teacher training

programmes explains why the use of the ICT is perceptively more interactive to teachers.

ICT provides a number of advantages, both essential and combined, which contribute to

broaden and designate the procedures used inside the classroom (Kennewell, 2007). The

merits of speed and repetition for ICT are utilised when learners are able to see quick

sequences for a specific phenomenon, which could help their understanding of the concept.

This has actually been observed, for example, while students learn the method of building

a reflected picture in mathematics. Here, they can circle the corners of the shape and then

notice its effect on the reflected picture, while the teacher focuses their attention on the

11

shape sides that have remained unchanged. In this instance, the use of ICT helps them to

build reflected pictures manually (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2008).

According to Smith et al. (2005), teachers have provided the following reasons for their

use of the interactive whiteboard:

Flexibility and multi-functionality.

Presentation of multimedia and the use of the different senses.

Saving the task and printing it out.

Interactivity.

Lesson preparation and saving.

Teaching ICT.

Interactivity and interchange.

Pedagogic beliefs significantly impact levels of interaction and communication.

Traditional, transmission based models of teaching are inherently less reliant upon

interactivity than constructivist modes, but interactivity must be promoted. Although there

is no complete agreement on a full definition, interactivity has been defined as the ability

of ICT to „respond contingently to a pre-defined set of responses‟ (Beauchamp, 2012, p7).

Teachers get bored quickly with providing negative or positive feedback across all lessons.

Computers never tire in their feedback or in summative assessment, yet they cannot

provide the detailed and individual levels of feedback that teachers can.

Interactivity is depicted by Hargreaves et al. (2010, p 224) as being of two types; the first

is a „gimmicky‟ or „surface form‟. This type can entertain but it is not necessarily

educational in function. It contrasts with „deep interactivity‟ which engages students‟

comprehension and promotes a deeper level of response. The „surface‟ type relates to

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factual recall type learning. The „deeper‟ type promotes greater thinking skills when

coupled with dialogical teaching.

Smith et al. (2005) also argue two forms of interactivity, a technical form and a

pedagogical one. They make the point that research shows that the pedagogic mode is the

more important of the two. Pedagogics are shown to be more important than usefulness in

ICT use.

Teaching has been to this point delineated as a socio-cultural activity, contextualised in a

setting and orchestrated and organised by the teacher. It could be argued that teachers‟

pedagogical beliefs around interactivity can create strategies to facilitate higher attainment.

Interactivity as a concept may prove elusive to define, but Burns and Myhill (2004)

provide a list of possible criteria being: reciprocal opportunities, guidance and modelling

by teachers, provision of a setting or learning environment and lastly facilitation of

autonomous learning. These authors provide a more open context for ICT use and partner

it with skills of teacher guidance and communication.

In interactive teaching the role of the teacher is to support students in every aspect of their

learning. However, their effort, interaction and participation play an important role in the

acquisition and comprehension of knowledge. Consequently, they become ready to

implement the method of learning constantly while they are at work. This is because in

their practical life they will encounter problems other than the ones they encountered in

their academic life, and so they will be ready to learn without anybody‟s help. In effect,

this is very important in today‟s job market, for the worker or employee to be educated,

and if it is not so, he will not be useful for the employer. If he does not go beyond what he

has achieved in his academic study, in the medium term he will lag behind society and

scientific advancements. However, Unal and Hakki Ozturk (2012) oulined the following

barriers that may affect the ICT integration within classrooms: Lack of ICT Equipment in

Classrooms, Lack of the ICT-Based Teaching Resources, Teachers‟ Beliefs and Practices;

13

Effects of Traditional Approaches, Problems Related to Teachers‟ In-service Training, and

Problems Related to Lack of Time.

2.3 Learning Theories and Implication for ICT

In the 20th

and 21st centuries, many scholars attempted to define teaching and learning.

These definitions became theories of teaching and learning, created to try and clarify the

meaning of both. Learning theories provide us with conceptual frameworks of

interpretation for the act of learning, and show us where to look for solutions to practical

problems. Teaching methods are in the main based on theories of learning. The most

important learning theories are Behaviourism and Constructivism. These two approaches

are based on two main schools of psychology that have influenced learning theory. They

have different perspectives on learning, different perspectives on teaching styles, and

different approaches to pedagogy and evaluation.

Constructivist learning theory has been used to study the impact of ICT on teaching and

learning. This learning theory contributes to understanding both the construction of and

relationship between curricula and events. It also provides direction for research and

implementation. Because of the influence of the constructivist learning movement, the

theory of constructive learning emphasises the teachers‟ central role in academic curricula

and suggests improvement according to the teachers‟ needs and interests (Gredler, 2000;

Woolfolk, 2006). This theory supports the individual‟s growth and enables the students to

explore their learning potential.

Despite the theorists‟ different definitions of learning, a majority are agreed that learning

happens when experience leads to a constant change in the individual‟s knowledge or

manner (Weiten, 2002). What is meant by „experience‟ in this definition is „the interaction

of the person with his or her environment‟ (Woolfolk, 2006: 196).

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Constructivist Principles

Learning theories based on mannerist and knowledge theories dominated the 20th century.

Their principles have contributed to the enhancement of organised teaching practice

through which the teacher transmits information and knowledge to students through

methods similar to lecturing. Mannerist and knowledge directions placed little emphasis on

students‟ input and their contributions in the teaching and learning process. Accordingly,

students could be deemed by these theories to be passive participants in the learning

process (Woolfolk, 2006). In contrast to knowledge and mannerist theories which

emphasised the important role played by the teacher and the organised transfer of content,

the constructionist theory emphasised the students‟ central role in the learning process and

acknowledged the students‟ ability to construct meaning through their learning (Kanuka &

Anderson, 1999).

Despite the policy of implementing constructionist practices in the second half of the past

century, the theories that formed student-centered learning were simplified.

Constructionism has been influenced as a learning theory by the writings and thoughts of

Biajeh and Vijeotski (Woolfolk, 2006). The organisation of constructionist learning

environments is done such that students are asked to construct meaning from the context

and actively participate in the process of problem solving. Constructionism supports

interaction between students and their teachers, and this contributes to the creation of an

environment in which all students and teachers participate in the learning process.

Learning construction happens through the constructionist environment at different times.

Accordingly, constructionist theory implies that there are no specific goals and frameworks

to be followed (Gance, 2002). Generally, the following principles are drawn from the

constructionist approach (Brooks & Brooks, 1999; Kanuka & Anderson, 1999):

Learning is an active process through which the learner constructs meaning.

There must be previous experience and knowledge for learning new things.

Individuals learn for the sake of learning - learning constitutes the meaning and its

systems.

Motivation is regarded essential for learning.

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Learning practice is considered important for active learning. Practical training

activities have to be emphasised.

Learning represents a social activity, as our interaction with others is extremely

important.

Language is an important component of the learning process.

Language is regarded as context-bound. Our learning is tied to what we know and

believe in. It is also tied to our previous judgments and fears.

Learning is not instant. It occurs over a period of time.

Constructivism and Constructionism

Partly in reaction to didactic approaches such as behaviorism and programmed instruction,

constructivists have argude that learning is an active, contextualized process of

constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. This theoretical stance actively opposes

traditionalist, didactic, transmissions of knowledge. Seymour Papert and Idit Harel in their

book Situating Constructionism (1991) use the terms constructivism and contrsuction

almost interchangeably, but use „Constructionism‟ as it applies to Learning Theory.

„Constructionism--the N word as opposed to the V word--shares constructivism's

connotation of learning as "building knowledge structures" irrespective of the

circumstances of the learning. It then adds the idea that this happens especially felicitously

in a context where the learner is consciously engaged in constructing a public entity,

whether it's a sand castle on the beach or a theory of the universe.‟ (Papert and Harel,

1991:1)

Theorists like Edith Ackerman (2001) also see a smooth transition between constructivism

and constructionism, between Piaget (1969) and Papert, seeing constructionism largely as a

more situated learning theory, especially valuable in cybernetics and more socially

contexted than Piaget‟s earlier work. She states:

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„Papert‟s constructionism, in other words, is both more situated more pragmatic than

Piaget‟s constructivism [or Vygotsky‟s socioconstructivism] Constructivism asserts that

learning is an active, constructive process. The learner is an information constructor. The

learner actively constructs or creates his/her own subjective representations of objective

reality. New information is linked to prior knowledge, existing schemata always activated

(Ackerman, 2001:5).

Constructive Classrooms

Constructivist theory emphasises the importance of experience and learning based on

experiments. Students play a pivotal role in the learning process. The teacher‟s role appears

in directing and supporting students to construct meaning and understand situations.

Practitioners and scientists have claimed that constructionism cannot be implemented in a

traditional knowledge environment. They suppose that constructionism goes beyond

formal learning which relates to students‟ previous experiences. Howe and Berv (2000)

acknowledged the „pointlessness‟ of avoiding direct teaching, especially when teaching

children, with the conclusion that it is ineffective to depend solely on constructionist

teaching patterns.

Constructionism differs from other educational practices in that most other types of

learning emphasise the importance of acquisition of knowledge and information. The

essence of constructionism appears in the individual‟s personal experience of learning and

reflection (Jonassen, Peck & Wilson, 1999; Kafai and Resnick, 1996). During the learning

process, students‟ activities are considered important and basic for constructing knowledge.

Meaningful learning occurs when there is collaboration among learners, teachers, and

specialists in this domain. Activities are not organised officially inside constructionist

classrooms through timetables or plans that students are required to follow. Students

actively help in planning and organising the activities within the classroom. This

contributes to stimulating and encouraging them to think. The methods of teaching and

learning are characterised by flexibility and comprehending students‟ viewpoints and

thoughts (Gould, 1996; Peck & Wilson, 1999).

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Classrooms and constructionist programmers exhibit the following characteristics (Gould,

1996; Peck & Wilson, 1999): learning focuses on thoughts instead of facts; the learning

process implies interaction between students and teachers; focus on the construction of

knowledge instead of repetition; encouraging and supporting dialogue and discourse within

a complicated world which involves various representations of knowledge; students‟

interests define learning; and learning experiences emphasise the prominence of realistic

activities.

Criticisms of Constructionist Theory

Despite its progressive ideas about the nature of learning, constructionism evokes a

number of criticisms. Fears surrounding its principles and applications are centered on the

following (Roblyer & Edwards, 2000: 68):

Permitting learning skill – Despite constructionist‟s condemnation of formal tests and

objective assessments, schools need sometimes to authenticate the basic skills which the

students have learnt. Previous knowledge – a lot of students lack the previous skills which

enable them to deal with the complicated problems and solving them according to what

constructionist strategies require. Selecting the most effective teaching – it is difficult for

students to choose for themselves the methods through which they will learn to solve

problems. Specifying suitable topics for constructionist methods – sometimes tension

occurs when choosing appropriate topics for a particular event and when covering one

topic deeply is preferred to talking in elaboration on many topics. Skill transfer to practical

situations – fears also arise over the ease of transferring problem solving skills that were

learnt in practical situations inside the school to problems which students have to solve in

real life.

As is the case with any change, constructionist directions in learning pose risks for

students, parents, teachers and administrators (Jonassen, Peck & Wilson, 1999). Some may

suppose that constructionism burdens students and exempts teachers from the

responsibility of their teaching capabilities. Nevertheless, contrary to this conception,

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teachers in the constructivist learning environment do not give up their responsibility, but

play different roles as facilitators for students‟ learning (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).

2.3.1 The application of ICT in a Constructivist Approach

Constructivism argues that learning is interactive and argues for the autonomy and active

participation of the student. The learner is an information constructor and actively builds

his/her own subjective representations of reality. New information is related to previous

knowledge in terms of schema development. Followers of constructivism include such

names as Vygotsky, Piaget, Dewey, Vico, Rorty, and Bruner (Learning Theories

Knowledgebase, 2009).

Constructivism as a term covers a huge theoretical area. Constructivist learning theorists

range from the individual cognitive and personal constructivism of Piaget, to the social

constructivism of Vygotsky. There are many other types of constructivism but there are

certain ideas that all constructivists have in common. Taber (2006) describes them as

being:

1. The active construction of knowledge by the learner - knowledge is not passively

received from the outside. Here the theory is vastly different from behaviourism,

which defines learning as an externally modified behaviour. Learning according to

constructivists is therefore something the learner does, not something that the

learner is compelled to do.

2. Learners have prior knowledge so they come to the learning situation with ideas

about many things. These ideas are called schemas and teachers have to take them

into consideration and make teaching relevant to these conceptual structures.

3. Learners haves their own individual ideas about reality and generate their own

meaning structures to cope with everyday living.

4. Their ideas often contradict or clash with accepted scientific ideas or with school

curricula and are culturally or socially conditioned.

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5. Knowledge is described by these theorists as conceptual structures in the brain and

it is possible to describe and to model them.

6. Instructional Design and teaching has to take the learner's prior knowledge into

account if the educators want to achieve their educational aims and objectives.

7. Knowledge is both personal and individual and at the same time has a social

dimension. Learners construct their conceptual schemas by interacting with the

social world, in social settings and within cultural and linguistic contexts.

ICT and Constructionist Theory

The use of ICT enables opportunities for learning environments and practices that require

interaction among individuals, co-operation with chances to experiencing learning, and the

principles which constructionism supports. Many educational establishments, especially at

a post-secondary school level, work on supporting integrating technology into teaching and

learning. Kanuka and Anderson (1999) provide an example of the use of the internet for

learning, as learners use the internet and explore it in different ways and explore it in

different directions. Their research used small group discussions and their presentations

after the research produced various interpretations of the subject matter.

According to Gance (2002), it is not always true to suppose that because technology

facilitates student focused learning, constructionist strategies centered on learners are used

to play a central role in their learning when ICT is utilised. At most times the use of

software and the internet do not agree with the constructionist philosophy. For example, it

could be argued that “a course about the internet individually directed towards learners

does not emphasise cooperation, interaction or the software which is meant for training and

which in practice can implement the constructionist pattern” Gance (2002:14).

Additionally, Gance (2002) points out the flaws associated with some aspects of using ICT,

notably in areas such as e-learning or subject-specific software. These methods are

associated with short-answer or multiple choice testing. Constructionism invites students to

show their understanding in more profound ways, to explain or confirm their knowledge

through assembling the information extracted previously in the manner of a new

conclusion or solution design. Such short answers do not allow this. The present short tests

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based on technology, despite being a great improvement in programming technology, are

not considered an improvement in the teaching process.

Technology may represent an important tool for facilitating and enhancing the

implementation of the constructionist pattern; however, it is not the only method to be used

as an example for constructionism. The use of only ICT to create a teaching environment

that draws on constructionist principles will not give the required effect. Indeed, it may

have a reverse effect through weakening constructionist practices (Gance, 2002).

2.4 Use of ICT in teaching and learning

2.4.1 Effectiveness of ICT on the role of teachers

Apparently, teachers' acceptance for new technologies seems to be controversial. Whilst

some have effectively integrated ICT tools into the classroom, others have been cautious in

their acceptance, and some have simply rejected these technologies. Of course, the role of

the teacher in terms of using ICT must change so as to enable them cope with the recent

developments.

Literature reviews in this field are important not only to teachers but also to policy makers

who undertake supporting teachers in implementing ICT inside the classrooms. In this

respect, Beauchamp (2008) found that teachers need to draw upon large volumes of

suitable resources that they can draw on for specific targets and adjust to meet the

requirements of the students. However, students need to have a level of ICT skills in order

to deal with technology, and teachers should help the students with important tasks rather

than waiting for the students to „push computer buttons in response to easy questions from

the teachers‟. Accordingly, this means that the teacher has to be pro-active and confident

with the technology themselves.

In order to clarify the teacher's role in implementing ICT in the classroom, some

researchers considered the teacher's competencies related to ICT, for example, Nico,

Ruttena and Wouter (2012) demonstrated that the use of computer simulations while

21

teaching in the classroom will not be successful unless teachers have the necessary skills

and information to implement them effectively. In addition, they reported that if teachers

don‟t have the skills, the potential learning from computer simulations will remain out of

reach. As an alternative, they may be used as demonstration experiments or be totally

controlled by the teacher. In other words, the role of the teacher should focus on founding a

pedagogical framework necessary for implementing computer simulations during teaching

science.

Some researchers investigated the difficulties that teachers may encounter while

implementing ICT. They revealed that the difficulties in the use of ICT are related to the

weakness of a teacher‟s knowledge about what technologies are available and how they

can be used in the educational process in the classroom. In addition, teachers should know

how to use ICT in relevant ways to help them in the delivery of the curriculum (Morrisa,

2011).

As solution for this problem, it is necessary that teachers need to feel confident in their

skills to assist student learning with technology, to incorporate technology into their

classrooms. Therefore this needs to become a more qualified development to increase a

teacher‟s skill (Ward and Parr, 2010).

Other research has focused on the advantages that teachers gain from implementing ICT.

For example, Hennessy et al., (2007) argues that teachers will benefit from the available

technology in supporting students to build links between scientific theory and empirical

evidence.

By adopting differnt approach, Greene (2008) found that there is lack of curriculum-

specific ICT resources. He asserts that teachers and students have good general ICT skills,

although they do not get the same advantage from using online resources. Moreover,

Greene found that teachers need to have the appropriate training on how to use ICT in

teaching and learning. Nevertheless, teachers need to make the shift from traditional to the

interactive pedagogies in a non-ICT context before being able to be familiar with the

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benefits offered by ICT (Tanner et al., 2005). Interestingly, such research would recognise

the positive effects and identify any negative influences. In this way we could determine

how best to promote the teacher's role so that outcomes are improved.

With respect to ICT environment, Chen and Wu (2012) note that the teachers should

provide opportune help which should focus on how the students can learn and explain to

them that making mistakes in the lessons is part of the learning process. Furthermore, the

ICT environment should focus upon how erudite the material is in relation to reality so that

the students learn how to improve their skills and achieve the knowledge. Similarly,

Mukama & Andersson (2008) point out that learning in ICT environments is similar to a

journey and teachers newly entered into the profession often provide new visions.

Likewise, a recent study by Su (2011) suggested that ICT-integrated environmental

learning can support students to achieve a greater understanding of a chemistry lesson and

improves their attitude and approach to chemistry learning. However, these studies

emphasise the importance of providing effective ICT environment for students by teachers.

Another major viewpoint perceives that most orchestration of the learning is led by the

teacher or by software, and that students should have a more important role in

orchestration of resources (Beauchamp and Kennewell, 2010). Furthermore, it is very

significant to teachers to teach the students how to use ICT with relevant tasks while the

students are away from the ICT resource, and in a lot of different settings, for example

when the students examine the results of learning actions with another student in the

classroom, or perhaps in their leisure time (Cox and Marshall, 2007). Obviously, such

perspectives call for engaging students in their own learning while implementing ICT.

The effectiveness of ICT on the roles of teachers may be projected clearly through the

study of Hennessy et al. (2007), who carried out investigations into how experienced

classroom practitioners are beginning to harness the functionality of ICT to support

learning in science. Wherein, the methods they utilised focused upon group interviews with

four secondary science sections, with lesson observations and interviews with two teachers

23

and their students. Ultimately, they noted that the use of ICT supported shared cognition,

articulation, collective evaluation and reframing of students‟ ideas, and the structuring of

new facts for students.

In the research article by Kennewell (2005), he found in his study of schools in Wales that

teachers have evolved considerably and successfully in both course content and pedagogy

through both individual and cooperative integration of ICT into their teaching methods. His

findings support the idea that the teacher is the leader of the learning process in the

classroom.

More studies continued on addressing the effect of teacher‟s attitudes towards ICT on

students' learning. For example, Sangràa and Mercedes (2010) investigated four different

schools and they noted that there is a favourable opinion from a large group of teachers

regarding the use of ICT in education. Furthermore, they suggest that it is very useful for

students and has helped in the development of learning processes such as attention-

visualisation and response mechanism-application learning and also the understanding and

transmission of information to facilitate knowledge. However, they have also found some

negatives such as interaction skills of expression and communication skills that suggest

that not all teachers are wholly embracing ICT. As conclusion, the teacher‟s attitude is vital

in the educational process and the lack of interest shown by some teachers has an adverse

effect upon the educational process in the classroom.

By considering the features related to teacher's skills in ICT, Figg and Jaipal-Jamani (2011)

found that ICT pedagogical skills are important for teaching with ICT, across all topic

areas. Particular features of teacher actions linked to the planning of ICT enhanced lessons

across topics were recognised. Hence, features of good planning included: (a) Content-

centric goals for lessons, (b) Choice of technology-enhanced activity, (c) Differentiation

strategies, and (d) Sequencing of activities. While implementation features included: (a)

The fact that teachers need to become confident in using ICT in their daily teaching, (b)

Knowledge of specific classroom management techniques for teaching with technology,

and (c) Modelling strategies.

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In other words, all these features are unique in how they are expressed by the teacher‟s

actions in the classroom during ICT supported lessons. For example, all teachers should

include margins for varied student learning when they propose their lessons plans.

Teachers also need to have effective experience with ICT to support teaching – if the

teacher has greater technical skills, it will be reflected on students.

Again, with regards to the contradictions in teachers' perspectives towards ICT, Handal

(2011) examined the usage of ICT with secondary mathematics teachers in Australia. He

notes that there are contradictions between teachers; some of them believe that ICT is

beneficial in learning and teaching in the General Mathematics course but not suitable in

the other Mathematics courses (Mathematics “2-Unit”, Extension 1 and Extension 2).

Moreover, there are two reasons for this contradiction: the first one being that the teachers

found ICT detrimental to learning and the second reason is that there is misalignment

between assessment and classroom practice. This result is consistent with what was

described at the start of this section above.

In order to examine the usefulness of ICT in education, evidence needs to be examined

from across the globe. However, there is diversity of opinion; some studies suggest that

instruction in ICT is useful, with Liao (2004) suggesting “it is positive over traditional

instruction in Taiwan”. This Taiwanese study was supported by a Chinese study (Zhou, Hu,

& Gao, 2010) from Shaanxi Normal University. Nevertheless, the second study examined

only chemistry teaching, whereas Liao‟s subject area is not defined. This could indicate

that ICT is less suitable, in some subject areas. This approach raises questions as to what

precisely ICT suits the various subject areas, if such problem ambiguities are resolved by a

fixed, global scale of optimal answers.

The studies of integrated holistic school curriculum have shown that, unlike the studies

concerned with some subject areas, the question of ICT use across the whole school

curriculum is very important (Ward and Parr, 2010). The study of Ward and Parr, situated

in New Zealand, suggested two hypotheses. Firstly, the core academic subjects and their

teaching are often sacrosanct in schools. Furthermore, the subjects are often qualification

25

focused which reflects upon the school, therefore, they suggest that schools are unwilling

to innovate with change of practice or the use of computers. Secondly, they suggest that

even where there is an “overall school policy” that this may be interpreted differently at

departmental level and with each individual teacher: According to this view, “This would

seem to support the view that schools are complex, adaptive systems within which the

adoption of any innovation is likely to follow unpredictable diffusion trajectories” (Ward

and Parr, 2010: 586).

Some studies addressed that the teacher is a key to the organisation and orchestration of

ICT in the classroom since both components have an enormous impact upon how a student

learns (Sang et al., 2010) and can influence the students‟ perception of ICT in the

classroom. Furthermore, this source raises the argument that teachers‟ attitudes should be

challenged (Livingston & Rae 2006). Similarly, Condie (2005) supports the view of Sang

et al. by using the analogy of either paddling at the water‟s edge or actually swimming.

Hence, this evidence seems to suggest that the teacher‟s input is essential when examining

the use of ICT in the classroom. Sang et al. (2010) take this a step further by suggesting

that wading at the edge is not enough and reflects upon teaching competency.

However, one specific pattern of ICT-based studies has recently received a tremendous

amount of attention from educational professionals and researchers. For example, the study

of Al Khateeb (2000) was conducted to identify the attitudes of teachers in Irbid

Governorate, in Jordan, towards instructional technology in relation to some independent

variables such as gender, specialisation and years of experience. The study sample

consisted of 139 teachers (male and female) in public schools located in Irbid Governorate.

The researcher used a questionnaire comprising 40 items, allocated equally into positive

and negative attitudes, during the academic year 1998/1999. The results indicated the

presence of positive attitudes among teachers within the study population regarding

instructional technology. The results also showed that there are significant differences

between teachers' trends toward instructional technology and the scientific qualification, in

favour of those who are holding an undergraduate degree (BA) over those holding a

College diploma (two years of study). Furthermore, the results indicated that there are no

26

significant differences regarding the attitudes of teachers towards instructional technology

between gender, specialisation and experience.

To sum up, the findings in this study provide a new understanding of how teachers

perceive instructional technology and what factors influence their views toward such

technology. Furthermore, it appears that many variables may influence their views but not

all. However, this study has only examined the teachers' attitudes, ignoring students‟

views.

With regards to ICT-based studies, Al Suba'ie (2002), in his major study, aimed to identify

the attitudes of students and teachers on the use of ICT in teaching social studies. The

researcher developed a questionnaire - one of the questions addressed by the study was:

„What are the attitudes of the social studies' teachers and their students toward

implementing ICT as an educational means for teaching social studies?‟. Ultimately, the

results indicated that teachers and students had positive attitudes toward the usage of ICT

in social studies lessons.

Unlike the Al Khateeb study, Al Suba'ie considered the students‟ views in his study in

addition to the views of teachers regarding the usage of ICT in teaching and learning. He

was also specific in addressing content related to the social sciences. However, his

findings could not show any improvement related to academic achievement, at least in

social studies, or any other cognitive or behavioural improvement associated with the ICT

use.

In an overview of good practice in the use of ICT-based technology, Ng & Gunstone

(2003) sought to identify the attitudes of science teachers within public secondary schools

in Victoria State, Australia. Their investigation examined science teachers‟ attitudes

towards the use of ICT in learning. In order to answer this question, the views and

observations of science teachers regarding their teaching science in public schools in

Victoria were collected. Within this study, the obstacles that restricted the implementation

of these technologies in the classrooms were addressed and discussed. The results showed

27

that a majority of the teachers participating were interested in introducing such

technologies within their schools. The results showed also that despite this positivity,

teachers were infrequent in implementing this technology in the classroom.

This study can be considered as diagnostic in presenting the obstacles that limit

implementing ICT-based technology during learning. However, it neglected the students'

views. To be more specific, no suggestion is presented about what technologies to use

within classrooms, or beyond, to increase the students‟ interest and their achievement with

implementing such technologies.

By adopting another form of ICT-based studies, the study of Ong and Lai (2004) relied

upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in investigating the results of educational

research related to ICT use in e-learning. The researchers attempted to identify the

differences across genders in the perception and relationships toward acceptance of e-

learning control. Their results indicated that male students surpassed female students in

the use of e-learning models. Moreover, females were more influenced in their perceptions

towards implementing ICT, while the decisions of implementing ICT among males were

more influenced by self-perception regarding the usefulness of e-learning. The study

suggested that researchers should take into account the factors of gender in developing and

examining e-learning theories. This study confirms previous findings and contributes to

our understanding of how people, teachers or students, perceive any form of technology in

instruction. In addition, it addresses the effect of gender on perceiving e-learning in

particular.

Similarly, in her recent study, Abdullah (2012) aimed to identify the degree of using ICT-

based technology by teachers at early primary levels in the learning process, as well as

identifying the teachers' attitudes toward this technology. Moreover, the study aimed to

establish whether there are any differences amongst teachers' attitudes regarding the

variables of gender, place of working (governorate), academic qualification, length of

service and training courses. The researcher relied on an analytical descriptive method. A

random sample was selected and consisted of 250 teachers and 90 administrators

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(principal, librarian, computer lab technician) enrolled in public schools located in

Damascus and Al Qunaitera. The study findings revealed that: (a) teachers use ICT-based

technology for learning process and administrative affairs moderately, (b) the degree of

using ICT-based technology as learning aids by teachers was low, (c) the ICT-based

impediments perceived by administrators and teachers were high, (d) the teachers have

high positive attitudes toward using ICT-based technology in learning, (e) many schools

lacked for ICT tools, (f) the students usage for ICT-based technology was ineffective at

both schools, (g) the teachers' gender has no effect on the degree of using ICT-based

technology, (h) the variables of "governorate", "degree of qualification", "length of

service", and "enrolling in training courses" have significant effects on the degree of using

ICT-based technology by teachers, and (i) the teachers indicated a significant contradiction

between their attitudes toward ICT-based technology and the degree of their usage for it in

favour of their attitudes. In fact, this study diagnosed the various factors that may influence

the teachers' attitudes towards ICT. However, it failed to consider the students' views.

Although this study, as well as the previous ones, repeated addressing the importance of

ICT-based technology, its findings can be used to develop targeted interventions aimed to

improve implementing ICT in the best ways possible. Such intervention may include

enhancing teachers' In-service Training regarding innovative ICT-based technology and

managing time effectively.

Some researchers focused on teaching relying on websites content. For example, Al

Bukhari (2007) explored the extent of the importance of using English language websites

on improving the listening and speaking skills of students, from the perspectives of

inspectors and secondary teachers in Jeddah, KSA. Furthermore, the study aimed at

identifying any differences by considering the following variables: age, educational level,

career, years of experience, and number of training courses enrolled in.

In order to achieve the study goals, a questionnaire was used with a study sample

consisting of 344 female teachers and 26 inspectors as an instrument to collect the data

necessary for answering the study questions. The study highlighted that (a) the learning

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sites had a significantly positive impact in listening and speaking skills, (b) female students

were more likely to benefit and that (c) teachers were more positive than inspectors about

impact. The important thing in this study is that it did not rely on a single viewpoint, since

it included inspectors' viewpoints, which would expand our view of the factors that

influence implementing ICT. However, the results identified clearly some variables that

may influence the viewpoints related to using ICT tools.

In another form of using scientific software within school laboratories, AL Qumaizi (2000)

explored the reality of using school laboratories for teaching natural sciences in secondary

schools. The study was conducted in Al-Kharj governorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

(KSA). The study sample consisted of all teachers and supervisors of natural sciences

subject matters in Al Kharj Governorate during the second semester of the academic year

1999/ 2000. The findings of the study showed that teachers of natural sciences (biology,

chemistry, and physics) realise the importance of school laboratories in teaching natural

sciences – emphasising its use as an essential part in teaching these sciences. The total

number of the practical activities showed decrease during the first semester for all grades

(the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd grades). The researcher attributes the decrease in

implementing school laboratories to the lack of resources in computer software, in addition

to the presence of other impediments hindering the usage of school laboratories in teaching

science. Despite of the importance of this study in addressing the difficulties that hinder

teaching natural sciences, it addressed using some ICT tools indirectly.

Focusing on the role that ICT plays in teaching computer science, Al Saif (2005) aimed at

evaluating, from female teachers' perspectives, the experience of using ICT in teaching

high school girls within the private sector in the city of Riyadh. The researcher

implemented a social surveying method relying on a systematic sampling basis in order to

support the study. The study population consisted of 2400 teachers enrolled in all private

high schools for girls in the city of Riyadh and extended to 70 schools. A total sample of

600 teachers was randomly selected and received a questionnaire; in addition to 18

computer science teachers were interviewed.

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The findings of the study revealed a mismatch between the number of devices used in

teaching computer science and the numbers of students – which could hinder the

educational process. The study revealed the lack of up-to-date software needed for

practical applications. One of the limitations with this study is that it relies heavily on

teachers' views, similar to some of the other studies. Hence, further research regarding the

role of students would be of great help coupled with empirical data related to improving

achievements or learning conditions.

In a recent study related to teachers' competencies in ICT, Al Shaweesh (2010) conducted a

study aimed to find out to what extent the high schools teachers in Riyadh master the

international certification skills in computer (ICDL), as well as to identify if there were any

differences between high schools' ICDL skills in relation to qualification, years of

experience and training courses in the field of ICT. The study revealed that (a) teachers

were excellent in mastering the use of computers, managing files and word processing but

were less skilled in other areas. Moreover, there was a significant difference in favour of

those teachers who participated in training courses related to computer science and the

extent of teachers' mastery for ICDL skills.

In general, the study was designed to determine the skills of teachers related to using ICT

in addition to the effect of some variables on their ICT skills, from their own points of

view. The findings of this study are in agreement with the previous studies. It should be

noted that this study is still confined to teachers' perspectives. Similar to Abdullah (2012)

and AL Qumaizi (2000), another problem with this study is that it failed to take the

students' perspectives into account.

Some researchers undertook more holistic approach in studying ICT. For example, the

study of Alabdul Kareem (2008) was concerned mainly with identifying the extent of using

e-learning methods within school as well as identifying the patterns of using e-learning and

the differences among participants' attitudes toward the dimensions of study in terms of the

variations in their characteristics and careers. Moreover, the study also aimed to identify

the educational areas and levels where e-learning is used within. Furthermore, it was

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concerned with identifying the positives, negatives, and impediments related to using ICT

in learning.

With regards to using e-learning methods within the Kingdom Schools in Riyadh, the

researcher indicated that amongst the most important features were the presence of a

special site for the school in terms of the internet, the availability of internet in the

computer labs, the teachers‟ general computer knowledge and the presence of available

internet for teachers inside the school. The study revealed the following negatives: the lack

of computers for each student within the classroom; the teachers (males and females) did

not ask students (male and females) to deliver assignments on CDs. In terms of the use of

e-learning within the Kingdom Schools, the most used pattern within the school was co-

operative learning.

In addition, the findings indicated the presence of statistically significant differences, at the

level of significance α ≤ 0.01, between males and females regarding the extent of using e-

learning within school, and regarding the patterns of using e-learning, in favour of females.

Furthermore, no significant differences were found, at the level of significance α ≤ 0.01,

among the study members towards how to use e-learning inside the school and the patterns

of using e-learning in terms of several variables (specialisation, qualification, experience,

and the number of training courses).

With regard to the areas and levels of learning where e-learning is implemented, the

findings showed that computer science subjects represent the most important fields of

study, while secondary grades represent the most levels where e-learning was

implemented.

Whereas positives associated with e-learning included the following: it increases the level

of ICT-friendly culture and enhances ICT skills among the learner, it introduces the

scientific material in an interesting manner, it helps the learner to retain information for

longer periods, it provides the learner with immediate and continuous feedback and it

reinforces the learner's motivation toward learning. In contrast, the following negatives

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were revealed: the presence of electronic illiteracy among parents which reduces their

ability to monitor their children electronically, the frequent use of electronic devices affect

the learners‟ health, the occurrence of technical malfunctions in the devices hinder the

learning process and spending long times facing technical issues can increase social

isolation amongst the learners.

Finally, with regards to the impediments related to implementing e-learning within the

schools, two areas were raised as concerns. Firstly, a lack of finance prevents a computer

for each student, and secondly, the intensity of scientific material within the general

education's coursework hinders the use of e-learning.

The evidence from reviewing the previous literature shows a clear relationship between the

teacher role in terms of the ways in which ICT has been used and the resulting attainment

of students or their attitudes. This suggests that the crucial component in the use of ICT

within learning is the teacher and his pedagogical approaches. However, it appears from

this section that more research is needed to determine the actual impact for using ICT in

instruction. The research should perhaps be experimental-based to detect any

improvements from both teachers, in developing their teaching methods, and students in

gaining more achievements, cognitive and behavioural skills.

2.5 Effective use of ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Subject

2.5.1 Using ICT in Arabic (Subject)

Apparently, using ICT in Arabic lessons inside the classrooms across schools became a

main topic for much discussion. Whilst much research is being undertaken into the effect

of ICT on improving teaching and learning in Arabic lessons, there is still conflicting

evidence about its effect.

Some studies undertook ICT and learning directly. For example, in his exploratory study,

Hassan (2009) interviewed 15 high school students, 17 teachers of Arabic subject matter,

and 4 supervisors of Arabic Language subject matter. The study was conducted in order to

establish the views of students towards e-learning, using the Internet, and the ways in

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which ICT are used in teaching Arabic language. Specifically, the researcher addressed the

problem of reading comprehension coupled with to what extent ICT is effective in

developing this skill amongst students. The study findings revealed that 13 of the student

sample had positive views towards using the internet in learning, and 16 of the teachers‟

and supervisors' sample taken showed that some students endeavour to use the internet to

gather information and share it with their classmates, as well as having positive attitudes

toward Internet. While all supervisors ken that many students have positive attitudes

towards the Internet, in spite of this they still do not implement this technology

appropriately for learning. In regards to the sample's view of e-learning - provided by some

schools through the Internet - 14 of students' sample taken believe that the provided e-

learning programs related to Arabic Language are not good; since they are not interactive

and the student remains as a receiver, coupled with a paucity in Arabic Language software

provided by ICT. Of course, the teachers and supervisors belief that a creative teacher is

needed, so that learning process became fruitful; and that the creative teacher creates some

kind of interactivity between an ICT program and students. Furthermore, they pointed to

the paucity in Arabic Language programs provided through Internet.

This exploratory sample consisted of teachers and supervisors and suggested that reading

comprehension is currently the most relevant weakness for high school students. Moreover,

the sample's response indicated that the greatest weakness of student's scores in most

subject matters is due to the fact that the student cannot understand the readable material.

In short, the study clarified that the creative teacher is the main factor which underlies

interaction within the learning process by using ICT. However, despite the presence of

specialized ICT tool, the findings emphasized the importance of teachers' role in

introducing it.

Other researchers compared between ICT-based technology and traditional methods. For

example, in her experimental study, Al Zahrani (2005) compared the teachings of Holy

Qur'an subject matter based on ICT, and teaching based on traditional methods. The study

sample consisted of 77 female students divided into two groups: An experimental group

consisting of 38 students who studied Holy Qur'an relying on ICT, and a control group

consisting of 39 students who studied the same lessons using traditional methods based on

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teachers reciting. Two instruments were applied in this study: the „Attitudes Scale‟ and

„Assessment Questionnaire‟. These instruments were applied on the two groups before and

after intervention. The study demonstrated that using ICT promotes the learning of Holy

Qur'an. However, it did not clarify what factor (the teacher, the students, or altogether)

directed the interaction inside the classroom during the learning process.

With regards to educational software, students' attitudes and saving time, Ahmed (2012)

designed computer software and then examined the role of this software in students'

reading achievement compared with their achievement in learning relying on traditional

methods. He also aimed to recognise the differences between the traditional learning

method and multimedia method according to "time spent in learning" variable, thereupon

identifying the attitudes among the experimental group toward learning relying on ICT. A

total sample consisting of 60 students was divided equally into 4 groups: two groups of

males (control and experimental), and two groups of females (control and experimental).

Results indicated the presence of positive attitudes towards the designed program. In brief,

the study focused primarily on the period of time spent in learning inside the classroom, as

well as the positive role that ICT plays in saving time during the learning process.

Positively, the study relied on empirical data with considering the students' perspectives,

both males and females, towards implementing some ICT tools in specific subject. Such

research would benefit more in identifying the ways that promote teaching Arabic subject.

Unlike Al Shaweesh (2010), Abdullah (2012) and AL Qumaizi (2000) studies, Al Basyoni

(1994) study was conducted in order to clarify the effect of ICT on achievement among

high school students in Arabic language grammar as well as their achievement in written

expression. The study sample consisted of high school students in one of Cairo‟s schools.

The sample was allocated into two groups, control and experimental. An achievement test

was used by the researcher to examine the validity of her study hypothesises. The study

findings revealed that the experimental group achieved positive outcomes in grammar and

written expression. Furthermore, the findings indicated that using ICT impacted positively

on learning. This study relied on the students' perspectives. However, it succeeded in

clarifying the practical role that ICT plays in enhancing the students' achievement.

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More studies continued on confirming the findings that support the positive role of ICT on

students' achievement in Arabic subject. For example, Al Jaraydeh (2003) conducted a

study aimed to investigate the effect of ICT-assisted instruction on the first secondary

grade students in Arabic Language grammar. The study population consisted of all first

secondary grade students, at literary branch, enrolled in public high schools located in Al

Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, for the academic year 2002/2003. The total number reached

1152 students (males and females), the sample consisted of 120 students (males and

females), where 60 of them studied relying on ICT-assisted method, whilst the remainder

studied relying on traditional methods. The instrument consisted of an achievement test of

the multiple choice type that comprised 46 items distributed on educational objectives

according to Bloom's levels (knowledge, comprehension, application).

The study revealed that statistically significant differences were found in the level of

achievement among the first secondary grade students in Arabic grammar in favour of

ICT-assisted method. Additionally, the results show a statistically significant differences in

the level of achievement among the first secondary grade students in Arabic Language

grammar, in favour of females. The results of this study were consistent with Al Basyoni

(1994) study since it indicated the role of ICT in enhancing the students' achievement.

In a qualitative study related to Learning Packages and self-learning, Albertson and Felix

(2001) aimed to clarify the effect of using ICT on developing creative writing skills

amongst gifted students. They looked at two gifted students, one male and one female,

who were enrolled in the seventh grade as indicated in their school records and teachers

reports. A longitudinal study was selected so that more than one story can be written at

separated intervals. Learning packages; provided with strategies to guide students and help

them on how to: write in a creative manner, increase fluency during writing, plan, set

goals, and control time; were designed. After training, however, the students wrote seven

stories at separated intervals relying on ICT. An instrument was developed to measure

student progress in writing, whereby the written stories were presented to a group of

arbitrators. The evaluations related to stories showed that the stories were higher in overall

quality than the stories being written earlier, the students' fluency increased and they were

able to include more elements in the stories within a shorter time of writing. Without any

36

doubt, these signals may be used to help the observer make clear judgments related to the

level of involvement that child shows during implementing ICT-based activities.

2.5.2 Using ICT in English (Subject)

The spread of English around the world has introduced new models of teaching languages.

Among these is using ICT tools in innovative and practical ways. Using ICT within

English classrooms is still very much perceived as a novelty by researchers and both

teachers and students. Nevertheless, ICT's potential in enhancing learning within English

lessons stills controversial.

The use of ICT in English classrooms across schools became a topic for much discussion.

For example, the study of Zayli'e (2007) was concerned with investigating the effect of

using computer programmes as an instructional mean in teaching English grammar (verb

tenses: Past / Present / Future) on students' achievement among first secondary graders in

Jeddah. This was measured in terms of knowledge and comprehension levels revealed by

Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive objectives, in comparison with traditional methods based

on verbal presentation and using of whiteboard and coloured markers. The study relied on

a quasi-experimental approach, where the study was applied on a sample consisted of 42

students enrolled in the first secondary grade, who were allocated from Jerusalem High

School in Jeddah during the second semester of the academic year 2006/2007.

The overall study sample has been divided into two groups: experimental, which consisted

of 22 students who studied the targeted grammar using ICT as an educational mean; and a

control group which consisted of 20 students who studied the same grammar using

traditional methods based on verbal presentation, using textbook, and whiteboard and

coloured markers. The study instrument was an achievement test, which had been

arbitrated and assured in terms of its validity and reliability before application on the two

study groups. The study findings revealed significant differences, in favour of the

experimental group, in students' achievement in knowledge, comprehension and the entire

post-test. In general, the findings of this study support the previous studies that clarified the

practical role of ICT in improving the quality of learning and teaching.

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Comparatively, the study of Al Ghamdi (2010) was concerned with identifying the effect of

using e-learning (i.e. an internet-supported or assisted electronic course) as an instructional

aide in teaching English language grammar (i.e. both past simple and present perfect

tenses) on first-secondary graders' achievement. Essentially, the study aimed to compare e-

learning approach with traditional methods of using textbooks and whiteboard with

coloured markers. This relied on three goals (memory, comprehension, and application)

according to Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives.

The researcher employed a quasi-experimental method. The study was applied on a sample

consisting of 60 first-secondary grade students enrolled in Bani Dhabian Secondary School

located in Al-Baha Region, KSA. The sample was divided equally into two groups, the

experimental one that studied the targeted grammars relying on e-learning, while the

control one studied the same grammar using traditional methods, during the first semester

of the academic year 2009/2010.

To achieve the study goals, an achievement test, prepared by the researcher, was applied on

the study sample that included the first three levels (remembering, understanding, and

applying) according to Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive goals. The test was applied on

each group twice, pre- and post-teaching. That study showed that there were significant

differences were found in favour of e-learning, between the achievement's average scores

of students who studied English language grammar using e-learning and their peers who

used traditional methods in memory, comprehension, application and overall. Of course,

there is increasing evidence that ICT can improve learning, especially since the advent of

Internet (Alabdul Kareem, 2008; Al Ghamdi, 2010; Hassan, 2009).

In relation to instructional technologies, another study was conducted by Al Juhani (2011)

aimed at measuring the effect of instructional electronic games on academic achievement

in English courses amongst female students at intermediate secondary stage. The

researcher focused on designing instructional electronic games in order to develop the

concepts of English subject matter among her students. She adopted a descriptive approach

in order to attain the special standards for evaluating instructional electronic games as well

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as a quasi-experimental approach in order to apply the instructional electronic games on

the study sample. Additionally, she aimed to identify the effect of the independent variable

(the instructional electronic games) on the dependant variable (developing achievement).

The population consisted of female students at intermediate stage in KSA while the

random study sample consisted of 72 female students enrolled in an intermediate school in

Jeddah. The samples were distributed equally into experimental group (instructional

electronic games group) comprising 36 students and control group (traditional learning

group) comprising 36 students.

The study followed a continuum of steps that are: defining the concepts under question,

designing instructional electronic games and introducing it for a group of arbitrators,

applying the pre-test, applying the instructional electronic games on the experimental

group, applying the post-test. Finally, they used statistical procedures in order to calculate

the differences among the two groups. The study revealed that significant differences were

found, at the level α = 0.05, between the averages of students' scores in the experimental

and control group in terms of post-test in favour of the experimental group.

In fact, researchers have demonstrated that using some ICT tools benefits students better

than relying on traditional methods, for example, Al Jumhor (1999) conducted a study

aimed at recognising the effectiveness of using computers and multiple programs in

teaching English as a foreign language. The objective of the study was to define the

features of ICT use which outperform regular teaching. The sample in this study consisted

of 64 students from the first secondary grade enrolled in Prince Sultan educational

complex in Riyadh. The study sample was divided equally into two groups: an

experimental group comprising 32 students who studied using ICT, and control group

comprising 32 students who studied using traditional methods. The key findings shown by

the study were differences (all in favour of the experimental group using ICT) for

remembering and understanding but not in application of methods.

39

This usage, in turn, is assumed to enable individuals to raise their learning. For example,

Al Jadmawy (2000) carried out an investigation to identify the effect of using ICT in

teaching on the achievement and the retention of learning amongst first-year intermediate

female students in English language coursework. The researcher used pre-prepared English

learning software. The study instrument was an achievement test that assesses leaning at

the first three levels (remembering, understanding, application) of Bloom's Taxonomy of

cognitive objectives. The study sample was divided into two groups: an experimental

group comprising 27 students who studied relying on ICT-assisted learning, and control

group comprising 26 students who studied relying on traditional methods. Contradictory to

the previous studies, here no significant differences were found between the average scores

of the experimental and control group in achievement, as well as in retaining information

related to the targeted lessons. In Addition, no significant differences were found between

the two groups at understanding level. The researcher attributed these findings mainly to

the teacher, who was judged to be unqualified to implement ICT in the learning process.

This is a key finding, the link between successful application and that of effective teaching.

For this reason, a number of researchers have been working in recent years to determine

why is implementing ICT is not sufficient for improving students' learning (Al Shaweesh,

2010; Mukama & Andersson, 2008).

In a similar study, Qadeh (2000) studied the effectiveness of using ICT-assisted learning in

teaching English grammar at the first three levels (remembering, understanding, and

application) of Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive objectives among second secondary grade

students in Holy Mecca city. The study sample was divided into two equal groups: an

experimental group comprising 29 students who studied relying on ICT-assisted learning,

and a control group comprising 29 students who studied relying on traditional methods.

The findings revealed that there were significant differences between the average scores of

the experimental group and control group in the skills of remembering and application, in

favour of the experimental group.

In a more recent study, Al Sanee (2012) aimed to identify the effect of using ICT in

teaching a unit from the English coursework "Structure 110" on the achievement of first

level female students enrolled in English department at Umm Al-Qura University. The

40

teaching objectives were set according to Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive objectives

(remember, understand, apply, analyse, synthesise). The study also aimed to compare the

students' learning based on two methods: ICT-assisted learning and a traditional method

that uses verbal presentation and whiteboard with coloured markers.

The study sample consisted of 54 female students allotted to two groups: an experimental

group comprising 29 students who studied relying on ICT-assisted learning, and a control

group comprising 25 students who studied relying on traditional methods.

The finding revealed that there was a significant difference between the average scores of

the experimental group and control group in the skills of remembering, understanding, and

application, whilst no significant differences were found between the two groups at level

synthesis. The overall pre-test average for the experimental group surpassed the average of

the control group.

Similar to Al Sanee (2012), an experimental study was conducted by Al Suoqy (2001) to

determine the effect of using ICT in the „Teaching Level Two‟ composition on the writing

performance of tenth grade students in Amman private schools.

A sample consisted of 37 students were divided into two groups: an experimental group

comprising 20 students, and control group comprising 17 students while the study

instrument represented an achievement test. The findings revealed that ICT had positive

role on students' language performance in studying composition in English. This

conclusion is based on statistically significant differences that were in favour of the

experimental group.

As is apparent, researchers have provided some evidence to support the assertion that using

certain ICT tools contribute in improving students' language performance in English

subject.

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2.5.3 Using ICT in Mathematics (Subject)

The availability of ICT has changed the nature of teaching and learning in mathematics.

Hence, to judge just to what extent and how ICT may enhance teaching and learning in

mathematics, it is necessary to examine the available research evidence.

In fact, the majority of ICT-Mathematics studies focused on the gains that students may

have by implementing some of ICT tools. For example, Al Balawi (2000) undertook a

study aimed at identifying the effect of ICT on the retention of learning during the teaching

of a statistics unit at the level of remembering, understanding, and application. The study

sample comprised 66 students who were divided equally into two groups: an experimental

group consisted of students 33 students who studied relying on ICT-assisted method, while

the control group consisted of students 33 who studied by traditional methods. The

findings of the study revealed that there were significant differences in the skills of

understanding and application, and the overall post-test in favour of the experimental

group.

In order to improve students' skills in mathematics, the study of Rendall (2001) was

concerned with recognising the effectiveness of ICT-assisted teaching for mathematics in

algebra and geometry topics (Invest learning programs) for rural public schools students.

The study sample consisted of two groups: experimental and control groups with a total

number of students amounted to 120. The 80 students of the control group studied over

three semesters using traditional methods, while the experimental group comprised 40

students who studied using ICT-assisted methods. The study indicated that ICT-assisted

teaching was more effective in raising the arithmetical and logical skills in mathematics

compared with traditional methods.

Jabr (2007) investigated the effect of using ICT on seventh grade students' achievement in

mathematics, compared with traditional methods in addition to identify the teachers'

attitudes towards using ICT as a learning aid during the academic year 2006/2007. The

sample size encompassed 94 seventh grade students, males and females. The students

42

were enrolled in two schools, one for boys and the other for girls. The teacher sample

consisted of 37 mathematics teachers. The students were divided into two groups: An

experimental group comprised 47 students who studied relying on ICT consisting of 24

males and 23 females. The control group consisted of 47 students who studied via

traditional methods, split similarly to the one in the experimental group. This study

attempted to answer the following two questions:

The study findings revealed that there were significant differences between the average

achievement amongst seventh grade students after both methods were applied (ICT and

traditional) in favour of the ICT method. No significant differences were found regarding

gender or the interaction between teaching method and gender. Additionally, positive

attitudes among mathematics teachers were found toward using ICT as a learning aid in

teaching mathematics.

In a study related Geometry, Al Abadleh's study (2006) aimed to find out the effectiveness

of using ICT in teaching solid geometry, geometrical reasoning, and spatial visualisation

among second year secondary grade, at scientific branch. The study sample involved 112

students from second secondary grade who were selected from two schools located in

UAE: Helwan High School at Sharjah and Al Nu'man bin Basheer High School at Ajman.

The researcher used a computer program for the unit of solid geometry, an achievement

test, a scale for geometrical thinking according to Van Hill's levels, and the „s‟ scale for

spatial ability. The study addressed the main following question: „what is the effectiveness

of using ICT in teaching solid geometry and its effect on academic achievement

geometrical reasoning, and spatial visualisation among second secondary graders at

scientific branch?‟

After applying the experiment and analysing the findings, the researcher found that the

proportion of gain set up for Black equals 1.47 that was higher than the line set by Black

(1.2) as a minimum line for effectiveness, indicating the effectiveness of using ICT in

teaching mathematics. Also significant differences were found, at the level α = 0.05, in the

post-test between the average scores of the control group that used traditional methods and

43

the experimental group that studied vacuum geometry using ICT, in favour of the

experimental group.

By combining both students' attitudes and achievement, Hussein's study (2000) aimed to

investigate the effect of teaching mathematics enhanced by ICT on the students' attitudes

and their achievement in „circle‟ unit for the second secondary grade, at scientific branch,

in Doha, Qatar. The researcher selected four schools, and then the sample was divided into

four groups, two for males and two for females. Two groups, males and females, studied

relying on traditional methods while the other two studied relying on ICT. The researcher

confined his study to the „circle‟ unit from second secondary grade curriculum during the

first semester, because of the ease of ICT application, and for the difficulty of the mental

processes that this unit requires. It is notable that the researcher selected schools

dominated by Qatari students. Ultimately, after the data being analysed, statistically

significant differences were found in favour of the group that studied relying on ICT.

Similar to Hussein's study (2000), Mawata (1998) studied the effect of using ICT on the

achievement among high school students and their attitudes towards mathematics. For this

purpose, the researcher prepared a series of lessons related to conversions' engineering by

teachers who were teaching this coursework. Additionally, he undertook teacher training

on developing Java Applet software and using Java language, to make learning from web

pages more interactive. The study sample consisted of 163 students enrolled in three high

schools within Baltimore, USA. The findings indicated that students' achievement was

high according to the achievement test. Furthermore, the findings indicated the presence

of a positive growth in attitudes towards mathematics from the study sample.

In another study related to learning geometry through mathematics, Shunaq (2002)

investigated the effect of using ICT on achievement among seventh grade female students

through a comparison of three methods: cooperative learning with using ICT,

individualised learning with using ICT, and the traditional learning method. All students

studied the same lessons on Areas and Volumes. The study examined the impact of both

teaching method and the use of ICT.

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The study sample consisted of 72 female students from the seventh grade enrolled in Al-

Andalus High School, Irbid governorate, Jordan. The sample was selected randomly and

then distributed into three groups: The first group studied collaboratively (by triple groups)

relying on ICT, the second group studied individually relying on ICT, and the third group

studied relying on traditional methods.

The findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences, at the level α =

0.05, among the seventh grade students' achievement in relation to the learning method and

in favour of collaborative and individual learning compared with traditional methods.

Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences, at the level α = 0.05, relating

to the students' performance on the achievement test in favour of high achievement

category, compared with moderate and low achievement categories. However, the findings

did not reveal the existence of significant differences at the level α = 0.05, for the

interaction between the level of achieving and learning method on the students'

performance on the post-test.

Clark's study (2005) aimed to identify the effect of ICT use in teaching geometry for

academically talented students at high intermediate stage. The study sample consisted of

50 students from ninth and tenth grades. The sample was divided into two groups: the

experimental group that comprised 25 ninth grade students enrolled in Hispanic School,

who studied geometry relying on ICT, and the control group that comprised 25 tenth grade

students enrolled in Florida School, who studied geometry relying on traditional methods.

With respect to instruments, Florida competency achievement Test, and teachers'

observations were used. The Florida test was applied before and after teaching the same

lessons for both groups. Then, a comparison was conducted between the averages of

scores to measure the students' progress. After collecting and analysing data, the findings

revealed that there were statistically significant differences in students' achievement in the

experimental and control groups in favour of the experimental group. Like most of the

previous ICT studies related to mathematics, this study has notable strengths and

concerning weaknesses. The most important contribution of the study is its ability to

identify the gains in mathematics that students may attain relying on ICT-based

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technology. In contrast, the study's most prominent weakness is its heavy reliance on the

use of conventional ICT tools as well confining its goals to achievement.

The study of Uribe, Klein, & Sullivan (2003) was concerned with identifying the effect of

„Computer-Mediated Collaborative Learning‟ on solving „ill-defined problems‟. The study

addressed the following main question: „What is the effect of Collaborative learning by

using computer as mediation on student achievement in solving ill-defined problems?‟.

This study emerged in the light of the paucity in empirical studies related to this topic.

Firstly, the participants received training on how to use a learning program available on the

internet that teaches them the process of solving the problem through four steps associated

with solving ill-defined problems. The participants worked within in either pairs or as

individuals in order to apply the practical steps of solving the problem.

The findings revealed that participants who worked in pairs were more effective than

participants who worked alone. In addition, the findings revealed significant differences in

the amount of time students invested in the work, with „paired‟ students working for longer

than individuals. Also the findings indicated that the two experimental groups have had

positive attitudes towards collaborative learning and ICT-based learning using the World

Wide Web.

Some researchers focused on improving students' ability in solving mathematical problems

relying on computerised method, for example, Egbert & Cor (2006) sought to assess the

effect of using ICT in improving students' ability to resolve mathematical problems relying

on computer program among high school students.

For this purpose, two programs were designed so that each one provided the student with a

problem. This was accompanied by lessons to support the student in problem solving. The

first program relies on a direct instruction approach, while the second relies on a

constructive instruction approach. The researcher selected four classes to teach them by

using the first program as well as he selected another four classes to teach them by using

the second program. As a result, the eight classes represented the experimental group.

Additionally, he selected five classes that represented the control group. It was hoped that

46

the second method would be useful for underachieving students. The researchers used the

previous computer programs at three periods of time, each period consisted of two

consecutive weeks. Subsequently data were collected and analysed.

The findings indicated that both programs contributed to improve the ability to solve the

problem in a better way than traditional methods during mathematics learning. Contrary to

the expectations of the researchers, students from both „underachievers‟ and „outstanding‟

categories have benefited equally from the use of the computer program. Specifically, the

programs helped students in the analysis and verification during resolving the problem.

In concordance with the previous research, Al Ibrahim (2005) investigated the impact of

teaching methods supported by using ICT on the achievement of eighth graders in

mathematics, in addition to their attitudes toward both mathematics and the use of ICT in

mathematics teaching.

A total sample of 115 students (males and females) was taken. The eighth grade students

were enrolled in two schools located in Irbid governorate, Jordan: Ibin Zaidoun elementary

School for boys and Al Nu'aimeh Secondary School for Girls. The sample was divided

randomly into two groups: control and experimental, where the experimental group studied

using software developed by the researcher, while control group studied relying on

traditional methods. The study lasted for almost two months. After applying the study

instruments and analysing the data, the study revealed the presence of statistically

significant differences, at the level of α = 0.05, between the averages of achievement

among eighth grade students in relation to the teaching method supported by using ICT, in

favour of the experimental group. Furthermore, the findings revealed the existence of

statistically significant variation, at the level of α = 0.05, between teaching methods and

gender on the achievement among eighth grade students in mathematics, in favour of

males.

In another similar study related to achievement and teaching method, Subeh (2001)

investigated the effect of teaching mathematics using ICT on the achievement amongst

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first-year secondary graders, at scientific branch, as well as their attitudes towards ICT.

The study sample consisted of 60 students enrolled in two private schools located in

Amman, Jordan. The study addressed two key questions: What is the effect of using ICT

for teaching mathematics to first-year secondary grade students, at Scientific Branch, in

Jordan? And: What are the students' attitudes toward ICT as a method for teaching?

In order to answer these questions, the sample was divided into two groups: experimental

and control, where the experimental group studied a vectors unit relying on ICT, while the

control group studied relying on traditional methods. Two achievement tests, pre and post,

were administered in addition to an attitudes' questionnaire. The findings indicated that

statistically significant differences were found on students' achievement in favour of the

experimental group who used ICT methods, as well in the independent variable of gender,

in favour of males.

In his investigation, Jabr (2006) explored the effectiveness of teaching methods based on

self-directed learning strategies to teach geometry and geometrical problems, and students'

attitudes towards this method. In order to achieve this goal, the researcher prepared and

computerised the geometrical material for a ninth grade unit, using ICT-directed inquiry.

The study aimed to establish differences between the students in geometry and problem

solving dependent upon the teaching method involved.

A total sample of 159 ninth grade students‟ males and females was allocated from two

schools affiliated with the International Relief Agency (UNRWA) in Nablus region, PNA.

80 male and 79 female students were selected using a stratified method. The study sample

was divided into four groups: two groups for males and two for females by using random

pairing. Then, the students in each school were allocated to two groups: an experimental

group that studied geometry using ICT-directed inquiry, and a control group that studied

the same topic relying on traditional methods. The researcher implemented a questionnaire

to measure the students' attitudes toward geometry in addition to two achievement tests.

The research worked on an initial hypothesis that there is no significant difference between

the teaching methods.

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The findings revealed the existence of significant differences between the arithmetic means

of students' scores in the experimental and control groups according to the achievement

test in geometry, in favour of the experimental group. Similar results were found when the

analysis was applied to the teaching of geometrical problems.

In fact, all the studies explicated above, with one exception for Jabr (2007) who expanded

his study by addressing the teachers' attitudes, addressed the effect of ICT on the students'

achievement and attitudes in mathematics.

All in all, evidence from the previous studies showed that ICT had a positive relationship

to students‟ learning of mathematical skills and the results varied according to the amount

and type of using ICT in the mathematics curriculum.

2.5.4 Using ICT in Sciences (Subject)

In fact, a considerable body of literature exists on the use of ICT in science subjects across

a range of topics and age levels. Furthermore, research indicates that ICT can play a major

role in enhancing and extending practical work.

For example, in a study of 300 students (males and females), Al Essa (1993) compared the

use of ICT in teaching and learning, in science, to the use of traditional methods. The

study sample was divided into two groups: the first group was experimental and consisted

of 150 students who studied through the use of ICT, while the other was a control group

consisting of 150 students who studied using traditional methods. The results indicated that

statistically significant differences were shown in the immediate achievement using

simulation strategy implemented by using ICT, with a greater impact for male students.

In a study related to Science, Scardamalia and Bereiter (2000) investigated how to utilise

ICT as a knowledge-supporting material in science lessons. The study involved 1110

primary and secondary school students who were divided evenly into two groups according

to their stages. The study was conducted in Seoul, South Korea. The effectiveness of

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using ICT as a knowledge-supporting material was evaluated. The experiment lasted three

years, and the findings indicated that 76% of the students increased their interest in

obtaining knowledge through using ICT. In addition, the primary school students showed

dramatic improvements in terms of memorising, retrieving information, and using

computers, greater than the impact on their peers in high school.

Some researchers addressed the teachers' views toward ICT and Science by aiming to

provide an accurate statistical data related to ICT and science teaching. For example, Al-

Hadlaq (2003) explored the extent of recognising and using ICT in teaching science within

Kuwait by sciences teachers, male and female. The study sample consisted of 145 science

teachers who taught the stages in Kuwait during the academic year 1999/2000.

The study‟s findings showed that most commonly used computer programmes were

animation programs and word processing programs, while the least commonly used were

electronic scientific encyclopaedias and learning software such as modelling and

simulation programs. Moreover, No differences were found between male and female

science teachers in Kuwait with regards to: (a) Their general use of ICT, (b) Teaching

computerised course(s), and (c) The usage of ICT by their students within science lessons.

Furthermore, A number of differences were found between male and female teachers in

regard to their use for ICT within science lessons, in favour of male teachers.

The study concluded a number of recommendations of which, suggesting that teachers'

pre-service training should include studying more a minimum of two computerised courses

and that computerised courses provided to teachers in pre-service training should include

an explanation of how to integrate ICT within various educational materials, in particular

in science. The most interesting thing with all of these studies that they bring with them,

cumulatively, challenges which may have resulted in innovative responses and activities

underlying great benefit for the development of ICT skills among both teachers and

students.

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Shdaifat and Irshaid (2007) aimed to identify the effect of ICT on achievement among

eighth grade students in science subject matter learning through the use of ICT, compared

with traditional methods. In addition, the study addressed the effect of gender as well as the

interaction between teaching method and gender on the students' achievement.

The study population consisted of all eighth grade students enrolled in Al Mafraq

Directorate of Education, Jordan. The study sample consisted of 180 students enrolled in

schools within Al Mafraq City during the first semester of the Academic year 2005/2006.

The sample was selected and distributed randomly into six groups: two control groups that

comprised 60 male and female students taught using traditional methods, the first two

experimental groups that comprised 60 male and female students, who were taught using

the ICT, and the second two experimental groups that comprised 60 male and female

students who were taught using the Internet. The study instruments included unit 5 (earth

and space sciences) from the science curriculum as a study material. This unit was taught

for five lessons a week, for four weeks. After the completion of teaching unit 5, an

achievement test was introduced in order to assess achievement. The test consisted of 30

multiple choice questions. To assure the instrument's validity, it was introduced to 10

arbitrators. Also the test reliability was assured relying on Richardson-Kuder equation

(KR-20) where the reliability coefficient equalled 0.89. With respect to results, the study

showed that there were significant differences in favour of the two experimental groups. In

addition, there were statistically significant differences in relation to the interaction

between teaching method and gender, that is, there is a statistically significant interaction

between gender and the method of teaching in its impact on the dependent variable.

In a study related to chemistry, Paddy (2001) indicated that there were no statistically

significant differences in achievement among students who have learned through ICT and

those who have learned through traditional methods. Furthermore, and unexpectedly, there

were no statistically significant differences in achievement among students who studied

through ICT and those who studied through traditional methods regarding retaining

information.

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Against all the expectations, the study of Al Hudhaifi and Al Doghaim (2005), also

highlighted that there were no differences between the achievements of students studying

through ICT and those not, according to the scientific thinking scale for the second

secondary grade students in chemistry. Additionally, there were no statistically significant

differences between an experimental and control group scores in the hypothesis testing

skill and interpretation skill. There were, however, statistically significant differences in

generalisation skill according to scientific thinking.

In another study concerning chemistry, Al Omar (2001) sought to identify the effect of ICT

on direct and delayed achievement among the first-year secondary grade students, at

scientific branch, in chemistry. The study population consisted of all first-year secondary

grade students enrolled in public schools located in First Irbid District in Jordan. The

sample consisted of 114 students from two schools, one group for boys and the other for

females. Two classes were selected by simple random method from each school. The

researcher used computerised learning software that included unit 1 from chemistry

textbook for first secondary grade, an achievement test, and pre-prepared notes related to

the teaching of modern atomic theory and the periodic table.

The researcher found a statistically significant difference, at the significance level α ≤ 0.05,

on the direct achievement in relation to the teaching method, in favour of the experimental

group. Also there were statistically significant differences, at the significance level α ≤

0.05, in relation to gender in favour of females. No significant differences were found, at

the significance level α ≤ 0.05, in the direct achievement amongst students in relation to

the interaction between teaching method and gender.

With respect to the delayed achievement, statistically significant differences were found in

delayed achievement in relation to the teaching method in favour of the experimental

group, while no significant differences were found in delayed achievement in relation to

gender or the interaction between teaching method and gender.

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In his experimental study related to chemistry, Shepr (2003) aimed to identify the effect of

using ICT in helping students to learn chemistry. The study sample was comprised of 106

first secondary grade students enrolled in Bahraini schools. The study findings indicated

that the performance of students who learned using ICT within the two experimental

groups had increased in comparison with the students performance within control groups at

a statistically significant level of α = 0.01. The findings indicated that the using of ICT

was highly effective in helping students to learn Chemistry.

In a study related to physics, Al Mustafa (2000) investigated the effect of using teaching

methods reliant upon ICT on the achievement among ninth grade students in physics,

compared traditional teaching methods. The study sample consisted of 80 students (40

males and 40 females) who were selected from two schools located in the county of

Northern Jordan Valley, Jordan. An achievement test was used that related to the topic of

"electromagnetic induction" from the national curriculum. The test consisted of 20 items,

where 9 items were right/wrong questions, and 11 multiple-choice. The researcher

developed a measuring instrument to investigate the changes brought about by the

computerised teaching method on the students' attitudes, which comprised 30 items. Also,

learning software was designed on the topic of electromagnetic induction. The

achievement test was applied before and after intervention.

The study revealed statistically significant differences, at significance level α = 0.05, on the

achievement amongst ninth grade students in physics relating to the teaching method, in

favour of the experimental group that studied by computer. There were no statistically

significant differences on the achievement among ninth grade students in physics, in

relation to gender or the interaction between the teaching method and gender.

In another study concerning physics, Al Sharhan (2002) explored the effect of using ICT

on the achievements of first-year secondary graders enrolled in one of Riyadh schools in

KSA, in physics, investigating the skills of remembering, understanding, and application.

The study sample was divided into two groups: an experimental group that comprised 25

students who studied relying on ICT, and the control group that comprised 25 students who

studied relying on traditional methods. The results showed that there were no statistically

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significant differences, at the level α = 0.05, in the remembering level between the two

groups of study, while he found a statistically significant differences, at the level α = 0.05,

in the understanding and application levels, in favour of the experimental group.

By focusing on Optics, a major field in Physics, Jaber (2004) studied the effect of a

teaching method using ICT on teaching the conceptual change model amongst eighth-grade

students studying „light as a field of optics‟ within a public school located in Irbid, Jordan.

The study sample consisted of 52 female students who were distributed randomly into two

groups: A control group that was taught according to the conceptual change model and an

experimental group that was taught according to conceptual change model coupled with

the use of ICT. The findings did not indicate of the existence of statistically significant

differences at the significance level α = 0.05 between the control and experimental groups,

in relation to the variation in teaching methods.

In a study concerning earth sciences, Chang (2002) conducted a study to clarify the effect

of ICT problem-solving methods on the achievement amongst tenth grade students in earth

sciences subject matter in Taiwan. The study sample consisted of 78 male students and 78

female students who were distributed into four experimental subgroups, while 69 male

students and 69 students were distributed into four control subgroups. The two groups

were taught the same subject (floods), using problem-solving methods for the experimental

group and lecturing methods for the control one. The researcher found statistically

significant differences among the tenth grade students, in favour of the experimental group.

With respect to ICT and biology, Lutfi and Al Ajlouni (2003) conducted a study to

investigate the effect of using ICT as method for teaching biology on the achievement of

tenth grade students, in comparison with traditional methods of teaching. The study

sample consisted of 68 students, 39 male and 29 female, enrolled in two private secondary

schools located in Amman, Jordan, for the academic year 1999/2000. The sample was

divided into two groups: a control group that included 20 male students and 14 female

students with total number of 34 students, and an experimental group that included 19 male

students and 15 female students with a total number of 34 students. In both groups, males

and females studied separately. Within this study, an achievement test was used for

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biology subject matter, which included 33 multiple-choice items. The test was applied

prior to and after the intervention. In addition, an achievement computerised program in

biology was used to study genetics and then was applied on students within the

experimental group. The findings indicated that statistically significant differences were

found in students' achievement in biology, in favour of the groups using ICT.

In this study, no statistically significant differences were found in students' achievement in

relation to gender. Finally, a positive change was found in students' attitudes towards ICT

after intervention, compared with the control group.

In general, most of the research related to ICT and science showed the positive effects of

using ICT on students' achievement in science. This type of usage, in turn, is assumed to

enable individuals to raise their learning in the different aspects of science.

2.6 Using ICT in International Teaching

In international education, the same trends seem to be found in most countries. As stated

previously there has been some innovation in pedagogical strategy and many successes

using ICT, but there has not been a major breakthrough in terms of a revolutionary use of

ICT in relation to new pedagogical strategies. The old teacher-centred, transmission-based

paradigm is still very much evident in international secondary schools. A new paradigm or

framework is desired by almost every researcher but as yet teachers seem to be using

multimedia and the Internet as a „big book‟ to teach from, rather than seeing knowledge as

something to be discovered. Many countries are attempting to achieve the highest results

in ICT in both subject specialist use and in the teaching of ICT itself. What is not

happening overall however, is the strong application of a student-centred paradigm.

While studying the situation in Chile, Hinostroza, Guzman and Isaacs (2002) examined

seven innovative attempts to embed ICT in Chilean schools and analysed related

pedagogical strategies by teachers. They summarised innovative characteristics and

analysed the results of their study. They found that in terms of ICT the aims and objectives

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of the national curriculum had not been achieved. However, positively, students had learnt

cross-curricular skills through the use of ICT.

In Sweden, Jedeskog and Nissen (2004) reported that the introduction of ICT had led to

some changes both in the teachers‟ role and pupil autonomy. ICT use in nine different

schools was researched and the author found there had been a shift in focus from „content

to form‟. Also further research found much greater fluidity in the use of school facilities

because of ICT, with the result that teachers had greater difficulty with controlling the

learning process (Jedeskog and Nissen, 2004).

In Australia, Hayes (2007) researched six public schools and discovered that Australian

teachers were using ICT in a conservative teacher-centred manner. The author wished to

see „a more fundamental shift in the core activities of schools‟ in relation to ICT use

(Hayes, 2007: 49).

In Norway, Erstad (2002) investigated the implementation of ICT in relation to students‟

construction of knowledge. Three case studies were undertaken and a surprising result was

the finding of a diversity of learning cultures initiated by ICT implementation. The

Netherlands have made some progress too. Mooij (2004) developed a multi-level

theoretical framework to analyse research carried out in the Netherlands from 1999 to

2002. This framework combined educational and technological criteria in an attempt to

optimise computer-supported instruction. The outcomes of the study were used to argue

for new pedagogical strategies and to construct software e-functions for school

management systems.

In Israel, Mioduser, Nachmias, Tubin and Forkosh–Baruch (2002) analysed data in relation

to innovation in pedagogical strategies in ICT. These authors developed an innovative

analysis schema which characterised ICT-based educational innovation. The authors found

that most schools were in a transition stage to a newer more student-centred position.

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Research conducted in ICT use in Science teaching in 28 Saudi Arabian schools and in five

cities, found that Saudi teachers did not have full access to ICT resources. It was found

that there was a lack of appropriate professional development. The research was focussed

through the interpretive paradigm of how people made sense of ICT use (Abdulwahab,

2008).

In Slovakia, Kubiatko and Halakova (2009) analysed age and gender variables in relation

to ICT teaching in nine high schools and divided their questionnaire-style survey into five

areas. These explored the positive and negative influences of ICT, the advantages of ICT

use, use of ICT in biology lessons and the disadvantages of using ICT. Male students were

found to have more positive attitudes towards the use of ICT than their female counterparts

and the younger students were more positive about ICT use than the older students.

In the UK, Ruthven, Hennessy, and Deaney (2005) examined the pedagogical perspectives

and strategies of eight teachers attempting to integrate ICT and Internet use into their

lessons. Each of the five projects they undertook had distinctive features so that Internet

resources were used in lessons. Pupil access to the internet was supported and structured,

students were engaged in the process and a sense of capability was developed. In addition,

ICT tools were developed to support subject learning. Success in certain curricular areas

seemed particularly fruitful after the embedment of ICT, particularly coursework projects.

Therefore current literature shows that many countries are moving towards a new

paradigm, yet evidence continues to be mixed in terms of its impact. Furthermore, there

has been long controversy around the notion of relying on ICT completely.

2.7 The Differences between gender and ICT use and Effectiveness

Whilst much of the research that has been considered in this thesis includes an analysis of

the variation of impact on males and females (of using ICT related teaching methods), here

the research considers studies that have explicitly sought to identify the gender „gap‟ in

ICT use.

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Several studies were carried out over time in an attempt to find an answer on the issue of

differences between the two genders with regard to attitudes towards ICT and its use

(Dorn, 1997; Liao, 1999; Meelissen, 2008; Whitley, 1997; Boser, Palmer & Daugherty,

1998). Most researchers in early studies found out that attitudes towards technology varies

significantly between males and females, as males showed more interest and knowledge,

with the exception of Liao (1999). A majority of researchers who studied students‟

attitudes towards the use of ICT confirmed that males have a more positive attitude

towards ICT, and that they used it more often than females. Other researchers also found

out that females view technology as more difficult and less interesting in comparison to

males (Boser, Palmer & Daugherty, 1998).

Nevertheless, the difference in attitudes between the two genders towards technology is not

attributed to their biological nature, but to the social and cultural construction. The

differences in attitude can be attributed the person‟s specific status and the use of

computers or ICT in education, as those machines were essentially used in research and

administrative offices by white males (Linn, 1999). Differences can also be the result of

males‟ dominant culture in technological domains, as males use computer machines more

than females in the workplace (Hill, Loch, Straub and Elsheshai, 1998). Additionally,

differences can result from a direct effect of the technological environment inside the

house. A lot of males and females view their houses as more technological, and they assess

their parents‟ professions as more technological (Bame et al., 1993).

Sharp (2005) identified other possible reasons for the difference in attitude and capability

in ICT use:

Most computer games are characterised by violence and attract males.

Computer machines are connected with mathematics and sciences, which are

domains dominated by males.

Magazines and newspapers depict the man as using the computer more than the

woman.

When women are using the computer machine it would normally appear in the

working office role.

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And a lot of teachers encourage children to use computer machines at the same

time females are discouraged from doing so (Sharp, 2005: 405).

In more recent studies, it has appears that attitudes between the two genders towards

computer machines are no longer greatly different. Female participants in a group which

focused on a study carried out by „the American Association for the Education Foundation

of University Women‟ found that they enjoy using computer machines, but that they use it

in a different manner from males (Bain & Rice, 2006). Since gender difference has an

effect on attitudes, conceptions and the use of technology, it is important to understand the

differences between the two genders in this context.

Vekiri (2010) carried out an explorative study within the context of an intermediate

computer school in Greece. This study sought to examine the values and beliefs of both

genders in relation to computer machines and ICT, parents‟ conscious support, teachers‟

expectations, and conceptions of the nature of teaching ICT. Over 300 students participated

in the study, and answered a self-report questionnaire.

The analysis showed that the teacher‟s expectations were positively connected with

students‟ beliefs of ability, and that the conceptions of the educational activities were

creative and effective on a personal level, and greatly influenced students‟ interest in the

field of IT. Also, parents‟ support was connected with students‟ values and beliefs on the

efficiency of ICT. Contrary to earlier studies, the findings of this study did not support the

claim that males excel females in relation to the personal values and beliefs connected with

ICT. Moreover, the study pointed out that males‟ and females‟ beliefs are influenced

differently by parents, teachers and the school teaching of informatics.

2.8 Information, ICT and Motivation

2.8.1 What is Motivation?

A single definition for the meaning of motivation is difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, there

is common divergence around a definition that implies that motivation is some force that

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pushes individuals to make efforts to secure their needs. The term „motivation‟ from the

Latin word „movere‟ which means „to move‟. Motivations cannot be viewed but can be

known through manner. Motivation is an internal affair which excites us to do some work.

It pushes us in specific directions and keeps us engaged in specific activities (Elliot, 2000).

Motivation can be divided into internal and external, according to its source. Internal

motivation involves internal and personal factors, such as needs, interests, curiosity and

pleasure (Woolfolk, 2001). External motivation implies students‟ participation in an

activity to obtain an incentive or avoid punishment, like marks, stickers or the teacher‟s

approval. A student is not considered really interested in activity itself; rather in what he or

she will benefit from this activity (Woolfolk, 2001).

2.8.2 ICT and Student Motivation

Cox (1997) studied elementary and secondary school students‟ use of technology and their

attitudes towards ICT. The study was grounded in an analysis of the literature relating to

motivation, as it indicates that the regular use of ICT for various topics can have a

stimulating and beneficial effect on students‟ learning. Students‟ responses showed their

increasing commitment to the learning task, reinforcing enjoyment, benefit and feeling of

achievement in learning when using ICT, and emphasising their self-esteem. Over 75% of

secondary school students stated the response „I agree‟ or „I strongly agree‟ to the statement

that the use of computers made the school subjects more exciting. Also, over 50% of the

students showed agreement that the use of ICT helped them understand their topics in a

better manner (Cox, 1997).

Bullock (2001) carried out a case study about the effect of ICT use on the student‟s

motivation and achievement in English. Results showed a great improvement in the

motivation of the great majority of students. In particular, students were more enthusiastic

to start the tasks, and this zeal continued over the period of the task. The questionnaires

responses for 88% of the class showed that the use of a various collection of ICT during

this year made English lessons more exciting and interesting than was expected. Also,

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86% of the group pointed out that ICT helped them to produce a good job that enabled

them to explore ideas and work creatively (Bullock, 2001).

In the UK, the UK Impact Project studied the effect of ICT on students‟ learning in

elementary and secondary schools which included 2300 enrolled students in 19 local

educational areas (LEAs). The project concluded that students‟ commitment to work

increased after the use of ICT (Watson, 1993). This study suggested the existence of

students of „advanced information technology‟ in some study subjects and age ranges and

in specific circumstances (depending on access to computer machines and suitable

software and a syllabus plan that integrates its use in the lessons) can achieve gains of 5%

in general examinations results. Robertson et al. (1995) also carried out a similar study

about the situations related the computer on students who joined an English secondary

school. It was assessed by a questionnaire items, such as „I would like to work with the

computer machine‟. The results showed that students have a positive attitude towards

learning in the presence of computers.

BECTA published a summary of research results titled „Information Technology Works

Successfully‟ in 1994. Pachler (1999) described 27 confirmations included in the report,

which can be summarised as follows:

Students who did not enjoy learning can be encouraged through the use of ICT, which

possesses the flexibility required to meet the individual needs and abilities for every single

student. ICT presents information in new ways that help students to understand. Even

difficult ideas become easier to understand when the information technology makes it more

visible. Simulation offered by ICT encourages analytic and broader thinking as well as

learning activation and stimulation, and it is considered successful specially in attracting

the attention of students who have manner and emotional difficulties. Through the use of

ICT teachers can have a look at the way they teach and the ways through which students

learn. Facilitating teachers‟ easy arrival to ICT sources encourages and improves the use

of ICT in syllabi (Pachler, 1999: 5).

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Denning‟s (1997) research involved nine secondary schools located in the West of Sussex,

Sheffield and Birmingham for the study of what and how ICT activities can stimulate

students through positive experiences that involve the use of technology in a group of

activities. 80% of the teachers who used ICT regularly found that students were stimulated

in a good manner. Drawing on this research, we find that ICT had a positive effect on the

student‟s motivation, and the use of ICT boosted students‟ motivation to learn and led to a

better performance for learning outcome. Learning inside the ICT environment entails

more excitement and amusement regarding lessons, more enjoyment of the learning

experience, gaining control on their own learning process, more self-confidence and more

self-esteem.

Information technology is considered in a study monitored by the International Association

for Educational Achievement (IEA). The research focuses on six schools in England: three

elementary and three secondary, during the academic year 2000/ 2001. The research found

a number of positive effects on students who participated including improved motivation,

increasing self-confidence and self-esteem, reinforcing social skills, improving cooperative

and collective work skills, and better achievement (Harris & Kington, 2002).

The climate project, undertaken by 48 lower secondary school students was evaluated with

the use of a portable computer to collect temperatures and representing them graphically in

a geographical research centre. Motivation and confidence in the use of technology

increased over three weeks and (Hennessy, 2000). This research studied the extent of the

effect of different uses of ICT during lessons on students‟ motivation to continue work at

other times of the school day and out of school. The teachers who allowed more

participation in the computer activities offered more use of the computer outside the

classroom. The increasing use of computers by students at their leisure times was not

connected with the socio - economic status and ability (Becker, 2000).

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3 Kuwait

3.1 The State of Kuwait – General Background

Kuwait is a small oil-rich constitutional monarchy on the coast of the Persian Gulf,

enclosed by Saudi Arabia on the south and Iraq on the north. Kuwait has the oldest

directly elected parliament of the Persian Gulf Arab countries. The chief of state is the

Emir, a hereditary title. The Emir appoints the Prime Minister, who until recently was also

the Crown Prince. A council of ministers aids the Prime Minister in his task as head of

government. As of the end of 2005, Kuwait had a total population of 2.9 million people,

which included 1.9 million non-nationals: Kuwaiti citizens are in the minority of Kuwait's

total population. About 57% of the Kuwaiti population is Arab (Al-Dewan & Al-Ameeri,

2009).

Figure 3.1: Geographical location of Kuwait

63

3.2 Kuwaiti Education System

In the early 1900s, education consisted largely of Quranic schools, offering basic literacy

training in the context of religious instruction. This system provided some formal

schooling for nearly all boys and most girls. Wealthy families often sent their sons abroad

for further education. In the first decades of the twentieth century, merchants anxious

about more extensive training for their sons opened a few private schools, notably the

Mubarakiyyah School in 1911 and the Ahmadiyyah School in 1921. In the 1930s,

merchants established the Education Council and expanded the system to include four new

primary schools, including one for girls. The education system in Kuwait developed

quickly after 1936, and the quality of education improved significantly. Three new schools

were opened by the Council in 1937-1938, two for boys and one for girls.

Secondary education started in 1937 with the opening of one class for boys, and a second

class was opened the following year in 1938. However, it took the Council until

September 1953 to open its first distinct secondary school, which was called Al-shuwaikh

High School. The development of secondary education for girls was similar to that for

boys. One year after establishing the first secondary school for boys, the first secondary

school for girls, named Al-Murgab, was opened, and since then, the Kuwait government

has kept on developing the education system continuously.

Secondary education is not compulsory. It consists of a three-year cycle, comprising of

grades nine through to twelve. For grades nine and ten, students follow a common

curriculum. For grades eleven and twelve, they may choose Science or Arts

specialisations. Religious and Special Education secondary specialisations are also

offered. The Ministry of Education supervises all aspects of secondary education, both

public and private, for general and Islamic education. The education system of Kuwait is

shown in Figure 3.2, where the decision making hierarchy is outlined.

3.3 Private and Public Schools

Private education started in the country to meet the needs of teaching foreign children that

now live in the country. Al-Jafria Al-Ahlia School is considered the first private school in

64

Kuwait, as it was established in 1938, and it is now known as the „National Private

School‟. The English private school is considered the first foreign private school that was

established in Kuwait, as it was founded in 1953 and is still operating at present. In 1959

they announced the first law for private schools, and in 1967 the Ministry of Education

announced the private education system in Kuwait. The following establishments

represent private education schools: Arabic private schools, foreign private schools,

British, American, Indian, and cultural institutes (specialised in the field of training and

professional and vocational studies) and other schools of other nationalities.

The first law to regulate the private education sector was issued in 1959. In 1967 a

ministerial decision was issued, which involved the private education system and its

adaptations, and in 1998 decision number 17764 was issued, which related to general

administration specialisations for private education and the units on which it was based.

A lot of Arab citizens immigrated to Kuwait because of the circumstances which faced the

Gulf region. Great numbers of individuals from different nationalities flew in to the

country to work in different domains in 1967. As a result, the numbers of private schools

increased, especially those based on English curricula, thanks to the awareness regarding

offering educational care in the country. The number of private schools after the project

completion in 1970/1971 reached 63 Arabic and foreign schools. The number of students

in the same year was 28,266, and there was an increase in the numbers of schools and

curricula. The numbers of male and female students have steadily increased to this point.

Decision No. 1443 relating to the conditions and systems of establishing bilingual schools

in the private education sector was issued on the 1st of May, 2001. This system shows a

special interest in Arabic and English and the Arab and Islamic education materials that

follow the plans of the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, as is the case with social sciences

and mathematics. This system is characterised by high flexibility in teaching methods, the

presentation of concepts and information, and making the lesson the pivot of the education

process. The total number of schools that follow bilingual curricula is 10 schools

(Ministry of Education: Private Education Department, 2006).

65

Kuwait had taken an interest in higher education for a long period of time, since it sent the

first group of male students to Baghdad to study in Al-Adhamia Faculty in 1924 in order to

prepare them to teach in Kuwait schools. The first group of female students were sent to

Cairo in 1956 to enable them to study higher education. Kuwait University (KU) was

opened in 1966, and the Public Association of Applied Education and Training (PAAET)

was established in 1982. Through these two higher education establishments, technical

colleges and various establishments offered different higher education certificates and

private technical studies in many educational fields. Study grants are offered to graduates

of Kuwait University and Institutes of PAAET to pursue their higher studies in the USA

and the UK, among other countries all over the world. The Ministry of Education has

attempted, since its inception, to prepare Kuwaiti citizens to become a part of the education

system in Kuwaiti schools, and it has succeeded in educating a majority of Kuwaiti people.

The education system in Kuwait can be divided into three groups, directed by the Ministry

of Education:

Public education

Private education

Quality education

Public schools are supervised by the Ministry of Education with regards to curricula and

school design. According to 2005/ 2006 statistics, the numbers of schools in Kuwait were

as follows:

167 Kindergartens

212 elementary schools

164 intermediate schools

116 secondary schools

Public schools in Kuwait are restricted to Kuwaiti and some non-Kuwaiti citizens, children

of teachers who work for the Ministry of Education, and children of immigrants who

obtained citizenship before 1960. The rest of non-Kuwaiti children are taught in private

schools (Ministry of Education, 2006).

66

In 1959 the first organisation for private schools was announced. The Ministry of

Education announced the first private education system in Kuwait in 1967. The following

establishments represent private education schools: Arabic private schools, foreign private

schools, British, American and Indian schools and cultural institutes (specialised in the

field of training and professional and vocational studies) and other schools of other

nationalities (Ministry of Education: Private Education Department, 2006).

Arabic private schools are supported by the government and are run according to the

requirements of Kuwaiti education system. Foreign schools follow their original curricula

in the homeland, and these schools are supervised by the Private Education Department

(PED) which relates to the Ministry of Education. The Private Education Department

manages private schools through managing employees and schools in general. The

Ministry of Education forced these schools to do courses in Arabic and integrate Kuwaiti

cultural studies in their curricula, such as Islamic education, history and geography

(Kuwaiti Media Office, 2006).

Before the Iraqi invasion in 1990, only 15 non-Arabic schools were available in Kuwait.

The number of Western residents in Kuwait increased after liberation. As a result, the

Western Education increased by over three times in the country. In 2005 the number of

private schools in Kuwait reached 158 schools (Ministry of Education: Private Education

Department, 2006). It is taken for granted that there is a great tendency among Kuwaitis to

join Western education for the following reasons (Ministry of Education: Private

Education Department, 2006):

1. The unsatisfactory level of public education in Kuwait.

2. Acknowledgement of the importance of teaching English in paving the way for

continuing education abroad and for life in general.

3. Advanced curricula for non-Arabic schools in Kuwait.

Despite the relative rise of fees for these schools, the number of schools of American and

British curricula is on the increase. The number of Kuwaiti students who joined private

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schools rose from 9% in 2001 to 10.5% in 2002 (Ministry of Education: Private Education

Department, 2006). Quality education in Kuwait can be divided into 4 categories:

Religious education

Private education

Teaching adults

Vocational education

The Ministry of Education issued a document for education general goals in 1967. The

general goal for learning in Kuwait is as follows: Helping learners to grow

comprehensively in all spiritual, mental, social, psychological kinds of growth as much as

they can, enabling them to achieve self-confidence, and constructive participation in

achieving progress for Kuwaiti society, the Arab World, the Islamic World and humanity

in general. The Ministry of Education realised the huge responsibility placed on its

shoulder for interaction with different future challenges relating to education in Kuwait.

The Ministry of Education realised that it has to develop the educational philosophy and

manage the components of the education system in Kuwait. Accordingly, the Ministry of

Education decided to direct all its human and financial resources to achieve five main

educational goals.

1. Practical interpretation for ambition which aims at building the Kuwaiti citizen

according to the scientific method of reasoning and the development of learners‟

abilities in learning different stages to understand scientific types and their practical

applications in the different domains required in society.

2. Making available the sources of international information to Kuwaiti learners in all

fields of scientific and technological revolution, and at the same time, stimulating

the interest in Arab and Islamic heritage, and employing them in spiritual

excellence, basic values and love of the homeland.

3. The constant support and development of schools, establishments and adult-

teaching centers to go along with scientific and technological advancement and

setting systems and policies to deal with distinguished learners, teachers and

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administrators to develop the features of invention, vocational efficiency and sense

of belonging to educational institutions.

4. Equality in the distribution of services and educational activities in all parts of the

country and continuing to work to deliver information and knowledge to the places

of the Kuwaiti citizens‟ residence.

5. Making more effort to prepare and develop national workforces in the educational

domains and reducing reliance on foreign workforces in these domains, provided

this does not affect the quality of the teaching process.

The main goals of secondary education in Kuwait include the following:

1. Highlighting loyalty in the Arab, Islamic and Kuwaiti nation, as well as ambition to

achieve the highest social status, and selecting a powerful healthy constitution

suitable for all students‟ ages.

2. Looking after students in accordance with Kuwaiti culture, taking interest in their

emotional and intellectual problems, and helping them to go forward towards a

successful future.

3. Developing students‟ abilities socially, physically, psychologically and

educationally.

4. Preparing students to pursue their studies in all levels of higher education and

preparing them for work in different domains of social activities.

5. Encouraging students to read and have ambition, to broaden their knowledge and

productive work, and helping them to use their leisure time in the activities that

develop their personalities.

6. Highlighting the sense of family solidarity in order to construct a solid society

7. Developing students‟ abilities in the field of scientific thinking and encouraging

their spirit of research, analytical powers, the use of information sources, and

practising academic activities.

(Ministry of Education, 2005)

The Organisation of the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education in Kuwait runs all types of schools through two main

administrative departments: The Public Education Department and the Private and Quality

69

Education Department, with the support of a number of auxiliary departments. The Public

Education Department manages public schools in six educational areas distributed

geographically in all parts of Kuwait.

1. Capital education area

2. Holi education area

3. Farwanieh education area

4. Mubarak Al-Kabir education area

5. Al-Jahraa education area

6. Al-Ahmadi education area

All public schools in Kuwait are under the supervision and administration of one of these

education areas, while all private and quality schools are supervised by the Quality and

Private Education Department.

Figure 3.2: Structure of the Ministry of Education

Source: adapted from Report of Development in the Ministry of Education, 2011

Ministry of

Education

Private

Education

Government

Education

Public Education Qualitative Education Adult Education

Illiteracy abolition

Religious Education Special Education

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The pre-university regular education stages consist of three main stages, which are the

primary stage, the intermediate stage and the secondary stage (Table 3.1).

Table 3.1: Schools Stages in Kuwait

Source: Adapted from Report of Development in the Ministry of Education, 2011

In the academic year 2010/2011, there were 305,080 students registered at all pre-

university stages, 35,624 teachers and 668 schools. See Tables 3.2 and 3.3 which provide

more details of the distribution of students (gender and district), teachers (gender and

stage).

Table 3.2: Secondary Schools and Students in Educational Districts – 2010/11

District

Asima

Hawally

Farwaniya

Mubarak

Ahmadi

Jahra

Total

Boys 6411 5256 4458 3758 4864 3254 28001

Schools 13 10 10 7 13 7 60

Girls 6598 5058 6521 5448 6704 5169 35498

Schools 11 9 13 7 16 9 65

Source: Ministry of Education, Statistics, 2010/2011

Primary Intermediate General Secondary

Length of program in years 6 3 3

Age level from 6 to 12 years old 13 to 15years old 16 to 18 years old

Certificate/Diploma awarded None Intermediate

School Certificate

General Secondary

School Certificate

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The number of public secondary schools in Kuwait is 125. This number is split into 60

boy‟s schools that provide secondary education for 28,001 boys and 65 girls‟ schools,

which serve 35,498 girls studying at the secondary stage. See Table 3.3.

3.3.1 Historical Background of using ICT in teaching within Kuwait

In 1976, the Ministry of Education in Kuwait announced the generic objectives of

education in Kuwait (Ministry of Education, 2009). The main aim of education in Kuwait

was based on assessing learners at all levels in terms of spiritual, mental, social, and

psychological and physical education. In 1983, the Ministry of Education announced the

main strategic objectives and plans for pre-university education (Ministry of Education,

2009). One of the main objectives, the Ministry stated, was to update the educational

system in Kuwait with new educational technologies, which suit the needs and priorities of

Kuwaiti society. One of the main priorities was to develop educational facilities in pre-

Table 3.3: Distribution of teachers in Kuwaiti schools in terms of nationality, gender and

educational stage

Kuwaiti Non-Kuwaiti Total

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

Nursery - 3,717 3,717 1 190 191 1 3,907 3,908

Primary 1,125 9,060 10,185 567 4,075 4,642 1,692 13,135 14,827

Intermediate 1,491 3,922 5,413 2,659 1,153 3,812 4,150 5,075 9,225

Secondary

(ART) 320 1,395 1,715 1,243 817 2,060 1,563 2,212 3,775

Secondary

(Scientific ) 541 1,423 1,964 1,347 578 1,925 1,888 2,001 3,889

Total 3,477 19,517 22,994 5,817 6,813 12,630 9,294 26,330 35,624

Source: Ministry of Education, Statistics, 2010/2011

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university education, particularly educational technologies and facilities. This strategy was

also concerned with the curriculum dimension, in terms of providing new subjects related

to technology, computers and ICT. In that year, the Ministry of Education in Kuwait

introduced the first initiatives to study the feasibility of using computers in secondary

schools. This was mainly motivated by the desire to develop and enhance the supportive

systems in learning represented mainly by learning technologies and tools (Ministry of

Education, 2009). Four years later, the strategy became real when secondary schools in

Kuwait started to teach An Introduction to Computing. However, from the first initiatives

in 1983 until 1996, no serious steps supported by resources took place.

In 1996, the first nationally funded project to teach information technology in schools was

started in four girls‟ secondary schools. This project formed the first step towards

implementing the government educational strategy in filling the gap between the old

education system, and the emergent needs of teaching ICT in schools. The total estimated

cost of the project was 24 million dollars. However, in this project, Kuwait made the first

initiative compared with other Arab Gulf Regions such as Qatar which has just recently

made some steps towards integrating ICT into the learning process. In 2005, the Ministry

of Education in Kuwait announced a general strategic plan for education in Kuwait for the

next twenty years, starting in 2005, and ending in 2025. Consistent with the trends of

educational visions from Kuwaiti leaders, one of the main issues this strategic plan referred

to is the technological challenge and gap between developing countries and the advanced

world. The strategy also referred to the necessity of filling the numerical gap

(technological gap) between the Kuwaiti educational system and the requirements of using

technology in everyday life (Ministry of Education, 2009).

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4 Research Methodology

4.1 Introduction

The presence of ICT in the interactive educational environment helps develop thinking

skills and can make classrooms an environment for educational growth. This statement

was the catalyst for this study, the purpose of which is to examine the scale and nature of

ICT use in secondary classrooms in Kuwait. This study will be useful for all researchers

interested in the use of ICT in classrooms, teachers who are in the process of developing

ICT use in schools, and strategists and policy makers within the Ministry of Education in

Kuwait.

This study will support educational administrators and policy makers in choosing

appropriate methods of managing ICT change in the educational system in Kuwait. It is

the first study in Kuwait that takes into consideration different aspects of the application of

ICT in the educational system. This study will consider five main research questions:

1. How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

2. Does this confidence and application vary between subjects?

3. How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

4. Are there any differences between students’ teaching and learning in public schools

and private schools in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

5. Are there any differences between male and female students’ teaching and learning

in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

To date the research has examined the relevant literature and background appropriate to the

study, aiming to contextualise the research to be undertaken. In this chapter the research

focuses on the methodological approach and philosophy that are the basis for the research

itself. Here, the researcher considers the mixed methods approach used in this study. Also,

in this chapter, the researcher will discuss the study‟s objectives, the target population and

sample, and the reasons for selection of specific data collection tools. For this purpose the

researcher has developed two questionnaires and interview which are explored here;

discussing the reliability and validity and also the analysis techniques associated with both

methods.

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4.2 Research Design

A mixture of research methods is used in this study, including both quantitative and

qualitative approaches. As a general rule in such research, both quantitative and qualitative

approaches should be taken into consideration when appropriate. As Creswell and Plano

Clark (2007:5) state:

“Mixed methods research is a research design with philosophical assumptions as well as

methods of inquiry. As a methodology, involves philosophical assumptions that guide the

direction of the collection and analysis of data and the mixture of qualitative and

quantitative approaches in many phases in the research process. As a method, it focuses on

collecting, analysing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study or

series of studies. Its central premise is that the use of quantitative and qualitative in

approaches in combination provides a better understanding of research problems than

either approach alone.”

A mixed research methodology is employed in this study, because it balances the strengths

and weaknesses of both quantitative and qualitative research (Creswell & Plano Clark

2007). There are many advantages to using a mixed method approach for this particular

research focus, which is the effectiveness of ICT teaching method in secondary classrooms.

This mixed method approach provides the best opportunities for answering the important

research questions of this study, the answers of which rely upon a variety of forms of data.

The quantitative section, which includes questionnaire, addresses the research question

related to how effective ICT is related to teaching method in the classroom. The

qualitative section includes interviews.

There are many important research methods employed by social researchers to secure the

data needed to answer their research questions. All have their own strengths and

weaknesses and are more or less, suited to different projects. Two of the most commonly

employed data collection methods are questionnaires and interviews, each of these provide

an alternative tool for the collection of empirical data and allow the researcher to ascertain:

75

A clearer picture of the information.

An accurate measurement of the data.

Evidence that supports the subject matter.

(Denscombe, 2008:133)

The researcher has employed both of these techniques in this study, in order to provide a

complete and clear picture of the area of research. Furthermore, this is critical to answer

the aforementioned research questions.

Advantages of Quantitative Methods Disadvantages of Quantitative Methods

Confidence: Statistical testing can achieve

greater credibility from results.

Measurement: The analysis of quantitative

data provides a basis to answer research

questions.

Analysis: Quantitative data can be

analysed quickly, largely irrespective of

scale.

Presentation: Tables and charts provide an

effective way of communicating results.

Quality of data: quantitative data is bound

by the quality of the questions being asked

and the methods used to ask them.

Technique: There a danger of researchers

being obsessed with technique as opposed to

the aims of the research.

Data overload: Large datasets, whilst

improving confidence, can burden the

researcher.

False promise. Decisions made during the

analysis or interpretation of quantitative

research can have huge impacts on the

outcomes or findings.

(Denscombe, 2010:283)

76

Adopting the mixed methods approach allows us to effectively triangulate the data.

Triangulation is the process whereby two methods are used to check the results of a piece

of research, Cohen and Manion (2000). The notion is that increasing the number of

methods (and achieving the same results from those methods) means we can be more

confident of the results we achieve (Altrichter et al., 2008).

Gray (2009) asserts that by blending a number of qualitative and quantitative methods, an

overall strength of research can be achieved. Each method compensates for the

weaknesses of the other two, but rather than becoming one all-encompassing super method

the dissimilar methods stay dependent, and work side by side. Triangulation, which

combines quantitative and qualitative methods, can focus on a single case in which the

same people finish a questionnaire and are also interviewed. The responses from both data

sets are combined and compared.

Herein the quantitative element of the research is the questionnaires associated with the

teachers and students in Kuwaiti schools, the qualitative element will be focused upon

interviews with staff in the Ministry of Education.

The data collected in two main ways: firstly, by distributing questionnaires to teachers

from six districts and secondly via interviews with teachers in the Ministry of Education.

The researcher selected the schools based on geographical distribution. The state of

Kuwait is divided into six districts and as such the researcher selected three secondary

schools from each district. One of the three schools is be private, and the second school is

all-female public school, while the third school is all-male public school. In total 18

schools used in this research project. The researcher will distribute the questionnaire to

331teachers over the 18 schools, and the researcher will meet 16 participants, fourteen of

them teachers and two of them policy makers in the Ministry of Education. The researcher

sent a letter to the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, asking for permission to enter the

schools, to distribute the questionnaires and conduct the interviews.

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4.3 Use of Questionnaires

4.3.1 Rationale for Questionnaire Use

Questionnaires were selected as the major evidence source for the research in this study.

As already mentioned, questionnaires were provided to both teachers and students from the

selected school. In this section, we will explain the study instruments i.e. questionnaire,

likewise validity and reliability of study tools and method of pilot study will be discussed.

Kumar (2005:33), states that a questionnaire is a “written list of questions, the answers to

which are record by respondents. In questionnaires respondents read the questions,

interpret what is expected and then write down the answers”.

There are many advantages of questionnaires: Gray (2009:338) notes that a number of

these are:

They are low cost in term of both time and money.

The inflow of data is quick and from many people

Respondents can complete the questionnaire at a time and place that suits them.

Data analysis of closed questions is relatively simple, and questions can be coded

quickly.

Kumar (2005) notes the disadvantages of a questionnaire:

Application is limited. A major disadvantage is that only those able to read or write

can complete one.

Response rate is low. Questionnaires are often not sent back or completed by

respondents.

There is a self-selecting bias. I.e. not all those in receipt of the questionnaire will

return it.

A lack of opportunity to clarify issues may mean that the questionnaire is

misinterpreted.

78

The response to a question may influenced by the response to other questions. As

respondents can read all the questions before question may be affected by their

knowledge of other questions.

It is possible to consult other people – i.e. in mailed questionnaires respondents

may engage with other people ahead of responding.

A response can often not be supplemented with other information.

In order to keep this study balanced and unbiased it is important to recognise the

disadvantages of questionnaires. Kumar (2005) believes that questionnaires are notorious

for their low response rates that people fail to return them, which could leave the

researcher with limited data to analyse. He also states that another issue could be if the

respondents do not understand a question, there is no opportunity for them to have this

clarified, as they are not working face-to-face with the researcher, and finally one person‟s

response to a question may be directly influenced by their response to another question in

the questionnaire, thus not providing a true reflection of the respondent‟s views.

In terms of the validity of questionnaires, Gray (2009) states that this can be affected by the

wording of the question it contains, and that even if individual questions are valid, poor

sequencing of questions or a confusing organisation or design of the questionnaire can all

threaten its validity, and thus the validity of the entire study. Reliability is an equally

important an issue to consider: reliability is linked to correct and secure results. If a study

is highly reliable the same results should be obtained anytime the study is carried out,

assuming what is being measured has not changed.

The choice of questionnaires in this instance is primarily to answer the first three questions

associated with the overall research aim, namely:

1. How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

2. Does this confidence and application vary between subjects?

3. How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

Additionally, the inclusion of independent variables on gender and the type of school

(public or private) allows the research to break down that analysis, and attempt to answer

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the 5th

research questions, again around students‟ perception of ICT in terms of both gender

and sector. Given the large volume of data considered in evaluating these questions – from

both students and teachers, it is believed that questionnaires offer the best methodology,

allowing the researcher to analyse these large datasets quickly, in the form of closed

questions.

4.3.2 Questionnaire Design

In order to design a valid questionnaire, a researcher must consider in detail the

information he or she is seeking to draw out of the data, in conjunction with the research

questions (Anderson, 2004). Neuman (2003) suggests that a good survey question will

produce effective measures from which the researcher can aim to answer the research

question(s). The current questionnaire was designed after I went through many

questionnaires of studies and research into educational technology. Having read these

studies, I found that they also dealt with effectiveness of educational technology in

teaching methods at secondary schools.

Since the study focuses on on the scale and nature of ICT use, I considered it important to

distribute questionnaires to both students and teachers in each school, which would further

help me to analyse the results more clearly. The questionnaires were distributed to teachers

of core subjects, namely, Arabic, Mathematics, Science and English.

Components of the teacher’s questionnaire

To answer the first research question, „How confident are teachers in using ICT in the

teaching and learning process?‟, the teachers answer a section on the questionnaire which

considers the extent that they use ICT applications and associated activities for teaching, in

school and at home?

Section one (see Appendix 2) addresses the teachers‟ confidence in ICT use, designed

according to a Likert scale. This part consists of 20 items, and responses range from „Very

Unconfident‟ to „Very Confident‟. Section Two consists 15 items about teachers ICT Use

in Teaching Practice and again is designed according to a Likert scale. Section three

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consists of 13 items about teacher‟s opinion about using ICT in the teaching process, to

know the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in their teaching methods. The

second part in Section three is concerned with the impact of ICT use on the teacher, and is

again designed according to a Likert scale.

Components of the student’s questionnaire

To answer the second research question, „How do students use ICT in the classroom and at

home?‟ students were invited to answer a range of questions. In Section one (see Appendix

1) respondents were invited to comment on their ICT use at school , designed according to

a Likert scale. This part consists of 20 items, and requests respondents to describe the

frequency of use. Section Two consists of 20 items concerned with ICT use at home,

designed according to a Likert scale. Section three consists of 13 items about students‟

opinion of using the computer in the teaching/learning process, again designed according

to a Likert scale. Section Four consists of 21 items about students ICT Usage Level,

designed according to a Likert scale.

4.3.3 Pilot Study

The purpose of a pilot is to enhance the reliability, validity and the practical application of

the questionnaire (Cohen, 2008). Walliman (2008) suggests that the best method of pilot is

to test the questionnaire with persons who have relative expertise in the field, to anticipate

any issues or „sources of confusion‟. The design of the questionnaire and completion of its

questions being completed, the pilot study was then conducted using two methods before

data collection. The first method was that it was presented to a group of arbitrators and

faculty members in the Department of Educational Technology at the Kuwait University

and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training in Kuwait. Arbitrators were

requested d to state the objectives of the study, and the researcher has asked arbitrators to

express their views concerning the following:

• Clarity of phrasing and integrity of its formulation.

• Appropriate phrase axis to which it belongs.

• Proposals for amendment, addition or deletion.

The scrutiny of the arbitrators gave added value to the questionnaire before finalisation; the

Instrument was amended following their feedback.

81

The second method of piloting the teacher‟s questionnaire was that it was distributed as a

pilot questionnaire to twenty teachers in secondary schools, (five of them were Arabic

teachers, and five of them English teachers, five were Maths teachers, and five of them

Science teachers). The researcher also distributed pilot student‟s questionnaire to one

classroom in the secondary school. The teachers‟ and students‟ questionnaire was modified

according to the notes received.

Implementation of the Questionnaires

After completion of the preparation of the questionnaire in its final form and approval from

the supervisor, the following steps were implemented:

1. A letter was requested from the supervisor in order to start to study application.

2. The supervisor‟s report was submitted to the Ministry of Education in order to

allow the researcher to start the study.

3. The researcher distributed questionnaires to teachers and students in schools and

collecting the questionnaires from them after.

4. Questionnaires were categorised and numbered, and the researcher entered the

study data into a computer using SPSS packages.

5. The data was analysed and the results presented.

4.3.4 Translation

The translation process of the questionnaire is very important because respondents‟

language is Arabic and it was necessary for the researcher to be precise in the translation of

the questionnaire, therefore, the researcher came to specialised office of academic

translation and the translation process has gone through the stages to make sure that

translation is accurate and guidance stages:

1. Sending questionnaire to Translation Company specialised in Academy translation.

2. The researcher discussed with translators at appropriate junctures until agreement

was reached on the original meaning of the questionnaire.

82

4.3.5 Participation in Questionnaires

Sample Distributed

Questionnaires

Returned

Questionnaires

Returned

Questionnaires

Teachers 360 331 91%

Sample Distributed

Questionnaires

Returned

Questionnaires

Returned

Questionnaires

Students 360 308 85%

83

Table 4.1: Selection of Schools and Students for Questionnaires

School School

Type

District Gender Teachers numbers Students Numbers

Abdul Alotabi Public The Capital Educational Area M 5 5 4 4 6 6 5

Sharefa Alowadi Public The Capital Educational Area F 6 5 4 4 6 5 6

Alaklas Private The Capital Educational Area M 4 5 6 4 5 6 6

Fahd Aldouare Public Hawally Educational Area M 5 4 6 4 6 6 5

Kaldai Alaswd Public Hawally Educational Area F 4 6 5 4 6 6 5

Aljeal Private Hawally Educational Area F 6 5 4 4 5 6 6

Iben Aamed Public Farwaniya Educational Area M 4 4 5 6 5 6 6

Alnhadai Public Farwaniya Educational Area F 6 5 4 4 6 5 6

Altamez Private Farwaniya Educational Area M 6 4 5 6 5 5 7

84

Alamam Malek Public Mubarak Al Kabeer Educational Area M 6 4 6 5 5 6 6

Aladan Public Mubarak Al Kabeer Educational Area F 4 5 4 5 6 6 7

Almarfah Private Mubarak Al Kabeer Educational Area M 5 5 4 4 6 6 5

Balat Alshadi Public Ahmadi Educational Area M 4 4 5 5 5 6 6

Latefi Alfares Public Ahmadi Educational Area F 4 4 5 5 6 6 5

Alfhheal Private Ahmadi Educational Area F 5 5 4 4 6 5 6

Sbah Alnaser Public Jahra Educational Area M 5 5 4 4 6 5 6

Zeenab Mohamed public Jahra Educational Area F 4 5 4 5 6 6 5

Aljahra private Jahra Educational Area F 5 4 5 4 5 6 6

85

Table 4.2: Overview of Schools used in Questionnaires and ICT Application

School School Type Gender Type of ICT use

Abdul Alotabi Public M Educational software provided by the Ministry in

mathematics - computer, PowerPoint and Excel sheet.

Sharefa Alowadi Public F Use Power Point, Microsoft program and Google search

online in the classroom

Alaklas Private M Computer and data show Power Point Excel Program

Fahd Aldouare Public M Software which Ministry of Education. Provides scientific

research sites for biology and chemistry subjects

Kaldai Alaswd Public F Data Show, Flash, educational programs

Aljeal Private F Power point- Projector

Iben Aamed Public M Smart electronic blackboard, computer, and educational

software.

Alnhadai Public F Data Show, Power Point, and personnel laptop and education

software provided by the Ministry of Education.

Altamez Private M Projector, power point and personal laptop

Alamam Malek Public M Electronic dictionary, electronic language. Laboratory and

laptops.

Aladan Public F Data Show, Laptop and Projector

Almarfah Private M Power Point, Microsoft program and Google search online

Balat Alshadi Public M Educational software provided by the Ministry -Data Show

Latefi Alfares Public F Educational programs -smart electronic blackboard

Alfhheal Private F Power Point- Google Sketch Up

Sbah Alnaser Public M Projector, Power Point and personal laptop

Zeenab Mohamed Public F Google programs and some other educational software

specialised in mathematics

Aljahra Private F Projector- Data Show

86

4.4 Interview Techniques

4.4.1 Rationale for Interview Use

The second data collection method employed in this study is interviews. An interview is

essentially a conversation between two people, where one is the researcher and the other is

the respondent Gray (2009: 368). Gray (2009) believes that when considering the validity

of interviews, they should assess what they were planned to assess and nothing further. In

the case of structured and semi-structured interviews; the matter of validity can be directly

addressed by attempting to guarantee that the question‟s content directly concentrates on

the research targets. Reliability must be considered here again and it is of the utmost

importance that an instrument consistently measures what it set out to measure, thus

making it imperative that interviews be standardised, and the exact same questions asked to

every candidate in the same order.

The interviews aim to focus on the answer of first question and third question of the study

and they are:

How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

The interviews aim to strengthen the validity of the findings from the questionnaire, as per

the strengths associated with triangulation (as described earlier in the research). In the

Interviews the teachers can speak freely and express in their own way and this helps them

to speak without any restrictions – this offers high credibility to the researcher at the time

of teacher‟s interview.

In the interview, the researcher can get into more details with the teachers and expands

discussion to them. As Arksey and Knight (1999) comment: Interviewing is a powerful

way of helping people to make explicit things that have hitherto been implicit-to articulate

their perceptions, feeling and under standings. (Arksey and Knight, 1999:32)

87

The researcher can use his knowledge and experience in the field of education to ask new

questions during interview. The interview helps the researcher to monitor the non-verbal

behaviour of teachers and the interview gives opportunity to the researcher to clarify and

correct misunderstanding. Gray (2009) suggests that interviews allow a research the

opportunity to further probe any responses that might require clarification.

Here, it was believed that interviews with policy makers within schools/the Ministry of

Education would allow for greater probing of the answers provided, and would allow for

answers which are free from the confines of policy or „political‟ bias.

4.4.2 Interview Design

The interview was a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions to provide more

flexibility for both the researcher to ask extra questions and for the participant to offer

more information (Kvale & Brinkmann 2009). The interview was designed as it was open

questions to provide more flexibility to the researcher to ask additional questions when

needed and the method of design of questions helps teachers to provide more information

to the researcher.

The researcher asked teachers to talk about the general views on the use of technology in

education. The interview questions were derived from the study questions.

4.4.3 Implementation of the Interviews

The interview was conducted with teachers of basic subjects i.e. Arabic language,

Mathematics, Science and English language.

A timetable was set for interviewing. The researcher used a tape recorder to record the

interviews.

Gray (2009) advises: that the first task of the interviewer is to explain the purpose of the

interview ,who the information is for, how the information is going to be handled ,why the

information is being collected and how it will be used (Gray, 2009: 379). It is important to

attempt to put the participant at ease (Cohen, 2008).

88

The purpose of the interview was established and assurances of confidentiality of their

answers and that it will be used for educational research only, were given. Definition of

topics that will be addressed in the interview before the interview for two reasons:

1. To reduce anxiety among teachers before the start of the interview.

2. To give time to participants to think about the interview subjects so that they can

provide realistic answers.

4.4.4 Interview Procedure

The total number of interviews was 16. The researcher interviewed 14 teachers, four

Mathematics teachers, four Science teachers, four Arabic teachers and two English

teachers. The researcher also interviewed two policy makers at the Ministry of education.

All the interviews were recorded via type recorder, and transcribed in Arabic and translated

into the English. Each interview lasted between 35 and 45 minutes.

4.5 Validity and Reliability

In testing the questionnaire‟s validity, the researcher was aiming to find out whether she

could “draw meaningful and useful inferences from scores on the instrument” (Creswell

2003b, p.157), to know if the questions were clear and didn‟t any confusion to teachers

when they answering it. Testing a questionnaire‟s reliability assesses the internal

consistency of items, that is, “the degree to which the items that make up the scale are all

measuring the same underlying attribute” (Pallant 2001, p.6).

Cohen, Manion and Morison (2000, p.117) mentioned that “for a research instrument to be

reliable, it must demonstrate that if it were to be carried out on a similar group of

respondents in a similar context (however defined), then similar results would be found”.

The questionnaire‟s content and face validity were confirmed as follows:

The literature review: the study‟s questionnaire was an extended version of another

tested and used questionnaire from another study. This questionnaire was selected

89

from amongst other questionnaires after search of the available literature and

confirmed to have a high level of internal validity.

It was presented to a group of arbitrators of faculty members in the Department of

Educational Technology at the Kuwait University and Public Authority for Applied

Education and Training in Kuwait and arbitrators were requested to state objectives

of the study and the researcher has asked arbitrators to express their views in the

following:

Clarity of the phrase and integrity of its formulation.

Appropriate phrase axis to which it belongs.

Proposals to amend, addition or deletion.

The final version of the questionnaire was produced and implemented in the study.

Reliability is a concept that shows how well the different items in a single dimension

combine to measure the same thing. Alpha (Cronbach) coefficients were calculated for the

components of each measurement scale to verify internal consistency. The internal

consistency estimates for every component of each dimension are reported in Table 4.3. A

value of 0.70 or above for coefficient alpha were considered good, while values between

0.60 and 0.70 were considered acceptable and adequate. The results in Table 1 indicate that

the Cronbach alpha levels of all dimensions exceeded the value of 0.60 suggested as

acceptable.

90

Table 4.3: Internal Consistency Estimates of Dimensions for instrument

Dimensions Coefficient

Alpha

No. of

Items

Students'

questionnaire

Using ICT at School 0.903 20

Using ICT at Home 0.880 20

Using Computer in the teaching/learning process 0.680 13

Computer Usage Level 0.956 21

Teachers'

questionnaire

Computer Usage Level 0.952 20

ICT Usage in Teaching Practice 0.897 15

Using ICT in the teaching process 0.678 13

Effect of use computer in teaching 0.923 5

Obstacles to data collection:

The main obstacles of the data collection process the researcher is expecting to face are

listed below:

1. Bureaucracy will be one of the main difficulties the researcher might face, where he

may need to get different approvals before beginning the data collection process.

2. The criteria in choice of the sample of schools, students, teachers.

3. Distance from the cases, different sources of data, and different aspects of questions

will require the researcher to travel around the country many times to collect data,

associated with different types of risks.

4. Difficulties related to the translation process, where all interviews will need to be

translated into the English language.

5. As some interviewees are senior directors in the Ministry, the researcher may face

difficulties in arranging the date and the time of the interviews.

91

4.6 Epistemological Approach

Qualitative research is linked to a subjective and interpretivist approach, whereas

quantitative research originates from an objectivist or positivist stance, whereby reality

exists independent of the researcher‟s own interpretation. Gall, Borg, and Gall state that

(1996:28):

„Positivist research is grounded in the assumption that features of the social

environment constitute an independent reality and are relatively constant across

time and settings. Positivist researchers develop knowledge by collecting

numerical data on observable behaviours of samples and then subjecting these data

to numerical analysis….Quantitative research is virtually synonymous with

positivist research.‟

Relationship between researcher and subjects:

Quantitative researchers should aim to distance themselves from the subject they are

researching, whereas in qualitative methods there is direct contact between the researcher

and subject.

Research focus:

Qualitative researchers are focused on the interaction between people and the world,

whereas quantitative research focuses on establishing the truth, through the gathering of

facts.

Relationship to theory:

Quantitative research is typically deductive in nature, and tests rather than generates

theory. Conversely, qualitative research methods inductively build new theories.

The nature of data:

Quantitative studies explicitly generate numerical data, whilst in qualitative research,

whilst data can be derived from it, it typically generates words or pictures.) (Gray 2009).

92

4.7 Ethical Issues

Johnson (2008 p, 101) suggests that Ethics are „principles and guidelines that help us

uphold the things we value‟. For researchers, ethics is an important consideration and the

researcher received a permission letter from the Ministry of Education to enter the schools

and distribute questionnaires to students as well as teachers in addition to conducting

interviews with teachers. The value of research depends as much on its ethical veracity as

on the novelty of its discoveries (Walliman, 2011). The researcher, with approval from

participants, explained that their participation is voluntary and statements will be kept

confidential and that the information is only for research use and the researcher will not

ask participants to mention their names in order to preserve their privacy, likewise

objectives of the study were explained. The researcher followed these instructions in

compliance with Ethical clearance at the School of Education Ethics Committee at

University of Cardiff Metropolitan.

93

4.8 Description of the Independent Variables

It can be seen in Table 4.4the description of student sample according to the following

variables: sector, gender and section. The highest percentage is for those who taught in public

schools forming a rate of 71.8%, and the students‟ percentage in private schools forming a rate

of 28.2%. Regarding gender variable it can be seen from Table 4.1that the percentage of males

was 49.4% and females 50.6%. Description of student sample regarding the classroom, Table

4.4shows that the highest percentage was for the student in classroom two (36.4%), and then

classroom one at 35.4%. The lowest percentage for the student was in classroom five at 2.9%.

Table 4.4: Description of student sample according to the following variables: Sector,

gender, section (N=308)

Variables category Frequency Percent

SECTOR

public 221 71.8

private 87 28.2

Gender

male 152 49.4

female 156 50.6

Classroom

1 109 35.4

2 112 36.4

3 35 11.4

4 43 14.0

5 9 2.8

94

Figure 4.1: Description of student sample according to the following variables:

Sector, gender, section. (N=308)

Table 4.5: Description of teachers’ sample according to the following variables: Sector,

gender, specialisation, grade teaching, age, Number of years in teaching, attended any

ICT training courses (N=331)

Variables Category Frequency Percent

Sector

Public 212 64.0

Private 119 36.0

Gender

Male 167 50.5

Female 164 49.5

Specialisation

Math 82 24.8

Arabic 79 23.9

Science 90 27.2

English 80 24.2

95

Grade teaching

10 155 46.8

11 94 28.4

12 82 24.8

Age

20-30 58 17.5

31-40 137 41.4

41-50 94 28.4

51-60 42 12.7

Number of years in

teaching

Less than 5 year 52 15.7

5-9 year 55 16.6

10-14 year 64 19.3

15-19 year 60 18.1

20-24 year 40 12.1

25 year and more 60 18.1

Attended any ICT

training courses

Yes 241 72.8

No 90 27.2

The teachers sample was 331, formed by 167 males (50.5%) and 164 females (49.5%). Table

4.5 shows that the highest percentage was for those working in public schools at 64.0%, and

those in private schools at 36.0%. In terms of specialism, the highest rate was for those with

science specialisation - 27.2%, preceded by mathematics specialisation at 24.8%, English

specialisation 24.2%, and the lowest representatives were Arabic specialists at 23.9%.

96

Table 4.5 shows the description of teachers sample according to the grade teaching, it notice

that the high proportion of tenth grade teachers with 46.8%, then teachers 11 Grade teachers

with 28.4%, followed by twelfth grade with (24.8%. In terms of the teachers‟ age distribution,

the highest representation was from the age group 31-40 years with a rate (41.4%), then the 41-

50 age group (28.4%), followed by the 20 - 30 age group (17.5%) and the 51-60 age group

(12.7%). In terms of teaching experience, 19.3% of respondents had worked for 10-14 years,

with 12.1% having 20-24 year experience. The remaining experience categories were all at

similar levels. In terms of teachers‟ courses in the field of e-learning, the largest proportion

was for those who received training in the field of e-learning with a rate of 72.8%, and 27.2%

did not receive training in the field of e-learning.

4.9 Critical Overview

This chapter has presented an explanation of the research's theoretical framework, the

approach and the plan of the study. It has also presented a detailed account of how the

research plan was carried out and progressed. Methodology, methods and research

instruments have also been explained. This includes the design and application of

research's instruments. This chapter has also presented the data collection process,

including sampling and the instrument analysis procedures. Finally, it presented validity

and reliability and the ethical issues related to the study. The next chapter focuses on an

analysis of the findings of the data collected from questionnaires and interviews. The

questionnaires will be analysed using a variety of statistical methods and tests. A content

analysis will be applied to the interviews, using codes and categories.

97

5 Data Analysis

5.1 Introduction

Thus far, the research has considered the relevant literature, the general background to the

study and the methodology undertaken in gathering the data. Now, the data is analysed

with a view to answering the research questions outlined in Chapter 1 of this thesis.

Firstly, the quantitative analysis is undertaken by examining the questionnaire of both

teachers and students. Secondly, attention is turned to the analysis of the qualitative data,

with responses from both teachers and policy makers.

5.2 Questionnaire Analysis

5.2.1 Overview

The level of ICT use among teachers is considered to be the basis for identifying the

degree of ICT skills they possess and can implement across the curriculum, or in ICT itself.

In order to determine the level of ICT usage among teachers, arithmetic means, standard

deviations, rank, mode, frequencies, and percentages regarding ICT skills and its

applications were calculated. Furthermore, an arbitrary „level‟ was identified (high,

medium, low) based on the following equation:

This equation is used to organise and summarise data to provide a simple indication of the

level of the means associated with each response. Marwan (2000) used a similar equation

to group his results. Using these intervals of 1.33, we can define 3.67 to 5.00 as a „high‟

response, 2.34 to 3.67 as a „medium‟ response and any value below 2.34 as a „low

response‟. In the analysis, the researcher also uses a value of „1‟ to differentiate between

high (or divergent) and low (or convergent) levels of standard deviation.

Response level Scales value

owl 1.33 to 2.33

medium‟ 2.34 to 3.67

high‟ 3.68 to 5.00

33 . 1 3

1 5

levels of number

ue lowest val s scale' the - lue highest va s scale' the

98

5.3 The Teachers’ Results

5.3.1 ICT Confidence amongst Teachers

Table 5.1 shows the results associated with teachers ICT confidence, where they were

invited to rate that confidence on a likert scale of 1-5, from ‘Very unconfident’ (1) to ‘Very

confident’ (5) for a range of ICT skills or applications.

Table 5.1 – ICT Confidence of School Teachers (N=331)

No.

Please tick one

box only that

indicates the

appropriate choice

in each row

Mean Standard

Deviation Rank Mode

Percentage

Level of use

Very

unconfident

1

Not

confident

2

Unsure

3

Confident

4

Very

confident

5

1

Basics of operating

PC (using keyboard, mouse

… etc.)

4.59 .863 1 5 3.0 1.8 1.5 20.2 73.4 High

2

Managing files

(delete, move to, … etc.)

4.44 .975 2 5 2.7 5.1 3.3 23.0 65.9 High

15

Searching for

information on the Internet

4.30 1.019 3 5 3.3 5.1 6.0 29.6 55.9 High

14 Internet browsing 4.25 1.047 4 5 3.3 6.6 5.4 31.1 53.5 High

3

Using word

processor ( such as

word program )

4.23 1.094 5 5 3.6 7.6 6.3 26.9 55.6 High

9

Searching for saved

data on hard disk or compact disk

4.13 1.082 6 5 3.6 7.3 9.4 32.3 47.4 High

16 Downloading files

from the Internet 4.11 1.159 7 5 3.3 10.9 9.7 24.2 52.0 High

17

Using Email (

reading and sending

mails)

4.08 1.191 8 5 3.9 11.5 9.1 23.9 51.7 High

8 Using PowerPoint software

3.86 1.192 9 5 4.5 13.3 11.5 32.6 38.1 High

10

Using data show

basis on PC as projection tool

3.74 1.216 10 5 4.5 16.0 15.1 29.9 34.4 High

12

Deleting or editing

pictures, animations

or movies

3.60 1.177 11 4 3.9 18.7 17.2 33.5 26.6 Medium

18

Using chat rooms

and forums

(Facebook, Twitter)

3.60 1.307 11 5 6.3 20.2 14.8 24.8 33.8 Medium

6

Combining files from different

resources (sound or

video files ) to create presentations

3.59 1.244 12 4 5.1 20.2 14.8 30.5 29.3 Medium

13 Using digital

camera 3.53 1.216 13 4 5.4 18.1 20.8 28.7 26.9 Medium

4 Use spreadsheet processor (such as

excel program )

3.50 1.179 14 4 4.5 21.1 15.7 36.6 22.1 Medium

7 Producing learning software

3.20 1.219 15 2 7.3 26.3 24.2 24.2 18.1 Medium

5

Creating or Using

data base processor

(such as access

program)

3.09 1.209 16 2 6.9 32.9 18.7 26.6 14.8 Medium

99

Again, we have applied the levels based on those previously describe: The degree of use is

classified as high when the arithmetic mean ranges between (3.68-5), medium when the

arithmetic mean ranges between (2.34-3.67) and low when the arithmetic mean ranges

between (1-2.33).

It is notable from Table 5.1 that the level of teachers' confidence in using ICT and its

applications is high, with an overall arithmetic mean of 3.71 with standard deviation of

0.872. Since the standard deviation is relatively low – i.e. it is less than one, it indicates

convergence among the study sample. The results also show that the highest skill or

application in the teachers‟ responses was „utilising the basics of operating the ICT (such as

using the keyboard, mouse, etc.)‟ where the arithmetic mean was 4.59 and the standard

deviation 0.863. The mode had a value of 5, indicating the highest response rate that was

„Very confident‟, with a percentage response rate of 73.4%. „Managing files‟ was second,

where the arithmetic mean was 4.44 with a standard deviation of 0.975 –implying a lesser

degree of convergence among teachers at this level. The mode was 5, which indicates that

the highest response was „Very confident‟, with a percentage response rate of 65.9%.

The lowest level was among teachers was confidence in „designing web pages or personal

sites‟ where the arithmetic mean was 2.69 with standard deviation of 1.153, highlighting a

greater disparity among teachers at this level. The mode had a value of 2, which indicates

the highest response was „Not confident‟, with a percentage response rate of 39%. The

teachers' level in using different designing programs (Photoshop, Flash) ranked slightly

better, with an arithmetic mean of 2.78 and standard deviation of 1.114 – again

highlighting a disparity among teachers at this level. The mode had a value of 2 which

indicates that the highest response was „Not confident‟ with a percentage response rate of

38.7%.

19 Publishing a

personal blog 2.84 1.095 17 2 7.6 36.0 31.4 14.8 10.3 Medium

11 Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

2.78 1.114 18 2 9.1 38.7 27.5 15.1 9.7 Medium

20 Designing web page or personal

site

2.69 1.153 19 2 12.4 39.0 26.0 12.4 10.3 Medium

TOTAL 3.71 .827 - - - - - - - High

100

5.3.1.1 ICT Usage Level for Teachers by Comparison with Associates and Students

The levels relating to the use of ICT and its applications among teachers, in comparison

with associates and students, provides a vital index for assessing ICT skills and its

applications by the teaching community. In order to determine the level of ICT use for

teachers compared to their associates and students, the arithmetic means, standard

deviations, rank, and range, mode, frequencies and percentages for skills in using ICT and

its applications as shown in Table 5.2.

It is notable from Table 5.2 that the levels of using ICT and its applications among teachers

is moderate in comparison with their associates, where the arithmetic mean was 3.21 with

standard deviation of 1.062. The Mode had a value of 3 which indicate that the highest

response was „Average‟ with a percentage response rate of 41.4%

Table 5.2: ICT Usage Level for Teachers by Comparison with Associates, and

Students (N=331)

No.

Mean Standard

Deviation

Mode Percentage Level of

use Very

low

1

2 3 4

Very

high

5

1

How do you describe

your level in using

ICT in comparison

with your associates

at school?

3.21 1.062 3 6.9 14.8 41.4 24.5 12.4

Medium

2

How do you describe

your level in using

ICT in comparison

with your students at

school?

3.31 1.171 3 7.3 16.9 32.9 23.9 19

Medium

Table 5.2 shows also that the level of using ICT and its applications amongst teachers in

comparison with their students were again moderate, with an arithmetic mean of 3.31 and

standard deviation of 1.171. Since the standard deviation is relatively high and greater than

integer one it indicates a disparity among teachers at this level. The mode had a value of 3

which indicates that the highest response was „Average‟ with a percentage response rate of

32.9%.

101

5.3.2 ICT Usage in Teaching Practice

Teachers were also asked to describe the frequency of their use ICT and its applications in

the teaching process, whether at school or at home. This is an indicator of their proficiency

in ICT, and how likely they are to embed it in teaching practice. In order to determine this,

the arithmetic means, standard deviations, rank, and, mode, frequencies and percentages

for skills in using ICT and its applications are calculated.

It is notable from table 5.3 that the level of using ICT and its applications by teachers in the

teaching process at school was low, with an overall arithmetic mean of 2.26 and standard

deviation of 0.858. Since the standard deviation is relatively low and less than integer one,

it indicates a convergence among teachers at this level. The results also show that the

highest rated skill or application of teachers in the usage of ICT in the teaching process at

school was „the use of information contained on the hard drive or compact disc‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 2.91 and the standard deviation 1.350, which highlights a significant

disparity among teachers in their use. The Mode had a value of 3 which indicates that the

highest response rate was „Monthly‟ where the percentage of teachers who responded was

29%.

Second was the „use of the Internet by teachers to obtain teaching resources‟ with an

arithmetic mean of 2.79 and a standard deviation of 1.299, highlighting a high level of

disparity amongst respondents... The mode had a value of 3 which indicates that the

highest response was „Monthly‟, with a percentage response rate of 31.4%.

The lowest rated skill or application was „using e-mail to communicate with parents‟ with

an arithmetic mean of 1.79 and standard deviation of 1.041. The Mode had a value of 1

which indicates that the highest response regarding their use was „Never‟ with a percentage

response rate of 59.8%.

Table 5.3 indicates that the level of implementing ICT and its applications in the teaching

process at home was also low, with an arithmetic mean of 2.31 with standard deviation of

102

0.795. Since the standard deviation is relatively low this indicates convergence within the

data. The results also show that the highest rated skill or application in the responses was

for „using the Internet to obtain teacher resources‟ where the arithmetic mean had a value

of 3.51 and standard deviation of 1.358 – signalling a greater disparity amongst

respondents. The mode had a value of 5, which indicates that the highest response rate was

„Daily‟ with a percentage response rate of 32.6%. Second was „using information

contained on the hard drive or compact disc‟ where the arithmetic mean had a value of 3.31

with standard deviation of 1.413 - which highlights a significant disparity amongst

respondents. The mode had a value of 5 which indicates that the highest response rate was

„Daily‟ with a percentage response rate of 29%.

The least used skills/applications were again „using e-mail to communicate with parents‟

where the arithmetic mean was 1.11 with standard deviation of 1.041. The Mode had a

value of 1 which indicates that the highest response was „Never‟ with a percentage

response rate of 71.3%.

103

Table 5.3: Teachers use of ICT at school or home

(N=331)

At school At home Lev

el of u

se

Percentage

Mo

de

Ran

k

Stan

dard

Dev

iation

Mean

No. [Tick the option that

indicates both school and

home use] Mean

Stan

dard

Dev

iation

Percentage Lev

el of u

se

Nev

er

Occasio

nally

Mo

nth

ly

Week

ly

Daily

Ran

k

Mo

de

Nev

er

Occasio

nally

Month

ly

Week

ly

Daily

5 5 1 1 1

5 5 1 1 1 Medium

18.1 22.4 29.0 11.5 19.0 3 1

1.350 2.91 3 Look up information on a

hard disc drive or compact

disc 3.05 1.433

3

5

17.8 24.8 13.9 21.8 21.8 Medium

Medium 21.8 18.7 31.4 15.1 13.0 3 2 1.299 2.79 4 Use the Internet to obtain

teaching resources. 2.52 1.270 4 2 26.3 29.3 19.0 17.2 8.2 Medium

Medium 22.7 19.9 29.3 15.1 13.0 3 3 1.313 2.76 1 Create a document using a

word processor 3.31 1.413 2 5 13.0 20.8 17.2 19.9 29.0 Medium

Medium 35.3 10.3 29.3 9.4 15.7 1 4 1.443 2.60 7 Set computer-based

homework 3.51 1.358 1 5 9.1 19.6 14.8 23.9 32.6 Medium

Medium 25.7 24.8 37.8 8.2 3.6 3 5 1.066 2.39 6 Create lessons that use

presentation software 2.41 1.226 7 2 27.2 32.0 21.5 11.2 8.2 Medium

Medium 24.2 29.6 35.3 6.6 4.2 3 6 1.052 2.37 15 Use subject

specificsoftware 2.46 1.170 6 2 23.6 33.2 23.6 13.3 6.3 Medium

Low 33.5 19.6 31.1 12.1 3.6 1

7 1.164 2.33 2

Manipulate graphics or

images using graphics

software 2.51 1.558

5 1 40.8 16.3 12.7 11.5 18.7

Medium

Low 33.5 21.1 36.0 4.8 4.5 3

8 1.111 2.26 5

Create lessons that

incorporate simulation

software 2.18 1.157

10 1 34.4 32.9 19.0 7.9 5.7

Low

Low

35.6 23.6 33.8 5.1 1.8 1

9

1.023 2.14 8

Create lessons that

incorporate students' use of

a digital video, graphics or

sound editors.

2.30 1.396

8

1 40.8 22.4 15.1 9.7 12.1

Low

Low 46.2 13.3 29.0 6.3 5.1 1 10 1.209 2.11 9 Use email to communicate

with other teachers. 1.78 1.127 11 1 59.5 17.2 13.0 6.6 3.6 Low

Low 53.5 9.4 31.4 3.6 2.1 1 11 1.087 1.92 13 Use software to monitor

the students' scores 1.56 1.038 14 1 72.5 7.9 13.3 3.3 3.0 Low

Low 55.9 9.1 29.6 2.7 2.7 1 12 1.094 1.87 10 Use email to communicate

with your students. 1.64 1.120 13 1 69.2 10.3 12.1 3.9 4.5 Low

Low 54.1 12.1 29.9 2.1 1.8 1 13 1.034 1.85 14 Use interactive

whiteboards 1.68 1.081 12 1 64.7 13.0 15.7 2.7 3.9 Low

Low

59.5 6.3 28.7 3.6 1.8 1

14

1.077 1.82 12

Participate in an on-line

interactive discussion or

bulletin board with

students

1.54 .963

15

1 71.3 10.0 13.9 3.0 1.8

Low

Low 59.8 7.3 29.3 1.8 1.8 1 15 1.041 1.79 11 Use email to communicate

with your students‟ parents 2.21 1.149 9 2 32.6 33.8 17.2 12.1 4.2 Low

Low - - - - - - .838 2.26 TOTAL 2.31 .795 - - - - - - Low

104

5.3.2.1 Relationship between the use of ICT in teaching and teaching methods

Teachers were also invited assess the extent to which the use of ICT in teaching practice

affects their practice. Table 5.4 indicates that the teachers believe there is a positive

relationship between the use of the ICT and its applications and the nature of their teaching

methods. Here, the responses had an arithmetic mean of 2.68 with a low standard

deviation of 0.874. The mode had a value of 3 which indicates that the highest response

was „Somewhat high‟ with a percentage response rate of 44.4%.

Table 5.4: Relationship between use of ICT in teaching and teaching methods

(N=331)

No.

Mean

Standard

Deviation Mode

Percentage

Level of

use

No

change

1

A

little

2

Somewhat

high

3

High

4

3

To what extent

does the use of

ICT in teaching

change your

teaching

methods?

2.68 .874 3 10.4 28.4 44.4 16.9 Somewhat

high

Figure 5.1: Relationship between use of ICT in teaching and teaching methods

No change

A little

Somewhat high

High

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1 2 3 4

Percentage

To what extent does the use of ICT in teaching change your teaching methods?

105

5.3.3 The Perspective of Teachers on ICT Use

The opinions of teacher regarding the use of ICT and its application in the teaching process

are regarded to be an ongoing incentive towards the progress in using ICT and developing

learning styles. No progress could be attained unless the teacher is positive about the need

technology into the classroom. In order to achieve this, advantages and disadvantages

related to implementing ICT in teaching process from the perspectives of teachers were

identified as well as their opinions on the effect of using technology on the teaching

process in the classroom. The following represents an analysis of this element of the

teacher questionnaire.

5.3.3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in your teaching method

The determination of the advantages and disadvantages related to using ICT in the teaching

process from contributes to identifying both the advantages (in order to strengthen them)

and disadvantages (in order to avoid and solve them). Arithmetic means, standard

deviations, rank, mode, frequencies, and percentages related to skills of using ICT and its

applications were calculated as shown in Table 5.5. Here, teachers were invited to agree or

disagree with a series of positive (advantageous) or negative (disadvantageous) statements.

106

Table 5.5: Advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in teaching method (N=331)

No.

Advantages and

disadvantages of using ICT

in your teaching method

Mean Standard

Deviation Rank Mode

Percentage

Level

of

use

Str

on

gly

disa

gre

e

Disa

gre

e

Neith

er

ag

ree

no

r d

isagree

Ag

ree

Str

on

gly

agree

5 5 1 1 1

2 ICT makes teaching more

interesting for me 4.18 .824

1 4 1.2 2.4 12.1 46.2 38.1

High

6 ICT improves the presentation of material in my lessons

4.07 .868 2

4 1.5 3.9 13.6 48.3 32.6 High

1 I find it easy to think of ways

to use ICT in my teaching 3.96 .793 3

4 .6 4.2 17.2 54.7 23.3 High

4 ICT makes my lessons more

diverse 3.95 .983

4 4 3.9 4.8 13.0 49.2 29.0

High

13 ICT has given me more confidence to extend my use of

ICT to other topics

3.86 .852 5

4 2.1 3.3 21.5 52.6 20.5 High

10 ICT makes the lessons more fun for the students

3.78 .968 6

4 3.0 6.9 21.1 46.8 22.1 High

7 ICT makes preparing lessons

quicker 3.49 1.066

7 4 5.1 12.7 26.6 39.6 16.0

Medium

12

ICT often prevent teaching because of interruption in work

or in software 3.09 .977

8

3 6.3 19.3 38.4 30.8 5.1

Medium

8 ICT limits the content of my

lessons 2.89 1.216

9 2 13.3 29.0 24.8 21.8 11.2

Medium

9 ICT makes preparing lessons

more difficult 2.81 1.153

10 2 12.4 32.3 24.8 22.7 7.9

Medium

11 ICT makes it more difficult to

control the class 2.49 1.068

11 2 17.5 38.1 26.6 13.3 4.5

Medium

5 ICT decreases students‟

motivation 2.34 1.229

12 1 31.4 29.0 19.6 13.6 6.3

Medium

3 ICT makes teaching more

difficult 2.21 1.032

13 2 26.0 42.9 17.8 10.6 2.7

Low

14 TOTAL 3.32 .411 - - - - - - - Medium

The results from Table 5.5 indicate that the highest advantages for implementing ICT in the

teaching process was „ICT makes teaching more interesting for me‟ where the arithmetic

mean is 4.18 with standard deviation of 0.824, implying convergence amongst respondents.

The mode was 4 which indicates that the highest response was „Agree‟ with a percentage

response rate of 46.2%. Secondly, „ICT improves the presentation of material in my

lessons‟ was the next advantage, with a mean of 4.07 and standard deviation of 0.868,

implying convergence amongst respondents. The mode was 4 which indicates that the

highest response was „Agree‟, with 48.3% of respondents.

The most significant disadvantage given by respondents that can arise as a result for using

ICT in the teaching process was „ICT often prevent teaching because of interruption in

work or in software where the arithmetic mean was 3.09 with a standard deviation of .977.

The mode was 3 which indicates that the highest response rate was „Neither Agree or

107

Disagree‟, with a percentage response rate of 38.4%. The next most significant

disadvantage shown in the results was „ICT limits the content of my lessons‟ with a mean

of 2.89, a standard deviation of 1.216 (implying a high level of divergence) and a modal

group of 2, or „Disagree‟, with 29% of respondents sharing this viewpoint.

5.3.3.2 The effect of ICT use in teaching on teachers

The use of ICT in teaching can impact a teacher in a variety of different ways, and can

contribute to their development and skills. They develop and changes according the

methods they believe are the most effective, and as such their opinion of ICT on their

teaching affects the ways in which they develop in future. Arithmetic means, standard

deviations, rank, range, mode, frequencies, and percentages related to skills of using ICT

and its applications were calculated as shown in Table 5.6.

Table 5.6: The impact of using ICT in teaching on teachers (N=331)

N

o.

When you use ICT in

teaching, in what ways

does this affect you as

a teacher

Mean

Standar

d

Deviatio

n

Rank Mod

e

Percentage

Level

of

Use

Str

on

gly

disa

gre

e

Disa

gre

e

Neith

er

ag

ree

no

r

disa

gre

e

Ag

ree

Str

on

gly

ag

ree

5 5 1 1 1

3

ICT positively changes

the learning climate in

my classroom

3.87 .897

1

1 2.7 3.

6

20.

2

50.

8

22.

7

High

1 ICT enhances my role as

a teacher 3.83 .935

2 1 2.7

5.

4

20.

8

48.

0

23.

0

High

4

ICT positively changes

the relationship between

me and my students

3.77 .928

3

1 2.4 6.

0

24.

2

46.

5

20.

8

High

2 ICT makes me feel more

professional 3.70 1.040

4 1 3.9

9.

1

22.

4

42.

0

22.

7

High

5

ICT positively changes

the usual relationship

between students in my

classroom

3.61 .919

5

1 2.7 5.

7

35.

6

39.

6

16.

3

Mediu

m

TOTAL 3.76 .826 - - - - - - - High

It is notable from Table 5.6 that there is a significant impact from the use of ICT and its

applications on teachers. The arithmetic average reached 3.76 with standard deviation of

0.826 - which indicates a convergence among teachers towards this viewpoint.

108

The results also show that the statement „ICT positively changes the learning climate in my

classroom‟ was most strongly agreed by respondents, where the arithmetic mean was 3.87

with standard deviation of 0.897. A modal value of 4 indicates that the highest response

rate was „Agree‟ with a percentage response rate of 50.8%. Second was the statement „ICT

enhances my role as a teacher‟ where the arithmetic mean was 3.83 with standard deviation

of 0.935. A modal value of 4 indicates that the highest response was „Agree‟ with a

percentage response rate of 48%.

The least significant impact regarding the use of ICT in the teaching process was that „ICT

positively changes the usual relationship between students in my classroom‟ where

arithmetic mean was 3.61 with standard deviation of 0.919 which implies convergence

around this viewpoint. A mode of 4 indicates that the highest response was „Agree‟, with a

percentage response rate of 39.6%. Another less significant impact was that „ICT makes

me feel more professional‟ with an arithmetic mean of 3.70 and standard deviation of

1.040. The mode of 4 indicates that the highest response was „Agree‟, with a percentage

response rate of 42%.

5.4 Comparing Teachers’ Confidence with Use

It is useful to examine the impact that overall confidence in the application of ICT methods has in

teachers’ overall use of those methods or applications. To do this, we can sum the means of the

dimensions within the teacher questionnaires and examine whether or not there is any correlation

between the two major variables of confidence and use.

Table 5.7 below shows the output for the correlation between teachers’ use of ICT (the dependent

variable) and teachers’ confidence in their ICT abilities) the independent variable. The Pearson

correlation analysis revealed a significant and positive relationship (r = .30, N = 331, p = .00). The

correlation was moderate in strength, and as such there higher confidence levels in ICT ability were

associated with higher levels of ICT use.

109

Table 5.7: Correlation Between ICT Confidence and Use

5.5 Analyzing Teacher Responses by Subject

To this point the analysis has focused on investigating the separate elements of the

teachers‟ survey. Now it is possible to examine the results broken down by the subjects in

which the teacher specializes in. To do this, the analysis now examines each of the major

likert scale responses included in the questionnaire, with the results split into Maths,

Arabic, Science, and English.

Usagemean

In this analysis, the research compares means as method of examining differences, and

utilises the ANOVA testing method to examine significance, due to the fact that the

independent variable is split into more than two possible answers.

Firstly, the questionnaire considered teachers confidence in ICT use. Table 5.8 below

shows the overall results, with N number of cases for each instance of subject specialism.

The results show some general patterns in the data, English and science teachers tend to be

more confident in their use of ICT than mathematics or Arabic. I.e. they have broadly a

higher mean in this likert scale.

However, the importance of those figures relies on the significance of the tests shown in

Table 5.9. The „sig‟ value equates to the „p‟ result, whereby any value that is less than .05 is

significant with 95% confidence. Here we can see that the variance in mean is significant

across subject specialism for teachers in at least 10 of the factors below.

Correlations

teacherconfiden

cemean

teacherusagem

ean

teacherconfidencemean

Pearson Correlation 1 .300**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 331 331

teacherusagemean

Pearson Correlation .300** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 331 331

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

110

As an example, in operating a PC, the mean for mathematics teachers is 4.54, whilst the

mean for English teachers is 4.79, with a p value = 0.039 (less than 0.05 and therefore

significant).

Table 5.8: Teachers Confidence in ICT Use

Maths Arabic Science English Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N

Basics of operating PC (using keyboard,

mouse … etc.)

4.54 82 4.41 79 4.63 90 4.79 80 4.59 331

Managing files (delete, move to, … etc.) 4.37 82 4.11 79 4.64 90 4.61 80 4.44 331

Using word processor ( such as word

program )

4.10 82 3.99 79 4.44 90 4.38 80 4.23 331

Use spreadsheet processor (such as

excel program )

3.59 82 3.33 79 3.64 90 3.44 80 3.50 331

Creating or Using data base processor

(such as access program)

2.98 82 .06 79 3.28 90 3.04 80 3.09 331

Combining files from different resources

( sound or video files ) to create

presentations

3.39 82 3.37 79 3.71 90 3.86 80 3.59 331

Producing learning software 3.01 82 3.11 79 3.34 90 3.30 80 3.20 331

Using PowerPoint software 3.57 82 3.78 79 4.11 90 3.96 80 3.86 331

Searching for saved data on hard disk or

compact disk

3.95 82 3.89 79 4.29 90 4.36 80 4.13 331

Using data show basis on PC as

projection tool

3.54 82 3.53 79 3.99 90 3.86 80 3.74 331

Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

2.67 82 2.73 79 3.02 90 2.65 80 2.78 331

Deleting or editing pictures, animations

or movies

3.38 82 3.47 79 3.80 90 3.74 80 3.60 331

Using digital camera 3.32 82 3.46 79 3.56 90 3.81 80 3.53 331

Internet browsing 4.04 82 4.11 79 4.32 90 4.51 80 4.25 331

Searching for information on the Internet 4.09 82 4.15 79 4.42 90 4.51 80 4.30 331

Downloading files from the Internet 3.82 82 3.89 79 4.33 90 4.36 80 4.11 331

Using Email ( reading and sending

mails)

3.88 82 3.84 79 4.16 90 4.44 80 4.08 331

Using chat rooms and forums

(Facebook, Twitter)

3.52 82 3.44 79 3.56 90 3.86 80 3.60 331

Publishing a personal blog 2.66 82 2.90 79 2.84 90 2.98 80 2.84 331

Designing web page or personal site 2.51 82 2.90 79 2.56 90 2.83 80 2.69 331

111

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Between Groups 6.224 3 2.075 2.830 .039

Within Groups 239.716 327 .733

Total 245.940 330

Between Groups 14.992 3 4.997 5.473 .001

Within Groups 298.609 327 .913

Total 313.601 330

Between Groups 11.909 3 3.970 3.388 .018

Within Groups 383.179 327 1.172

Total 395.088 330

Between Groups 5.088 3 1.696 1.222 .301

Within Groups 453.655 327 1.387

Total 458.743 330

Between Groups 4.519 3 1.506 1.031 .379

Within Groups 477.578 327 1.460

Total 482.097 330

Between Groups 14.453 3 4.818 3.177 .024

Within Groups 495.843 327 1.516

Total 510.296 330

Between Groups 6.151 3 2.050 1.385 .247

Within Groups 484.085 327 1.480

Total 490.236 330

Between Groups 13.703 3 4.568 3.281 .021

Within Groups 455.179 327 1.392

Total 468.882 330

Between Groups 13.915 3 4.638 4.069 .007

Within Groups 372.756 327 1.140

Total 386.671 330

Between Groups 13.595 3 4.532 3.123 .026

Within Groups 474.538 327 1.451

Total 488.133 330

Between Groups 7.773 3 2.591 2.109 .099

Within Groups 401.683 327 1.228

Total 409.456 330

Between Groups 10.521 3 3.507 2.566 .055

Within Groups 446.839 327 1.366

Total 457.360 330

Between Groups 10.590 3 3.530 2.416 .066

Within Groups 477.761 327 1.461

Total 488.350 330

Between Groups 11.178 3 3.726 3.476 .016

Within Groups 350.508 327 1.072

Total 361.686 330

Between Groups 10.462 3 3.487 3.429 .017

Within Groups 332.523 327 1.017

Total 342.985 330

Between Groups 20.581 3 6.860 5.307 .001

Within Groups 422.718 327 1.293

Total 443.299 330

Between Groups 18.807 3 6.269 4.564 .004

Within Groups 449.151 327 1.374

Total 467.958 330

Between Groups 8.098 3 2.699 1.588 .192

Within Groups 555.655 327 1.699

Total 563.752 330

Between Groups 4.430 3 1.477 1.234 .297

Within Groups 391.401 327 1.197

Total 395.831 330

Between Groups 9.118 3 3.039 2.314 .076

Within Groups 429.450 327 1.313

Total 438.568 330

Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook,

Twitter)

Publishing a personal blog

Designing web page or personal site

Searching for saved data on hard disk or

compact disk

Using data show basis on PC as projection

tool

Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

Deleting or editing pictures, animations or

movies

Using digital camera

Internet browsing

Basics of operating PC (using keyboard,

mouse … etc.)

Managing files ( delete, move to, … etc.)

Using word processor ( such as word

program )

Using Email ( reading and sending mails)

Use spreadsheet processor (such as excel

program )

Searching for information on the Internet

Downloading files from the Internet

Creating or Using data base processor (such

as access program)

Combining files from different resources (

sound or video files ) to create presentations

Producing learning software

Using PowerPoint software

Table 5.9: ANOVA Test results for Teachers’ Confidence in their ICT use, by subject

112

Similarly, it is possible to examine the ICT use in schools, by subject. Here this is shown

in Table 5.10. Again, the data describes a pattern whereby results for Arabic, Science and

English teachers are significantly higher than Mathematics – implying therefore that

Mathematics teachers use less ICT in schools than their counterparts. From a significance

perspective, the ANOVA Table 5.12 shows that eleven of the ICT features display

significance in the variability of the mean averages.

Table 5.10: Teachers’ ICT Use in Schools, by subject

Math Arabic Science English Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N

Create a document using a word

processor

2.38 82 2.89 79 2.94 90 2.81 80 2.76 331

Manipulate graphics or images

using graphics software

2.09 82 2.20 79 2.52 90 2.48 80 2.33 331

Look up information on a hard disc

drive or compact disc

2.40 82 3.01 79 3.14 90 3.06 80 2.91 331

Use the Internet to obtain teaching

resources.

2.28 82 2.99 79 3.00 90 2.88 80 2.79 331

Create lessons that incorporate

simulation software

1.93 82 2.34 79 2.50 90 2.24 80 2.26 331

Create lessons that use presentation

software

2.10 82 2.34 79 2.71 90 2.39 80 2.39 331

Set computer-based homework 2.30 82 2.62 79 3.03 90 2.39 80 2.60 331

Create lessons that incorporate

students' use of a digital video,

graphics or sound editors.

1.70 82 2.11 79 2.41 90 2.31 80 2.14 331

Use email to communicate with

other teachers.

1.74 82 2.04 79 2.19 90 2.46 80 2.11 331

Use email to communicate with

your students

1.60 82 1.90 79 1.99 90 2.00 80 1.87 331

Use email to communicate with

your students‟ parents

1.54 82 1.80 79 1.93 90 1.86 80 1.79 331

Participate in an on-line interactive

discussion or bulletin board with

students

1.60 82 1.81 79 1.94 90 1.91 80 1.82 331

Use software to monitor the

students' scores

1.65 82 1.92 79 2.13 90 1.94 80 1.92 331

Use interactive whiteboards 1.72 82 1.85 79 1.99 90 1.85 80 1.85 331

Use subject-specific software 2.00 82 2.28 79 2.71 90 2.46 80 2.37 331

For those significant variances, it is possible to examine the high and low values for the

mean. Table 5.11 below shows that Science teachers across a majority of features are

113

significantly more likely to use those ICT features than other subjects, whereas

mathematics teachers are notably less likely to do so.

Table 5.11: Highest and Lowest Mean averages of ICT Use by Subject (with p > .05)

Highest Mean

Subject (value in brackets)

Lowest Mean

Subject (value in brackets)

Create a document using a word

processor

Science (2.94) Mathematics (2.38)

Manipulate graphics or images

using graphics software

Science (2.52) Mathematics (2.09)

Look up information on a hard disk

drive or compact disc

Science (3.14)

Mathematics (2.40)

Use the Internet to obtain teaching

resources.

Science (3.00) Mathematics (2.28)

Create lessons that incorporate

simulation software

Science (2.50) Mathematics (1.93)

Create lessons that use presentation

software

Science (2.71) Mathematics (2.10)

Set computer-based homework Science (3.03) Mathematics (2.30)

Create lessons that incorporate

students' use of a digital video,

graphics or sound editors.

Science (2.41) Mathematics (1.70)

Use email to communicate with

other teachers.

English (2.46) Mathematics (1.74)

Use software to monitor the

students' scores

Science (2.13) Mathematics (1.65)

Use subject-specific software Science (2.71) Mathematics (2.00)

114

Table 5.12: ANOVA Test results for Teachers’ ICT Use in Schools, by subject

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Between Groups 16.500 3 5.500 3.257 .022

Within Groups 552.165 327 1.689

Total 568.665 330

Between Groups 11.194 3 3.731 2.801 .040

Within Groups 435.567 327 1.332

Total 446.761 330

Between Groups 28.764 3 9.588 5.476 .001

Within Groups 572.517 327 1.751

Total 601.281 330

Between Groups 28.910 3 9.637 5.965 .001

Within Groups 528.286 327 1.616

Total 557.196 330

Between Groups 14.852 3 4.951 4.126 .007

Within Groups 392.321 327 1.200

Total 407.172 330

Between Groups 16.475 3 5.492 5.009 .002

Within Groups 358.468 327 1.096

Total 374.943 330

Between Groups 27.686 3 9.229 4.573 .004

Within Groups 659.873 327 2.018

Total 687.559 330

Between Groups 25.278 3 8.426 8.602 .000

Within Groups 320.329 327 .980

Total 345.607 330

Between Groups 21.900 3 7.300 5.187 .002

Within Groups 460.184 327 1.407

Total 482.085 330

Between Groups 8.772 3 2.924 2.478 .061

Within Groups 385.898 327 1.180

Total 394.671 330

Between Groups 7.533 3 2.511 2.344 .073

Within Groups 350.237 327 1.071

Total 357.770 330

Between Groups 6.143 3 2.048 1.776 .152

Within Groups 376.981 327 1.153

Total 383.124 330

Between Groups 10.256 3 3.419 2.947 .033

Within Groups 379.376 327 1.160

Total 389.631 330

Between Groups 3.124 3 1.041 .973 .406

Within Groups 349.915 327 1.070

Total 353.039 330

Between Groups 23.043 3 7.681 7.339 .000

Within Groups 342.250 327 1.047

Total 365.293 330

Use email to communicate with

your students‟ parents

Participate in an on-line interactive

discussion or bulletin board with

students

Use software to monitor the

students' scores

Use interactive whiteboards

Use subject-specific software

Use the Internet to obtain teaching

resources.

Create a document using a word

processor

Look up information on a hard disc

drive or compact disc

Manipulate graphics or images

using graphics software

Use email to communicate with

your students

Create lessons that incorporate

simulation software

Create lessons that use

presentation software

Set computer-based homework

Create lessons that incorporate

students' use of a digital video,

graphics or sound editors.

Use email to communicate with

other teachers.

115

Home use of ICT, as mentioned earlier in the chapter, rated much higher than the use of

ICT in schools. In breaking the analysis by subject, the results do show far less variability

across the various features of ICT. Table 5.13 below shows the results. Here, we notice far

less significant variation in the means, as described in the ANOVA results Table, 5.14,

whereby only 4 of the features have significant variations in their mean, by subject.

Table 5.13: Teachers’ ICT use at Home, by Subject

Math Arabic Science English Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N

Create a document using a word

processor

2.72 82 3.00 79 3.26 90 3.20 80 3.05 331

Manipulate graphics or images

using graphics software

2.41 82 2.34 79 2.57 90 2.74 80 2.52 331

Look up information on a hard

disc drive or compact disc

3.04 82 3.24 79 3.44 90 3.51 80 3.31 331

Use the Internet to obtain

teaching resources.

3.24 82 3.37 79 3.64 90 3.79 80 3.51 331

Create lessons that incorporate

simulation software

2.17 82 2.42 79 2.60 90 2.44 80 2.41 331

Create lessons that use

presentation software

2.32 82 2.39 79 2.69 90 2.40 80 2.46 331

Set computer-based homework 2.24 82 2.37 79 3.11 90 2.25 80 2.51 331

Create lessons that incorporate

students' use of a digital video,

graphics or sound editors.

2.01 82 2.15 79 2.32 90 2.20 80 2.18 331

Use email to communicate with

other teachers.

2.39 82 2.06 79 1.98 90 2.80 80 2.30 331

Use email to communicate with

your students

1.76 82 1.82 79 1.70 90 1.84 80 1.78 331

Use email to communicate with

your students‟ parents

1.55 82 1.70 79 1.56 90 1.46 80 1.56 331

Participate in an on-line

interactive discussion or

bulletin board with students

1.68 82 1.77 79 1.60 90 1.53 80 1.64 331

Use software to monitor the

students' scores

1.73 82 1.80 79 1.70 90 1.50 80 1.68 331

Use interactive whiteboards 1.72 82 1.67 79 1.52 90 1.25 80 1.54 331

Use subject-specific software 2.16 82 2.01 79 2.47 90 2.19 80 2.21 331

116

Table 5.14: ANOVA Test results for Teachers’ ICT Use at Home, by subject

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 14.756 3 4.919 2.428 .065

Within Groups 662.471 327 2.026

Total 677.227 330

Between Groups 7.397 3 2.466 1.535 .205

Within Groups 525.262 327 1.606

Total 532.659 330

Between Groups 11.418 3 3.806 1.922 .126

Within Groups 647.530 327 1.980

Total 658.949 330

Between Groups 15.203 3 5.068 2.792 .041

Within Groups 593.486 327 1.815

Total 608.689 330

Between Groups 8.008 3 2.669 1.788 .149

Within Groups 488.112 327 1.493

Total 496.121 330

Between Groups 7.034 3 2.345 1.723 .162

Within Groups 445.080 327 1.361

Total 452.115 330

Between Groups 45.348 3 15.116 6.544 .000

Within Groups 755.365 327 2.310

Total 800.713 330

Between Groups 4.216 3 1.405 1.050 .371

Within Groups 437.621 327 1.338

Total 441.837 330

Between Groups 34.438 3 11.479 6.164 .000

Within Groups 608.951 327 1.862

Total 643.390 330

Between Groups 1.028 3 .343 .268 .849

Within Groups 418.428 327 1.280

Total 419.456 330

Between Groups 2.230 3 .743 .688 .560

Within Groups 353.123 327 1.080

Total 355.353 330

Between Groups 2.729 3 .910 .723 .539

Within Groups 411.205 327 1.258

Total 413.934 330

Between Groups 3.935 3 1.312 1.123 .340

Within Groups 381.757 327 1.167

Total 385.692 330

Between Groups 10.752 3 3.584 3.967 .008

Within Groups 295.447 327 .904

Total 306.199 330

Between Groups 9.257 3 3.086 2.366 .071

Within Groups 426.514 327 1.304

Total 435.770 330

Use email to communicate with your students‟ parents

Participate in an on-line interactive discussion or

bulletin board with students

Use software to monitor the students' scores

Use interactive whiteboards

Use subject-specific software

Use email to communicate with your students

Create a document using a word processor

Manipulate graphics or images using graphics software

Look up information on a hard disc drive or compact disc

Use the Internet to obtain teaching resources.

Create lessons that incorporate simulation software

Create lessons that use presentation software

Set computer-based homework

Create lessons that incorporate students' use of a digital

video, graphics or sound editors.

Use email to communicate with other teachers.

117

The teacher questionnaire also invited teachers to agree and disagree with statements made

in relation to their experience of using ICT in teaching. Notably here, the only two

variations in mean which are significant (with a p value of less than 0.05) are for the

statements „I find it easy to think of ways to use computer in my teaching.‟ And „ICT

makes teaching more interesting for me‟. In both the aforementioned statements,

mathematics teachers were the notably variation.

118

Table 5.15: Teachers’ Opinions of ICT use in teaching Practice, by Subject

Math Arabic Science English Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N

I find it easy to think of

ways to use computer in my

teaching

3.73 82 4.01 79 3.99 90 4.10 80 3.96 331

ICT makes teaching more

interesting for me

3.93 82 4.28 79 4.22 90 4.28 80 4.18 331

ICT makes teaching more

difficult

2.30 82 2.15 79 2.10 90 2.30 80 2.21 331

ICT makes my lessons more

diverse

3.80 82 3.82 79 4.04 90 4.10 80 3.95 331

ICT decreases students‟

motivation

2.18 82 2.37 79 2.50 90 2.31 80 2.34 331

ICT improves the

presentation of material in

my lessons

3.94 82 4.11 79 4.09 90 4.13 80 4.07 331

ICT makes preparing

lessons quicker

3.48 82 3.66 79 3.40 90 3.43 80 3.49 331

ICT limits the content of

my lessons

2.74 82 3.13 79 2.93 90 2.74 80 2.89 331

ICT makes preparing

lessons more difficult

2.78 82 2.73 79 2.97 90 2.75 80 2.81 331

ICT makes the lessons more

fun for the students

3.73 82 3.85 79 3.81 90 3.73 80 3.78 331

ICT makes it more difficult

to control the class

2.33 82 2.76 79 2.49 90 2.40 80 2.49 331

ICT often prevent teaching

because of interruption in

work or in software

3.09 82 3.27 79 3.08 90 2.94 80 3.09 331

ICT has given me more

confidence to extend my

use of computer to other

topics

3.66 82 4.01 79 3.86 90 3.93 80 3.86 331

119

Table 5.16: ANOVA Test results for Teachers’ Opinions of ICT use in teaching

Practice, by Subject

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Between Groups 6.134 3 2.045 3.322 .020

Within Groups 201.274 327 .616

Total 207.408 330

Between Groups 6.897 3 2.299 3.465 .017

Within Groups 216.940 327 .663

Total 223.837 330

Between Groups 2.741 3 .914 .857 .463

Within Groups 348.455 327 1.066

Total 351.196 330

Between Groups 5.602 3 1.867 1.948 .122

Within Groups 313.419 327 .958

Total 319.021 330

Between Groups 4.439 3 1.480 .979 .403

Within Groups 494.298 327 1.512

Total 498.737 330

Between Groups 1.829 3 .610 .808 .490

Within Groups 246.709 327 .754

Total 248.538 330

Between Groups 3.315 3 1.105 .973 .406

Within Groups 371.373 327 1.136

Total 374.689 330

Between Groups 8.194 3 2.731 1.863 .136

Within Groups 479.444 327 1.466

Total 487.637 330

Between Groups 3.020 3 1.007 .756 .519

Within Groups 435.367 327 1.331

Total 438.387 330

Between Groups .887 3 .296 .314 .815

Within Groups 308.014 327 .942

Total 308.900 330

Between Groups 8.502 3 2.834 2.517 .058

Within Groups 368.229 327 1.126

Total 376.731 330

Between Groups 4.318 3 1.439 1.513 .211

Within Groups 310.963 327 .951

Total 315.281 330

Between Groups 5.509 3 1.836 2.565 .055

Within Groups 234.099 327 .716

Total 239.607 330

ICT makes it more difficult to control the

class

ICT often prevent teaching because of

interruption in work or in software

ICT has given me more confidence to

extend my use of computer to other topics

ICT decreases students‟ motivation

ICT improves the presentation of material in

my lessons

ICT makes preparing lessons quicker

ICT limits the content of my lessons

ICT makes preparing lessons more difficult

ICT makes the lessons more fun for the

students

ICT makes my lessons more diverse

I find it easy to think of ways to use

computer in my teaching

ICT makes teaching more interesting for me

ICT makes teaching more difficult

120

The impact of ICT use, and perhaps most importantly off all given the perceptive impact

on pedagogy, is shown in Table 5.17. Whilst patterns in the data, show that there are

differences across subjects, the significance of the variations is not valid, given all p values

are greater than or equal to 0.05.

Table 5.17: Teachers’ Perception of the Impact of ICT use in the Classroom, by

Subject

Math Arabic Science English Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N Mean N

ICT enhances my role as a teacher 3.76 82 3.86 79 3.79 90 3.93 80 3.83 331

ICT makes me feel more professional 3.56 82 3.65 79 3.78 90 3.83 80 3.70 331

ICT positively changes the learning

climate in my classroom

3.68 82 3.92 79 3.82 90 4.06 80 3.87 331

ICT positively changes the

relationship between me and my

students

3.61 82 3.80 79 3.73 90 3.96 80 3.77 331

ICT positively changes the usual

relationship between students in my

classroom

3.50 82 3.66 79 3.59 90 3.70 80 3.61 331

Table 5.18: ANOVA Test results for Teachers’ Perception of the Impact of ICT use in

the Classroom, by Subject

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

ICT enhances my role as a teacher Between Groups 1.396 3 .465 .530 .662

Within Groups 287.129 327 .878

Total 288.526 330

ICT makes me feel more professional Between Groups 3.608 3 1.203 1.113 .344

Within Groups 353.377 327 1.081

Total 356.985 330

ICT positively changes the learning

climate in my classroom

Between Groups 6.270 3 2.090 2.637 .050

Within Groups 259.143 327 .792

Total 265.414 330

ICT positively changes the

relationship between me and my

students

Between Groups 5.247 3 1.749 2.052 .107

Within Groups 278.759 327 .852

Total 284.006 330

ICT positively changes the usual

relationship between students in my

classroom

Between Groups 1.864 3 .621 .734 .532

Within Groups 276.861 327 .847

Total 278.725 330

121

5.6 Examining the Independent Variables

It is useful to also consider the relationship between the independent variables and the

overall measures of confidence, use and perception of ICT that was considered in Section

5.4. Here, again the means of the overall sections within the questionnaire are summed to

form overall measures. The research considers three of the independent variables – sector,

the gender of the teacher and the subject specialism of which they teach. These have been

selected on the basis that the first two are typically issues within Kuwait, and the final one

forms part of the research question. We would begin with the null hypothesis that any of

the difference in the means of the dependent variables is explained by the independent

variable. The independent variables are defined as ‘teacher confidence mean’, ‘teacher

usage mean’ and ‘teacher impact mean’ which are representative of three of the major

sections within the questionnaire.

5.6.1 Comparison by Sector

We first can consider the output by sector, where Table 5.19 shows us that the means for

public sector employees is higher (i.e. more confident, higher uses and a greater belief in

the impact of ICT).

Table 5.19: Public and Private Teachers’ Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT

Performing a T-test shows us that for ‘usage’ there is a significant difference in the means,

that can be explained by the sector variable, p =0.01. In terms of ‘confidence’ at a 95%

confidence level it is not significant, with the p value of 0.015. However, under a Mann-

Whitney test (see Table 5.21) the results are different, with a rejection of the null

Group Statistics

SECTOR N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

teacherconfidencemean public 212 3.7901 .84280 .05788

private 119 3.5597 .78041 .07154

teacherusagemean public 212 2.3777 .81253 .05580

private 119 2.0499 .84574 .07753

teacherimpactmean public 212 3.7821 .82074 .05637

private 119 3.7143 .83628 .07666

122

hypothesis for both the ‘usage’ and ‘confidence’ combined variables. To establish whether

the T-test or the Mann-Whitney test is more appropriate, the data can be analysed to see if

it is normally distributed. A Shapiro-Wilk p result of 0.000 shows that the data is not

normally distributed, and therefore the Mann-Whitney test is a more appropriate method of

analysis - and as such we can assume the difference for ‘confidence’ is significant.

Table 5.20: T-Test Output for Sector against Major Sections

Levene's Test for

Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig.

(2-tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std.

Error

Difference

95% Confidence

Interval of the Difference

Lower upper

teacherconfidencemean

Equal variances

assumed .224 .636 2.450 329 .015 .23043 .09404 .04544 .41542

Equal variances not

assumed

2.504 260.608 .013 .23043 .09202 .04922 .41164

teacherusagemean

Equal variances

assumed 1.707 .192 3.471 329 .001 .32781 .09445 .14201 .51362

Equal variances not

assumed

3.432 236.452 .001 .32781 .09552 .13963 .51600

Teacherimpactmean

Equal variances

assumed .883 .348 .716 329 .474 .06779 .09465 -.11841- .25399

Equal variances not

assumed

.712 240.732 .477 .06779 .09515 -.11965- .25523

Table 5.21: Mann-Whitney Output for Sector against Major Sections

Table 5.22: Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test for Teacher Confidence

Statistic Df Sig.

TeacherConfidencemean 0.946 331 .000

123

5.6.2 Comparison by Gender

Historically me wight expect to see higher results for male professionals than females. The

output shown in Table 5.23 would suggest that this is the case.

Table 5.23: Male and Female Teachers’ Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT

To examine for significance, once more T-tests and Mann-Whitney tests were performed.

The T-test results show that for both ‘confidence’ and ‘impact’ the difference in means was

siginifciant. However, for ‘usage’ this difference was not significant’.

Table 5.24: T-Test Output for Gender against Major Sections

Independent Samples Test

Levene's Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

Teacher confidence mean

Equal variances assumed

6.755 .010 3.837 329 .000 .34189 .08910 .16661 .51717

Equal variances not assumed

3.830 313.303 .000 .34189 .08927 .16625 .51753

Teacher usage mean

Equal variances assumed

1.799 .181 2.352 329 .019 .21525 .09153 .03519 .39530

Equal variances not assumed

2.351 327.624 .019 .21525 .09157 .03511 .39538

Teacher impact mean

Equal variances assumed

3.076 .080 2.944 329 .003 .26423 .08974 .08770 .44077

Equal variances not assumed

2.942 324.960 .003 .26423 .08982 .08754 .44093

However, the Mann-Whitney output suggests that we can reject the null hypothesis, and

that indeed the differences in means for all three sections are significant. Again, performing

the Shapiro-Wilk normality test shows us that, with a p value of .000 we can reject the null

hypothesis that the data is normally distributed, and use the Mann-Whitney results,

Group Statistics

sex N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

teacherconfidencemean MALE 167 3.8766 .72286 .05594

FEMALE 164 3.5348 .89091 .06957

teacherusagemean MALE 167 2.3665 .81311 .06292

FEMALE 164 2.1512 .85196 .06653

teacherimpactmean MALE 167 3.8886 .77758 .06017

FEMALE 164 3.6244 .85394 .06668

124

suggested that the difference in means for all sections are significant, with men scoring

more highly than women.

Table 5.25: Mann-Whitney Output for Gender against Major Sections

Table 5.26: Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test for Teacher Usage

Statistic Df Sig.

Teacherusagemean 0.938 331 .000

5.6.3 Comparison by Subject

Comparing by subject, as already considered at an individual question level, allows us to

contribute to the answering of one of the research questions, namely does ‘Does this

(teachers’) confidence and application vary between subjects?’ The outputs for the means

in three main sections are shown in Table 5.27.

125

Table 5.27: Use, Confidence and Belief in ICT by Teachers’ subject

Report

specialization Teacher confidence mean Teacher usage mean Teacher impact mean

Math

Mean 3.5451 1.9341 3.6220

N 82 82 82

Std. Deviation .78774 .83645 .71112

Arabic

Mean 3.5734 2.2734 3.7772

N 79 79 79

Std. Deviation 1.06443 .82900 .95380

Science

Mean 3.8328 2.4770 3.7422

N 90 90 90

Std. Deviation .66776 .75325 .84654

English

Mean 3.8644 2.3358 3.8950

N 80 80 80

Std. Deviation .71601 .85464 .76504

Total

Mean 3.7073 2.2598 3.7577

N 331 331 331

Std. Deviation .82717 .83828 .82574

Here the results show that broadly science and English teachers rated highest across the

four subjects, with teachers of mathematics rated lowest. As there is more than one variable

in this case, an ANOVA test for significance was applied. This shows us that the statistical

significance is in ‘usage’, with the other two difference having p values greater than the

confidence level of 95%, which is consistent with the prior analysis at question level.

Table 5.28: ANOVA Output for Subjects

ANOVA

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

teacherusagemean

Between Groups 13.421 3 4.474 6.696 .000

Within Groups 218.475 327 .668

Total 231.896 330

teacherconfidencemean

Between Groups 6.964 3 2.321 3.469 .016

Within Groups 218.824 327 .669

Total 225.788 330

teacherimpactmean

Between Groups 3.071 3 1.024 1.508 .212

Within Groups 221.937 327 .679

Total 225.008 330

126

5.7 Study results from the perspective of students or results related to students

5.7.1 Overview

The use of ICT at school by students can be a reflection of the skills they possess in ICT

use or the use of ICT applications. Alternatively, it can either reveal how far teachers

promote the use of ICT to students, or indeed to what extent ICT facilities are available

within schools in terms of devices, applications, laboratories, etc. In order to determine the

level of using information technology among students within school arithmetic means,

standard deviations, rank, mode, frequencies, and percentages regarding the usage of

information technology as shown in Table 5.18.

This equation is used to organise and summarise data to provide a simple indication of the

level of the means associated with each response. Marwan (2000) used a similar equation

to group his results. Using these intervals of 1.33, we can define 3.67 to 5.00 as a „high‟

response, 2.34 to 3.67 as a „medium‟ response and any value below 2.34 as a „low

response‟. In the analysis, the researcher also uses a value of „1‟ to differentiate between

high (or divergent) and low (or convergent) levels of standard deviation.

Response level Scales value

owL 0 to 1.66

medium‟ 1.67 to 3.33

high‟ 3.34 to 5

127

Table 5.29: Student Use of ICT at School

No.

How often do you use ICT

at school for completing

these tasks?

Mean Standard

Deviation Rank Mode

Percentage

Level of

agreement

Nev

er

Less th

an

on

ce

a m

on

th

At lea

st on

ce a

mo

nth

Ab

ou

t o

nce

a

week

Tw

o

to

three

times a

wee

k

Ev

ery

da

y

1 5 5 1 1 1

8 I design websites 2.66 2.040 1 1 28.2 9.4 3.9 13.6 16.2 28.6 Medium

18 I browse the Internet for fun 2.42 2.113 2 1 34.7 8.1 6.8 10.1 11.4 28.9 Medium

7 I use computer for writing 2.32 1.873 3 1 29.5 8.8 11.4 17.5 15.9 16.9 Medium

10 I download music files or

software from the Web 2.21 2.110

4 1 39.3 9.1 5.2 8.4 13.6 24.4

Medium

11 I send and receive emails 2.15 2.035 5 1 39.0 7.8 7.5 10.7 14.9 20.1 Medium

19 I play games on the computer

2.15 2.007

5 1 37.0 10.4 6.5 13.3 12.7 20.1

Medium

4 I use / create pictures and

animations 2.08 1.716

6 1 29.2 14.0 7.8 26.6 13.0 9.4

Medium

5 I watch DVDs/videos on the

computer 1.94 1.908

7 1 38.0 14.3 5.8 14.0 13.6 14.3

Medium

14 I watch TV/listen to

radio/music on the Internet 1.54 1.886

8 1 51.9 8.8 7.5 8.8 11.4 11.7

low

9 I program the computer 1.45 1.678 9 1 45.8 14.3 12.3 13.0 6.2 8.4 low

2 I use educational software to

learn some lessons 1.35 1.525

10 1 47.1 13.3 9.4 21.4 5.5 3.2

low

15 I use the Internet to revise for

exams 1.27 1.570

11 1 50.6 14.0 8.8 14.6 8.1 3.9

low

6

I make/design things on the

computer (like posters,

invites)

1.24 1.569

12

1 49.4 17.2 11.7 9.7 5.8 6.2

low

20 I shop on the Internet 1.24 1.706 12 1 57.8 8.8 8.4 9.1 8.8 7.1 low

1

I look up for information on

hard disk and compact discs (

CD ROMs )

.96 1.346

13 1

57.8 14.3 9.7 12.3 4.2 1.6

low

16 I create/record sound files on

the computer .93 1.542

14 1 65.9 10.4 5.2 6.8 6.8 4.9

low

12

I organise the computer

settings such as

files/memory/system

.92 1.336

15

1 59.1 13.6 12.3 9.1 3.2 2.6

low

3 I use some spreadsheets .87 1.351 16 1 61.7 14.0 8.8 9.1 3.9 2.6 low

13 I use the Internet to look up

information .78 1.298

17 1 65.9 12.7 6.5 10.4 1.9 2.6

low

17 I make films/animations on

the computer .76 1.464

18 1 73.4 6.2 5.5 5.2 5.2 4.5

low

TOTAL 1.56 1.023 - - - - - - - low

128

It's notable from Table 5.29 that the level of using ICT by students at school is low, where

the overall arithmetic mean reached 1.56 with a standard deviation of 1.023. However, on

an individual basis the variance of the responses is high. The results also indicated that the

highest level for use related to the use of students in „Designing Web sites‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 2.66 with a standard deviation of 2.040 which highlights a great

disparity amongst respondents.

The modal value of 5 indicates the highest response rate was „Every day‟, where the

percentage of students who responded so was 28.6%. The large disparity among the

responses of students is due to the fact that 28.2% of them responded with „Never‟.

Secondly, respondents rated „Using the Internet through browsing for fun‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 2.42 and standard deviation of 2.113 which again refers to a great

disparity about this use. The modal value of 0 indicates that the highest response was

„Never‟, where the percentage of students who responded so was 34.7%.

The lowest level among students related to „using ICT in producing films‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 0.76 with standard deviation of 1.464 which highlights a disparity

amongst respondents. The modal value of 0 indicates the highest response rate was

'Never', where the percentage of students who responded so was 73.4%. Additionally,

students do not appear to be using the Internet to look for information where the arithmetic

mean was 0.78 with standard deviation of 1.298 – which highlights a slightly lesser

disparity amongst respondents. The mode was 0 which indicates that the highest response

was 'Never', where the percentage of students who responded so was 65.9%.

5.7.2 Using ICT at Home

The use ICT at home by students reflects to what extent they possess the skills of ICT and

its applications and can apply them in everyday use. In order to determine the level of

using ICT by students at home, the arithmetic means, standard deviations, rank, mode,

frequencies and percentages for skills in using ICT and its applications were calculated as

shown in Table 5.30.

129

Table 5.30: Student Use of ICT at Home

No

.

How often do you use

ICT at home for

completing these tasks?

Mean Standard

Deviation Rank Mode

Percentage

Level of

agreement

Nev

er

Less th

an

on

ce a

mo

nth

At

least

on

ce a

mo

nth

Ab

ou

t o

nce

a

week

Tw

o

to

three

times a

week

Ev

ery d

ay

1 5 5 1 1 1

3 I browse the Internet

for fun 3.51 1.726 5 5 10.7 6.5 8.4 13.6 16.9 43.8 high

11 I download music files

or software from the

Web 3.27 1.868

5 5 15.3 7.5 8.8 13.0 14.3 41.2

Medium

13 I design websites

3.19 1.719 1 5 10.7 9.7 12.7 16.9 16.6 33.4 Medium

2 I play games on the computer

3.17 1.756 1 5 12.0 10.7 10.1 15.6 19.2 32.5 Medium

10 I send and receive

emails 2.98 1.808 1 5 15.6 10.4 10.1 17.5 17.2 29.2 Medium

14 I use computer for

writing 2.79 1.840 6 5 17.5 12.7 11.4 17.2 14.3 26.9 Medium

16 I watch DVDs/videos

on the computer 2.74 1.779

1 3 19.2 9.4 8.8 25.6 14.9 22.1

Medium

7 I watch TV/listen to

radio/music on the

Internet 2.34 1.947

8 0 30.5 10.1 10.4 12.0 17.5 19.5

Medium

17 I use / create pictures and animations

2.24 1.853 9 0 28.6 13.0 10.1 20.8 9.7 17.9 Medium

12 I program the

computer 2.12 1.812 51 0 28.9 15.9 10.4 19.5 10.1 15.3

Medium

6 I use the Internet to revise for exams

1.88 1.774 55 0 34.4 15.3 11.7 16.9 10.1 11.7 Medium

1 I shop on the Internet 1.61 1.744 55 0 41.2 15.3 14.6 8.8 10.4 9.7 low

20

I look up for

information on hard disk and compact discs

( CD ROMs )

1.61 1.715

55

0 40.3 16.9 11.4 13.6 8.8 9.1

low

15 I make/design things on the computer (like

posters, invites) 1.59 1.641

51 0 38.6 17.9 11.4 16.2 9.4 6.5

low

19 I use educational

software to learn some lessons

1.54 1.580 51

0 40.3 15.3 11.4 21.1 7.1 4.9 low

5 I create/record sound

files on the computer 1.47 1.749 51 0 48.7 11.7 8.8 14.3 7.5 9.1 low

18 I use some

spreadsheets 1.34 1.678 56 0 50.0 15.3 7.5 14.0 4.9 8.4 low

4 I make

films/animations on the computer

1.32 1.692 51

0 51.6 13.0 9.7 12.0 4.5 9.1 low

9

I organise the

computer settings such

as files/memory/system

1.25 1.530

58

0 49.0 14.9 12.3 14.3 4.2 5.2

low

8 I use the Internet to

look up information 1.05 1.526 59 0 58.1 13.6 8.1 10.7 3.9 5.5 low

TOTAL 2.15 .960 - - - - - - - low

It's notable from Table 5.30 that the level of students' use for ICT and its applications is

low, where the arithmetic mean was 5.19 with standard deviation of 0.960, implying less

variation than the student use at school. The results also show that the highest level of use

130

among students was for „using the Internet through browsing for fun‟, where the arithmetic

mean was 3.51 and standard deviation 1.726, which highlights a disparity among the

students. The modal value of 5 indicates the highest response rate that was „Every Day‟,

where the percentage of students who responded so was 43.8%. The second aspect was

„using internet by students to download music files or programs‟ where the arithmetic

mean was 3.27 with standard deviation of 1.868 - highlighting divergence around that

aspect. The mode was 5, indicating that the highest response was 'Every day', where the

percentage of respondents was 41.2%.

The lowest ranked ICT feature was the „use of Internet looking up information‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 1.05 and standard deviation 1.526, which highlights divergence

amongst respondents. The modal value of 0 indicates the highest response was 'Never',

where the percentage response rate was 58.1%.

Another low rated feature was „the use of organising the computer's settings such as files,

memory, and system‟ where the arithmetic average was 1.25 and standard deviation 1.530

which highlights a divergence amongst respondents. The mode was 0, which indicates that

the highest response was „Never‟, where the percentage response rate was 49%.

In relation to the purpose of using ICT and its applications by students at home, the results

appear in Table 5.31. These results indicate that more common reason was fun‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 3.79 with standard deviation of 1.507 which highlights a disparity

amongst respondents, the modal value of 5 indicates the highest response was „Every day‟,

where the percentage of students who responded so was 46.1%.

In comparison, the least popular reason was for „completing homework‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 2.59 with standard deviation of 1.631 which highlights a divergence

in this response. The mode was 3 which indicates that the highest response was „Once a

week‟, where the percentage response rate was 25.6%. The „other applications‟ had an

arithmetic mean equal to 2.70 with standard deviation of 1.729 - which highlights a great

131

divergence about this use. The mode was 5 which indicate that the highest response was

'Every day', where the percentage of students who responded was 20.5%.

Table 5.31: Using ICT at Home - Frequency

No.

How often

do you use

ICT at

home for

completing

these

tasks?

Mean

Standar

d

Deviatio

n

Rank Mode

Percentage

Level of

agreement

Nev

er

Less th

an

on

ce a

mo

nth

At

least

on

ce a

mo

nth

Ab

ou

t o

nce

a

week

Tw

o

to

three

times a

week

Ev

ery d

ay

1 5 5 1 1 1

1 For fun 3.79 1.507 1 1 5.8 6.8 3.2 16.9 21.1 46.1 hige

2 For school

homework 2.59 1.631

2 1 17.9 9.7 13.0 25.6 22.1 11.7

Medium

3

Other works

(helping my

family,

purchasing,

etc...)

2.70 1.729

3

1 15.6 13.3 14.3 19.2 17.2 20.5

Medium

TOTAL 3.03 1.214 - - - - - - - - Medium

Figure 5.2: Using ICT at Home - Frequency

5.7.3 Viewpoints of students regarding using ICT in the teaching/learning process

Recognising the viewpoints of students towards the use of ICT in the learning process is

regarded as the main driver to increase their motivation towards learning. In order to

For fun

For school homework

other works

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

1 2 3

Me

an

Item (How often do you use ICT at home for completing these tasks?)

132

identify the viewpoints of students towards the use of ICT in teaching, the arithmetic

means, standard deviations, rank, mode, frequencies and percentages for skills in using

ICT and its applications were calculated as shown in Table 5.32. Here, students were

invited to agree or disagree with a series of statements about the impact of using ICT on

the teaching and learning processes.

Table 5.32: Student Perceptions of ICT

No.

To what extent do you

agree or disagree with

the following

statements:

Mean Standard

Deviation Rank Mode

Percentage

Level of

agreement

Stro

ng

ly d

isag

ree

Disa

gree

Un

decid

ed

Ag

ree

Stro

ng

ly a

gree

1 5 1 1 1

1 I enjoy lessons with a

computer 3.95 1.135

1 5 5.8 5.8 14.3 35.7 38.3

High

2

I feel comfortable

working with

computers

3.82 1.118

2

4 5.2 7.1 20.5 35.1 32.1

High

6 ICT is very helpful in

my learning process 3.81 1.190

3 5 7.1 7.1 17.2 34.1 34.4

High

3

I believe that the more

often teachers use

computers, the more I

will enjoy school

3.80 1.219

4

5 7.5 7.1 20.1 28.9 36.4

High

5

I have better

information sources

than ICT

2.88 1.302

5

3 19.8 18.2 29.9 18.5 13.6

Medium

11

I know how to use ICT

but am not interested in

using it to learn

2.85 1.296

6

2 17.2 27.6 21.8 20.1 13.3

Medium

10

I find it time-

consuming using ICT

in learning

2.63 1.377

7

1 28.6 20.5 24.0 13.3 13.6

Medium

8

I need help from

teachers to learn with

ICT

2.59 1.307

8

1 26.6 24.7 21.1 18.2 9.4

Medium

12

Working with

computers makes me

nervous

2.33 1.233

9

2 30.5 30.8 22.1 7.8 8.8

low

4 I am tired of using a

computer 2.30 1.203

10 1 31.5 30.5 22.1 8.8 7.1

low

13 I wish ICT was not

used in teaching 2.18 1.412

11 1 47.7 18.5 13.6 8.1 12.0

low

9 Computers are difficult

to use 2.03 1.250

12 1 46.8 26.0 13.0 6.5 7.8

low

7 Computers scare me 1.99 1.263 13 1 52.9 16.9 14.6 9.7 5.8 low

TOTAL 2.86 .572 - - - - - - - Medium

133

Table 5.32 shows us that students were broadly in agreement with the positive statements

about the impact of ICT, and disagree with the negative statements. For instance, students

agreed with the statement „I enjoy lessons with a computer‟ – which had an arithmetic

mean of 3.95 and standard deviation of 1.135 - which highlights a weak divergence among

students towards this viewpoint. The mode was 5 which indicate that the highest response

was „Strongly Agree‟, where the percentage response rate was 38.3%.

Secondly, with regard to the statement „I feel comfortable working with computers‟ the

arithmetic mean of responses was 3.82 with standard deviation of 1.118 - which highlights

a divergence among students from this viewpoint. The mode was 4 which indicate that the

highest response was „Agree‟ where the percentage response rate was 35.1%.

The agreements were for the negative statements. „Computers scare me‟ had an arithmetic

mean equal to 1.99 and standard deviation of 1.263, which highlights a divergence among

students towards this viewpoint. The mode was 1, which indicates that the highest

response was „Strongly Disagree‟ where the percentage response rate was 52.9%.

Similarly the statement „Computers are difficult to use‟ had an arithmetic mean of 2.03

with standard deviation of 1.250, which again highlights a divergence among students from

this viewpoint. The mode was 1 which indicates that the highest response was 'strongly

disagree' where the percentage response rate was 46.8%.

With regards to the effect of using ICT on students' achievement and their learning

experiences from the viewpoints of students, the results shown in Table 5.33 indicates that

the students believe there is a simple impact with an arithmetic mean of 2.00 and a modal

value of 2 or „Simple Impact‟.

134

Table 5.33: Students Opinions about using ICT in the teaching/learning process

Mean Standard

Deviation

Mode Percentage Level of

agreement

No

imp

act

Sm

all

Sig

nifican

t

imp

act

1 5 1

To what extent has the use of

ICT at school (you and your

teachers ' use) impacted

your learning experiences?

2 .764 2 28.9 41.9 28.9 Simple

Figure 5.3: Students Opinions about using ICT in the teaching/learning process.

5.7.4 Students’ Confidence in ICT Use

Students‟ confidence in their ICT abilities is a good indicator of the skills they have in

various aspects of ICT and its application. The learning process depends on the interaction

between the teacher and the learner and as such, the impact of ICT use depends on the

abilities of the student to successfully understand and utilise the variety of functionality

offered by different forms of ICT. Students were invited, similar to teachers, to assess their

ICT ability against a range of aspects of ICT and ICT applications. In order to determine

the level of ICT use among students, arithmetic means, standard deviations, rank, mode,

frequencies, and percentages regarding ICT skills and its applications were calculated.

Table 5.34 shows the results.

135

No. How would you rate your confidence level in

terms of the following computer skills or

applications?

Mean Std

Deviation

Rank Mode Percentage (% Level of

confidence

Very unconfident Not

confident

Unsure Confident Very

confident

1 2 3 4 5

15 Searching for information on the Internet 4.37 1.089 1 5 4.9 1.9 12.3 12.7 68.2 High

14 Internet browsing 4.36 1.105 2 5 4.2 4.2 11.4 12 68.2 High

16 Downloading files from the Internet 4.33 1.107 3 5 4.5 3.6 12 14 65.9 High

2 Managing files (delete, move to … etc.) 4.3 1.117 4 5 3.6 6.2 11.7 13.6 64.9 High

17 Using Email ( reading and sending mails) 4.28 1.175 5 5 5.8 3.6 13 12.3 65.3 High

1 Basics of operating PC (using keyboard, mouse …

etc.)

4.22 1.317 6 5 10.1 2.6 9.7 10.7 66.9 High

3 Using word processor ( such as word program ) 4.22 1.114 6 5 5.2 1.9 16.2 18.8 57.8 High

12 Deleting or editing pictures, animations or movies 4.16 1.131 7 5 4.5 5.2 14.3 22.1 53.9 High

18 Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook, Twitter) 4.11 1.238 8 5 6.2 6.5 14.9 14.9 57.5 High

9 Searching for saved data on hard disk or compact

disk

4 1.208 9 5 6.8 4.9 17.2 23.7 47.4 High

4 Use spreadsheet processor (such as excel program ) 3.95 1.157 10 5 4.5 7.5 19.8 25 43.2 High

13 Using digital camera 3.92 1.278 11 5 8.1 6.2 18.8 19.8 47.1 High

7 Combining files from different resources ( sound or

video files ) to create presentations

3.9 1.185 12 5 5.5 7.1 20.8 24.7 41.9 High

6 Create and design presentations 3.83 1.164 13 5 4.5 10.1 20.1 28.6 36.7 High

5 Creating or Using data base processor (such as access

program)

3.69 1.152 14 5 4.2 10.4 29.5 23.4 32.5 High

11 Using different designing programs (Photoshop,

Flash)

3.66 1.262 15 5 7.5 12.7 19.5 27.3 33.1 High

10 Using data show basis on PC as projection tool 3.42 1.244 16 3 7.5 14.9 33.1 16.9 27.6 High

20 Designing web page or personal site 3.37 1.243 17 3 8.8 15.6 28.6 23.7 23.4 High

19 Publishing a personal blog 3.36 1.268 18 3 10.4 12 33.8 18.5 25.3 High

8 Producing learning software 3.12 1.122 19 3 6.5 23.4 36.4 19.2 14.6 High

TOTAL 3.91 0.867 - - - - - - - High

Table 5.34: ICT Confidence Levels amongst Students

136

It's notable from Table 5.34 that the level of students' use for ICT and its applications is

high, where arithmetic mean was 3.91 with standard deviation of 0.867. Since the standard

deviation is relatively low which equals less than integer one, this refers to a convergence

among students towards this high level. The results also indicated that the highest level for

students related to „searching for information on the Internet‟ where the arithmetic mean

was 4.37 with standard deviation of 1.089. The modal value of 5 indicates the highest

response was „Very confident‟, where the percentage response rate was 68.2%. Secondly

came the students confidence in „browsing the Internet‟, where the arithmetic mean was

4.36 with standard deviation of 1.105 which highlights a slight divergence among

responses. The mode was 5 which indicates that the highest response was „Very

confident‟, where the percentage response rate was 68.2%.

The least confident responses included „designing of educational programs‟ where the

arithmetic mean was 3.12 and the standard deviation 1.122 - which highlights a divergence in

the responses. The modal value of 3 indicates the highest response was „Unsure‟ where the

percentage response rate was 36.4%. Similarly, „publishing personal blogs by students‟ where

the arithmetic mean was 3.36 and the standard deviation of 1.268 highlighted a divergence

amongst the responses. The mode was 3 which indicate that the highest response was

„Unsure‟, where the percentage response rate was 33.8%.

5.7.5 Comparison levels between teachers and students in ICT Use

The data in Table 5.35 indicates that some variations regarding the levels of using ICT can

be seen among both teachers and students. The highest level among teachers related to

"Basics of operating a PC" where the arithmetic mean amounted to 4.59 while the lowest

level related to "Designing web page or personal site" with an arithmetic mean amounted

to 2.69. From another hand, the highest level among students related to „Searching for

information on the Internet‟ where the arithmetic mean amounted to 4.37 while the lowest

level related to “Producing learning software" with arithmetic mean amounted to 3.12.

Furthermore, the highest variance between the teachers and students' means related to

‟Creating or Using data base processor‟ where the arithmetic means for teachers and

students were 3.09 and 3.69 respectively while lowest variance between them related to

137

„Using word processor‟ where the arithmetic means for teachers and students were 4.23

and 4.22 respectively.

Table 5.35: Comparison between teachers and students in ICT confidence Level

No. ICT use level Teachers students

1 Basics of operating PC (using keyboard, mouse … etc.) 4.59 4.22

2 Managing files (delete, move to, … etc.) 4.44 4.3

3 Searching for information on the Internet 4.3 4.37

4 Internet browsing 4.25 4.36

5 Using word processor ( such as word program ) 4.23 4.22

6 Searching for saved data on hard disk or compact disk 4.13 4

7 Downloading files from the Internet 4.11 4.33

8 Using Email ( reading and sending mails) 4.08 4.28

9 Using data show basis on PC as projection tool 3.74 3.42

10 Deleting or editing pictures, animations or movies 3.6 4.16

11 Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook, Twitter) 3.6 4.11

12 Combining files from different resources (sound or video files ) to create

presentations

3.59 3.9

13 Using digital camera 3.53 3.92

14 Use spreadsheet processor (such as excel program ) 3.5 3.95

15 Producing learning software 3.2 3.12

16 Creating or Using data base processor (such as access program) 3.09 3.69

17 Publishing a personal blog 2.84 3.36

18 Using different designing programs (Photoshop, Flash) 2.78 3.66

19 Designing web page or personal site 2.69 3.37

Figure 5.4: Comparison between teachers and students in ICT confidence Level

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Me

an

Item of comparison (level of ICT usage among teachers and students)

Teachers

Students

138

5.7.6 Analysing the Student Responses by Sector

One of the key questions in the research is to analyse the „Are there any differences between

students teaching and learning in public schools and private schools in terms of their exposure

to, and use of ICT in the classroom?‟. For this purpose, the research now analyses the results of

the student questionnaire, broken down into public and private schools in Kuwait.

Here, we apply a T-test to examine significance, and the results are displayed against each

associated „major‟ section of the questionnaire. The T-test is adopted as the independent

variable in question has only two possible values (private or public sector).

The first elements of the questionnaire that students were invited to complete required them to

describe the level of their ICT use in school, against a number of specific activities. The results

shown below in Table 5.37 and the associated Figure 5.5 show a significantly greater level of

ICT use for public school children than for private school children. For example, in areas such

as „I design websites‟ where the mean response for public school children is 2.93 and 1.98 for

private school children.

Table 5.36: Students’ ICT use in School, by sector

public Private Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I look up for information on hard disk and compact discs ( CD

ROMs )

.98 221 .91 87 .96 308

I use educational software to learn some lessons 1.36 221 1.32 87 1.35 308

I use some spreadsheets .95 221 .69 87 .87 308

I use / create pictures and animations 2.22 221 1.75 87 2.08 308

I watch DVDs/videos on the computer 2.29 221 1.05 87 1.94 308

I make/design things on the computer (like posters, invites) 1.43 221 .77 87 1.24 308

I use computer for writing 2.39 221 2.14 87 2.32 308

I design websites 2.93 221 1.98 87 2.66 308

I program the computer 1.61 221 1.05 87 1.45 308

I download music files or software from the Web 2.52 221 1.43 87 2.21 308

I send and receive emails 2.47 221 1.34 87 2.15 308

I organize the computer settings such as files/memory/system 1.00 221 .70 87 .92 308

I use the Internet to look up information .90 221 .45 87 .78 308

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the Internet 1.79 221 .91 87 1.54 308

I use the Internet to revise for exams 1.48 221 .74 87 1.27 308

I create/record sound files on the computer 1.07 221 .57 87 .93 308

I make films/animations on the computer .95 221 .30 87 .76 308

I browse the Internet for fun 2.70 221 1.71 87 2.42 308

I play games on the computer 2.38 221 1.54 87 2.15 308

I shop on the Internet 1.53 221 .49 87 1.24 308

139

The above example is significant, as shown the T-test statistic in Table 5.37. Here, we can see

that the majority of the variances in the means are significant, given the Sig (two-tailed) or T-

test results are less than the confidence level of 0.05.

Figure 5.5: Students’ ICT use in School, by sector

Figure 5.5 shows the „gap‟ between use in public and private schools – in every single element

of the questionnaire responses. The most significant gaps are for items such as „I download

music files or software from the Web‟ and „I send and receive emails‟.

.00

.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

public school

private school

140

Table 5.37: T-test for Students’ ICT use in School, by sector

Lower Upper

Equal variances

assumed

.839 .360 .406 306 .685 .069 .171 -.266 .405

Equal variances not

assumed

.424 172.607 .672 .069 .164 -.253 .392

Equal variances

assumed

1.126 .289 .184 306 .854 .036 .193 -.345 .416

Equal variances not

assumed

.185 158.294 .854 .036 .193 -.345 .416

Equal variances

assumed

2.441 .119 1.501 306 .134 .256 .171 -.080 .592

Equal variances not

assumed

1.595 180.007 .112 .256 .160 -.061 .573

Equal variances

assumed

.634 .426 2.178 306 .030 .470 .216 .045 .895

Equal variances not

assumed

2.166 155.825 .032 .470 .217 .041 .899

Equal variances

assumed

8.286 .004 5.378 306 .000 1.244 .231 .789 1.699

Equal variances not

assumed

5.591 171.105 .000 1.244 .222 .805 1.683

Equal variances

assumed

7.607 .006 3.353 306 .001 .655 .195 .271 1.040

Equal variances not

assumed

3.581 181.916 .000 .655 .183 .294 1.016

Equal variances

assumed

3.651 .057 1.079 306 .281 .256 .237 -.211 .722

Equal variances not

assumed

1.041 146.680 .300 .256 .246 -.230 .741

Equal variances

assumed

7.285 .007 3.760 306 .000 .951 .253 .453 1.448

Equal variances not

assumed

3.619 145.979 .000 .951 .263 .432 1.470

Equal variances

assumed

6.981 .009 2.665 306 .008 .560 .210 .147 .974

Equal variances not

assumed

2.827 179.135 .005 .560 .198 .169 .951

Equal variances

assumed

.617 .433 4.210 306 .000 1.095 .260 .583 1.607

Equal variances not

assumed

4.217 158.034 .000 1.095 .260 .582 1.608

Equal variances

assumed

2.286 .132 4.505 306 .000 1.126 .250 .634 1.617

Equal variances not

assumed

4.622 166.262 .000 1.126 .244 .645 1.607

Equal variances

assumed

.736 .392 1.774 306 .077 .299 .168 -.033 .630

Equal variances not

assumed

1.789 160.262 .076 .299 .167 -.031 .629

Equal variances

assumed

20.045 .000 2.810 306 .005 .457 .163 .137 .776

Equal variances not

assumed

3.190 210.583 .002 .457 .143 .174 .739

Equal variances

assumed

11.121 .001 3.761 306 .000 .879 .234 .419 1.339

Equal variances not

assumed

3.973 177.427 .000 .879 .221 .443 1.316

Equal variances

assumed

23.762 .000 3.850 306 .000 .749 .194 .366 1.131

Equal variances not

assumed

4.235 195.080 .000 .749 .177 .400 1.097

Equal variances

assumed

11.628 .001 2.549 306 .011 .493 .194 .112 .874

Equal variances not

assumed

2.775 190.315 .006 .493 .178 .143 .844

Equal variances

assumed

48.181 .000 3.557 306 .000 .647 .182 .289 1.005

Equal variances not

assumed

4.423 262.537 .000 .647 .146 .359 .935

Equal variances

assumed

1.241 .266 3.758 306 .000 .984 .262 .469 1.500

Equal variances not

assumed

3.669 150.130 .000 .984 .268 .454 1.514

Equal variances

assumed

.613 .434 3.380 306 .001 .844 .250 .353 1.336

Equal variances not

assumed

3.409 160.332 .001 .844 .248 .355 1.333

Equal variances

assumed

52.762 .000 4.976 306 .000 1.035 .208 .626 1.445

Equal variances not

assumed

5.755 220.602 .000 1.035 .180 .681 1.390

I browse the Internet for fun

I play games on the computer

I shop on the Internet

I send and receive emails

I organize the computer settings such as

files/memory/system

I use the Internet to look up information

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the

Internet

I use the Internet to revise for exams

I create/record sound files on the

computer

I make/design things on the computer

(like posters, invites)

I use computer for writing

I design websites

I program the computer

I download music files or software from

the Web

I make films/animations on the

computer

95%

I look up for information on hard disk

and compact discs ( CD ROMs )

I use educational software to learn some

lessons

I use some spreadsheets

I use / create pictures and animations

I watch DVDs/videos on the computer

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference

Std. Error

Difference

141

Students were then invited to assess their use of the same ICT features at home. Here, we can

see a far more mixed set of results, shown initially in Table 5.38 below. These results are

depicted graphically in Figure 5.6. From the previous analysis, we know that the results here

were broadly higher than those for schools.

Table 5.38: Students’ ICT use at home, by sector

public private Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I shop on the Internet 1.75 221 1.26 87 1.61 308

I play games on the computer 3.09 221 3.37 87 3.17 308

I browse the Internet for fun 3.28 221 4.09 87 3.51 308

I make films/animations on the computer 1.40 221 1.13 87 1.32 308

I create/record sound files on the computer 1.48 221 1.45 87 1.47 308

I use the Internet to revise for exams 1.91 221 1.79 87 1.88 308

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the

Internet

2.35 221 2.32 87 2.34 308

I use the Internet to look up information 1.11 221 .91 87 1.05 308

I organize the computer settings such as

files/memory/system

1.29 221 1.15 87 1.25 308

I send and receive emails 2.74 221 3.60 87 2.98 308

I download music files or software from the

Web

3.01 221 3.94 87 3.27 308

I program the computer 1.96 221 2.52 87 2.12 308

I design websites 3.01 221 3.64 87 3.19 308

I use computer for writing 2.68 221 3.06 87 2.79 308

I make/design things on the computer (like

posters, invites)

1.72 221 1.26 87 1.59 308

I watch DVDs/videos on the computer 2.70 221 2.85 87 2.74 308

I use / create pictures and animations 2.27 221 2.15 87 2.24 308

I use some spreadsheets 1.39 221 1.20 87 1.34 308

I use educational software to learn some

lessons

1.52 221 1.59 87 1.54 308

I look up for information on hard disk and

compact discs ( CD ROMs )

1.46 221 1.99 87 1.61 308

In terms of the breakdown associated with the school sector. Figure 5.6 shows that in a

majority of cases, students from private schools used the aspects of ICT more than those

students in public schools. Notably, in areas such as „I browse the internet for fun‟ and „I send

and receive emails‟ where the gap in the mean averages (4.09 to 3.28 and 3.60 to 2.70) is

widest. The T-test results also display significance against a range of areas – although not all

separate characteristics showed significant variation against the mean, for example, „I play

games on the computer‟ had a sig result (assuming unequal variance) of .178, greater than the

0.05 figure which implies 95% confidence.

142

Figure 5.6: Students’ ICT use at Home, by sector

Table 5.39: T-test for Students’ ICT use at Home, by sector

Lower Upper

Equal variances assumed 9.920 .002 2.199 306 .029 .482 .219 .051 .914

Equal variances not assumed 2.377 187.112 .018 .482 .203 .082 .882

Equal variances assumed 9.366 .002 -1.269 306 .205 -.282 .222 -.719 .155

Equal variances not assumed -1.353 181.206 .178 -.282 .208 -.693 .129

Equal variances assumed 30.059 .000 -3.794 306 .000 -.811 .214 -1.232 -.391

Equal variances not assumed -4.332 213.761 .000 -.811 .187 -1.181 -.442

Equal variances assumed 3.739 .054 1.270 306 .205 .272 .214 -.149 .693

Equal variances not assumed 1.306 167.197 .193 .272 .208 -.139 .682

Equal variances assumed 2.975 .086 .162 306 .872 .036 .222 -.400 .472

Equal variances not assumed .168 171.077 .867 .036 .213 -.385 .457

Equal variances assumed 2.501 .115 .538 306 .591 .121 .225 -.321 .563

Equal variances not assumed .560 171.946 .576 .121 .216 -.305 .547

Equal variances assumed 3.307 .070 .126 306 .900 .031 .247 -.455 .517

Equal variances not assumed .122 147.627 .903 .031 .255 -.473 .535

Equal variances assumed 2.725 .100 1.038 306 .300 .201 .193 -.180 .581

Equal variances not assumed 1.063 165.441 .289 .201 .189 -.172 .573

Equal variances assumed 1.302 .255 .747 306 .456 .145 .194 -.237 .526

Equal variances not assumed .757 161.793 .450 .145 .191 -.233 .522

Equal variances assumed 4.344 .038 -3.841 306 .000 -.860 .224 -1.301 -.420

Equal variances not assumed -4.019 173.563 .000 -.860 .214 -1.283 -.438

Equal variances assumed 16.486 .000 -4.046 306 .000 -.933 .231 -1.387 -.480

Equal variances not assumed -4.424 192.309 .000 -.933 .211 -1.350 -.517

Equal variances assumed .250 .617 -2.453 306 .015 -.558 .227 -1.006 -.110

Equal variances not assumed -2.469 159.691 .015 -.558 .226 -1.004 -.112

Equal variances assumed 1.361 .244 -2.931 306 .004 -.630 .215 -1.053 -.207

Equal variances not assumed -3.054 171.986 .003 -.630 .206 -1.037 -.223

Equal variances assumed .234 .629 -1.611 306 .108 -.374 .232 -.831 .083

Equal variances not assumed -1.586 152.589 .115 -.374 .236 -.840 .092

Equal variances assumed 1.127 .289 2.228 306 .027 .460 .206 .054 .866

Equal variances not assumed 2.257 161.806 .025 .460 .204 .057 .862

Equal variances assumed 2.746 .099 -.682 306 .496 -.154 .225 -.597 .290

Equal variances not assumed -.706 169.328 .481 -.154 .218 -.584 .276

Equal variances assumed 1.269 .261 .520 306 .603 .122 .235 -.340 .584

Equal variances not assumed .531 164.915 .596 .122 .230 -.331 .576

Equal variances assumed .345 .557 .933 306 .352 .198 .212 -.220 .616

Equal variances not assumed .920 153.084 .359 .198 .215 -.227 .624

Equal variances assumed 1.078 .300 -.306 306 .760 -.061 .200 -.455 .333

Equal variances not assumed -.299 149.927 .766 -.061 .205 -.467 .344

Equal variances assumed 1.798 .181 -2.447 306 .015 -.527 .215 -.951 -.103

Equal variances not assumed -2.384 149.426 .018 -.527 .221 -.964 -.090

I use some spreadsheets

I use educational software to learn some

lessons

I look up for information on hard disk

and compact discs ( CD ROMs )

I download music files or software from

the Web

I program the computer

I design websites

I use computer for writing

I make/design things on the computer

(like posters, invites)

I watch DVDs/videos on the computer

I use the Internet to revise for exams

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the

Internet

I use the Internet to look up information

I organize the computer settings such as

files/memory/system

I send and receive emails

I use / create pictures and animations

95%

I shop on the Internet

I play games on the computer

I browse the Internet for fun

I make films/animations on the

computer

I create/record sound files on the

computer

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference

Std. Error

Difference

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Public Schools

Private Schools

143

Students were also invited to give their opinions on the use of ICT in the teaching and learning

process, and were requested to agree/disagree with a series of statements. These are shown in

Table 5.40 below, again broken down by the sector in which they attend school. In this

analysis, where 5=strongly agree, students were posed with several positive and negative

statements. The mean averages shown below and in Figure 5.7 highlight the fact that students

in public education were more likely to disagree with the positive statements (largely at the

start of the question) and agree with the negative, implying that their perception of the use of

ICT in schools is more negative than students from their privately educated counterparts.

Table 5.40: Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector

public private Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I enjoy lessons with a computer 3.88 221 4.13 87 3.95 308

I feel comfortable working with

computers

3.77 221 3.93 87 3.82 308

I believe that the more often teachers

use computers, the more I will enjoy

school

3.72 221 3.99 87 3.80 308

I am tired of using a computer 2.40 221 2.02 87 2.30 308

I have better information sources than

ICT

2.97 221 2.66 87 2.88 308

ICT is very helpful in my learning

process

3.75 221 3.98 87 3.81 308

Computers scare me 2.14 221 1.60 87 1.99 308

I need help from teachers to learn

with ICT

2.72 221 2.25 87 2.59 308

Computers are difficult to use 2.19 221 1.62 87 2.03 308

I find it time-consuming using ICT in

learning

2.71 221 2.41 87 2.63 308

I know how to use ICT but am not

interested in using it to learn

2.96 221 2.56 87 2.85 308

Working with computers makes me

nervous

2.44 221 2.07 87 2.33 308

I wish ICT was not used in teaching 2.28 221 1.93 87 2.18 308

As an example, in the category „Computers are difficult to use‟, public school students had a

mean of „2.19‟ and private school students had a mean of „1.62‟ – who are far less likely to

agree with these negative statements. Conversely, in the category „I enjoy lessons with a

computer‟, public school students had a mean of „3.88‟ compared to a mean of „4.13‟ for

144

private school students – who are far more likely to agree with positive statements: This is

highlighted in Figure 5.7.

Table 5.41: T-test for Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

sector

Lower Upper

Equal variances

assumed

.697 .405 -1.737 306 .083 -.249 .143 -.530 .033

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.799 169.846 .074 -.249 .138 -.521 .024

Equal variances

assumed

.580 .447 -1.112 306 .267 -.157 .141 -.436 .121

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.124 161.154 .263 -.157 .140 -.434 .119

Equal variances

assumed

.976 .324 -1.750 306 .081 -.269 .154 -.572 .034

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.750 157.443 .082 -.269 .154 -.573 .035

Equal variances

assumed

10.424 .001 2.516 306 .012 .380 .151 .083 .677

Equal variances not

assumed

2.683 181.345 .008 .380 .142 .100 .659

Equal variances

assumed

1.570 .211 1.908 306 .057 .313 .164 -.010 .636

Equal variances not

assumed

2.036 181.501 .043 .313 .154 .010 .617

Equal variances

assumed

12.028 .001 -1.503 306 .134 -.226 .150 -.522 .070

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.627 187.736 .105 -.226 .139 -.500 .048

Equal variances

assumed

17.618 .000 3.453 306 .001 .543 .157 .233 .852

Equal variances not

assumed

3.775 192.167 .000 .543 .144 .259 .826

Equal variances

assumed

1.191 .276 2.882 306 .004 .471 .163 .149 .793

Equal variances not

assumed

2.978 168.942 .003 .471 .158 .159 .783

Equal variances

assumed

23.622 .000 3.640 306 .000 .565 .155 .260 .870

Equal variances not

assumed

4.251 225.904 .000 .565 .133 .303 .827

Equal variances

assumed

.462 .497 1.734 306 .084 .301 .174 -.041 .643

Equal variances not

assumed

1.763 163.153 .080 .301 .171 -.036 .638

Equal variances

assumed

.123 .726 2.433 306 .016 .396 .163 .076 .716

Equal variances not

assumed

2.503 167.181 .013 .396 .158 .084 .708

Equal variances

assumed

13.996 .000 2.389 306 .017 .370 .155 .065 .675

Equal variances not

assumed

2.558 183.076 .011 .370 .145 .085 .655

Equal variances

assumed

1.043 .308 1.965 306 .050 .350 .178 .000 .699

Equal variances not

assumed

1.980 160.007 .049 .350 .177 .001 .698

Working with computers

makes me nervous

I wish ICT was not used in

teaching

I have better information

sources than ICT

ICT is very helpful in my

learning process

Computer scares me

I need help from teachers to

learn with ICT

Computers are difficult to

use

I find it time-consuming

using ICT in learning

95%

I enjoy lessons with

computer

I feel comfortable working

with computer

I believe that the more often

teachers use computers,

the more I will enjoy school

I am tired of using a

computer

I know how to use ICT but

am not interested in using it

to learn

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

145

Figure 5.7: Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector

Students were finally invited to describe their confidence in ICT use against a number of ICT

features. Here, we can see a significantly higher more confident response from private school

students than their public school counterparts. From Table 5.42, the results show us that

consistently private school students exceed private school students in their own confidence in

ICT use. Furthermore, Table 5.43 also highlights the fact that in all bar a few cases, the

variation in means was statistically significant.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Public Schools

Private Schools

146

Table 5.42: Students’ confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector

public private Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

Basics of operating PC (using keyboard,

mouse … etc.)

3.99 221 4.79 87 4.22 308

Managing files (delete, move to … etc.) 4.10 221 4.82 87 4.30 308

Using word processor ( such as word

program )

4.05 221 4.64 87 4.22 308

Use spreadsheet processor (such as

excel program )

3.76 221 4.43 87 3.95 308

Creating or Using data base processor

(such as access program)

3.56 221 4.05 87 3.69 308

Create and design presentations 3.65 221 4.28 87 3.83 308

Combining files from different resources

( sound or video files ) to create

presentations

3.76 221 4.26 87 3.90 308

Producing learning software 3.12 221 3.13 87 3.12 308

Searching for saved data on hard disk or

compact disk

3.78 221 4.56 87 4.00 308

Using data show basis on PC as

projection tool

3.31 221 3.70 87 3.42 308

Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

3.57 221 3.87 87 3.66 308

Deleting or editing pictures, animations

or movies

3.98 221 4.61 87 4.16 308

Using digital camera 3.72 221 4.40 87 3.92 308

Internet browsing 4.17 221 4.84 87 4.36 308

Searching for information on the Internet 4.18 221 4.86 87 4.37 308

Downloading files from the Internet 4.15 221 4.78 87 4.33 308

Using Email ( reading and sending

mails)

4.09 221 4.76 87 4.28 308

Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook,

Twitter)

3.93 221 4.56 87 4.11 308

Publishing a personal blog 3.28 221 3.57 87 3.36 308

Designing web page or personal site 3.29 221 3.60 87 3.37 308

Other applications, please specify 3.39 221 3.66 87 3.46 308

147

Table 5.43: T-test for Students’ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by sector

Lower Upper

Equal variances

assumed

69.034 .000 -4.997 306 .000 -.802 .161 -1.118 -.486

Equal variances

not assumed

-6.473 285.109 .000 -.802 .124 -1.046 -.558

Equal variances

assumed

78.049 .000 -5.287 306 .000 -.717 .136 -.983 -.450

Equal variances

not assumed

-7.148 301.931 .000 -.717 .100 -.914 -.519

Equal variances

assumed

31.135 .000 -4.297 306 .000 -.589 .137 -.859 -.320

Equal variances

not assumed

-5.301 257.859 .000 -.589 .111 -.808 -.370

Equal variances

assumed

14.774 .000 -4.694 306 .000 -.665 .142 -.944 -.386

Equal variances

not assumed

-5.423 220.003 .000 -.665 .123 -.907 -.423

Equal variances

assumed

1.972 .161 -3.415 306 .001 -.489 .143 -.771 -.207

Equal variances

not assumed

-3.518 167.731 .001 -.489 .139 -.764 -.215

Equal variances

assumed

11.850 .001 -4.360 306 .000 -.624 .143 -.906 -.343

Equal variances

not assumed

-4.849 200.239 .000 -.624 .129 -.878 -.370

Equal variances

assumed

3.919 .049 -3.420 306 .001 -.504 .147 -.794 -.214

Equal variances

not assumed

-3.611 177.198 .000 -.504 .140 -.780 -.229

Equal variances

assumed

1.311 .253 -.062 306 .951 -.009 .142 -.289 .271

Equal variances

not assumed

-.065 175.488 .948 -.009 .135 -.276 .258

Equal variances

assumed

29.683 .000 -5.361 306 .000 -.785 .146 -1.073 -.497

Equal variances

not assumed

-6.477 245.532 .000 -.785 .121 -1.024 -.546

Equal variances

assumed

.005 .945 -2.491 306 .013 -.389 .156 -.696 -.082

Equal variances

not assumed

-2.567 167.948 .011 -.389 .151 -.688 -.090

Equal variances

assumed

2.624 .106 -1.879 306 .061 -.299 .159 -.612 .014

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.951 170.775 .053 -.299 .153 -.601 .004

Equal variances

assumed

20.064 .000 -4.555 306 .000 -.632 .139 -.905 -.359

Equal variances

not assumed

-5.527 248.117 .000 -.632 .114 -.857 -.407

Equal variances

assumed

24.616 .000 -4.310 306 .000 -.678 .157 -.988 -.369

Equal variances

not assumed

-5.059 228.800 .000 -.678 .134 -.942 -.414

Equal variances

assumed

88.621 .000 -4.987 306 .000 -.672 .135 -.937 -.407

Equal variances

not assumed

-7.028 305.309 .000 -.672 .096 -.860 -.484

Equal variances

assumed

86.332 .000 -5.142 306 .000 -.681 .132 -.942 -.420

Equal variances

not assumed

-7.192 305.912 .000 -.681 .095 -.867 -.495

Equal variances

assumed

71.261 .000 -4.627 306 .000 -.628 .136 -.895 -.361

Equal variances

not assumed

-6.410 305.862 .000 -.628 .098 -.820 -.435

Equal variances

assumed

65.587 .000 -4.676 306 .000 -.673 .144 -.956 -.390

Equal variances

not assumed

-6.091 287.875 .000 -.673 .110 -.890 -.455

Equal variances

assumed

24.823 .000 -4.133 306 .000 -.631 .153 -.932 -.331

Equal variances

not assumed

-4.745 216.627 .000 -.631 .133 -.893 -.369

Equal variances

assumed

1.126 .289 -1.841 306 .067 -.294 .160 -.609 .020

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.832 155.970 .069 -.294 .161 -.611 .023

Equal variances

assumed

3.754 .054 -1.997 306 .047 -.313 .157 -.621 -.005

Equal variances

not assumed

-2.133 181.818 .034 -.313 .147 -.602 -.023

Equal variances

assumed

.029 .864 -1.761 306 .079 -.266 .151 -.563 .031

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.801 165.199 .074 -.266 .148 -.558 .026

Other applications, please

specify

Using different designing

programs (Photoshop, Flash)

Deleting or editing pictures,

animations or movies

Using digital camera

Internet browsing

Searching for information on

the Internet

Searching for saved data on

hard disk or compact disk

Using data show basis on PC

as projection tool

Using Email ( reading and

sending mails)

Using chat rooms and forums

(Facebook, Twitter)

Publishing a personal blog

Designing web page or

personal site

95% Confidence

Basics of operating PC (using

keyboard, mouse … etc.)

Managing files (delete, move

to … etc.)

Using word processor ( such

as word program )

Use spreadsheet processor

(such as excel program )

Downloading files from the

Internet

Creating or Using data base

processor (such as access

program)

Create and design

presentations

Combining files from different

resources ( sound or video

files ) to create presentations

Producing learning software

Levene's Test for t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

148

5.7.7 Analysis by Sector using Combined Measures

Similarly to the analysis undertaken in the responses of the teachers‟ questionnaires, we

can combine the separate questions within individual elements of the student

questionnaires and test for overall significance in any differences between the groups.

Here, again, the research looks at three separate measures – confidence, use (at home and

school combined) and of ICT use in learning and teaching to examine those differences

already considered at a „micro‟ level. In terms of the use of ICT in learning and teaching, it

should be noted that the combined „means‟ consider only the positive statements, to enable

a meaningful anlaysis of the data.

Table 5.44: Combined Measures Analysis by Sector

Group Statistics

SECTOR N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Student school and homeuse combined public 221 1.922511 .7965833 .0535840

private 87 1.697989 .7212435 .0773254

Students confidence combined public 221 3.772172 .9385466 .0631335

private 87 4.325862 .5335196 .0571993

Student ICT inlearning combined public 221 3.780543 1.0039271 .0675314

private 87 4.005747 .9101950 .0975831

Table 5.44 shows us that, in terms of ICT use at both home and school, public school

students have a higher level of use – refletive of the previous analysis that showed much

higher levels of ICT use in public schools, and a more mixed picture in terms of ICT use at

home. In terms of confidence, students from the private sector have much greater belief in

their abilities to use ICT effectively, and similarly are more positive about the impact of

ICT in the learning and teaching process. These results are reflective of the prior analysis

at a question level. The T-tests shown in table 5.45 however, show that the differences in

means at this combined level, are only significant for the confidence in ICT use, and not

for the level of use nor belief in its impact.

149

Table 5.45: T-Test results for Combined Variables, by Sector

The Mann-Whitney test when applied does suggest that we reject the null hypothesis that

any difference in the means are not explained by the difference in sector for both

confidence in and, different to the T-tests, the use of ICT. Similar to the previous analysis

of teacher responses, we can examine the distribution of the data to establish which test is

more meaningful.

Table 5.46: Mann-Whitney Output for Student Combined Variables by Sector

The Shapiro-Wilk result shown in Table 5.47 (p=.338) suggests that the data is normally

distributed, as such we will opt to use the T-test results and take only the difference in

overall confidence as being explained by the differences in the sector of the students.

150

Table 5.47: Shapiro-Wilk Test Results for Student ICT Use Normality

Statistic Df Sig.

Student school and home use combined 0.995 308 .338

151

5.7.8 Analysing the Student Response by Gender

Another one of the key questions in the research is „Are there any differences between male

and female students teaching and learning in terms of their exposure to, and use of ICT in the

classroom?‟ For this purpose, the research now analyses the results of the student

questionnaire, broken down into male and female respondents.

Again, we can apply a T-test for significance and the results are displayed against each

associated „major‟ section of the questionnaire. The T-test is adopted as once more the

independent variable has only two possible values, male or female.

The first element of the questionnaire that students were invited to complete required them to

describe the level of their ICT use in school, against a number of specific activities. The results

are shown in Table 5.48 and Figure 5.8 below.

The results are inconclusive. Only two of the separate aspects of ICT are significant, namely „I

look up information on hard disks and compact discs (CD ROMs) with a mean of 1.12 male

and .80 for females. Conversely, „I shop on the internet‟ with a mean of 1.19 and 1.28 for

females. The significances are shown in Table 5.49 where the two tailed sig tests (i.e. the T-test

result) are below 0.05.

152

Table 5.48: Students’ ICT use in School, by Gender

gender

male female Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I look up for information

on hard disk and compact

discs ( CD ROMs )

1.12 152 .80 156 .96 308

I use educational software

to learn some lessons

1.38 152 1.31 156 1.35 308

I use some spreadsheets .88 152 .87 156 .87 308

I use / create pictures and

animations

1.96 152 2.21 156 2.08 308

I watch DVDs/videos on

the computer

1.97 152 1.91 156 1.94 308

I make/design things on the

computer (like posters,

invites)

1.11 152 1.37 156 1.24 308

I use computer for writing 2.30 152 2.35 156 2.32 308

I design websites 2.70 152 2.62 156 2.66 308

I program the computer 1.49 152 1.41 156 1.45 308

I download music files or

software from the Web

2.24 152 2.18 156 2.21 308

I send and receive emails 2.17 152 2.13 156 2.15 308

I organize the computer

settings such as

files/memory/system

.94 152 .89 156 .92 308

I use the Internet to look up

information

.78 152 .77 156 .78 308

I watch TV/listen to

radio/music on the Internet

1.41 152 1.66 156 1.54 308

I use the Internet to revise

for exams

1.43 152 1.12 156 1.27 308

I create/record sound files

on the computer

.97 152 .88 156 .93 308

I make films/animations on

the computer

.79 152 .74 156 .76 308

I browse the Internet for

fun

2.54 152 2.30 156 2.42 308

I play games on the

computer

2.07 152 2.22 156 2.15 308

I shop on the Internet 1.19 152 1.28 156 1.24 308

153

Figure 5.8: Students’ ICT use in School, by Gender

154

Table 5.49: T-test for Students’ ICT use in School, by Gender

Lowe

r

Uppe

r

Equal variances

assumed

5.792 .017 2.078 306 .039 .317 .153 .017 .617

Equal variances

not assumed

2.074 298.285 .039 .317 .153 .016 .618

Equal variances

assumed

.061 .806 .388 306 .698 .067 .174 -.275 .410

Equal variances

not assumed

.388 305.938 .698 .067 .174 -.275 .410

Equal variances

assumed

.021 .885 .021 306 .983 .003 .154 -.300 .307

Equal variances

not assumed

.021 305.922 .983 .003 .154 -.300 .306

Equal variances

assumed

.000 .999 -1.252 306 .212 -.245 .195 -.629 .140

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.252 305.625 .212 -.245 .195 -.629 .140

Equal variances

assumed

.873 .351 .261 306 .794 .057 .218 -.372 .485

Equal variances

not assumed

.261 304.600 .794 .057 .218 -.372 .486

Equal variances

assumed

.562 .454 -1.420 306 .157 -.254 .179 -.605 .098

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.420 305.990 .157 -.254 .179 -.605 .098

Equal variances

assumed

.005 .944 -.234 306 .815 -.050 .214 -.471 .371

Equal variances

not assumed

-.234 305.889 .815 -.050 .214 -.471 .371

Equal variances

assumed

.098 .754 .325 306 .746 .076 .233 -.383 .534

Equal variances

not assumed

.325 305.467 .746 .076 .233 -.383 .534

Equal variances

assumed

.150 .699 .400 306 .689 .077 .191 -.300 .453

Equal variances

not assumed

.400 305.985 .689 .077 .191 -.300 .453

Equal variances

assumed

.724 .395 .265 306 .791 .064 .241 -.410 .538

Equal variances

not assumed

.265 305.993 .791 .064 .241 -.410 .538

Equal variances

assumed

2.194 .140 .157 306 .875 .036 .232 -.421 .494

Equal variances

not assumed

.157 304.506 .876 .036 .232 -.421 .494

Equal variances

assumed

.392 .532 .326 306 .744 .050 .152 -.250 .350

Equal variances

not assumed

.326 305.992 .744 .050 .152 -.250 .350

Equal variances

assumed

.004 .949 .092 306 .927 .014 .148 -.278 .305

Equal variances

not assumed

.092 305.428 .927 .014 .148 -.278 .305

Equal variances

assumed

1.283 .258 -1.144 306 .254 -.246 .215 -.669 .177

Equal variances

not assumed

-1.145 305.803 .253 -.246 .215 -.668 .177

Equal variances

assumed

6.315 .012 1.714 306 .088 .306 .178 -.045 .657

Equal variances

not assumed

1.712 301.298 .088 .306 .179 -.046 .657

Equal variances

assumed

.367 .545 .506 306 .613 .089 .176 -.257 .435

Equal variances

not assumed

.506 304.048 .613 .089 .176 -.258 .436

Equal variances

assumed

.381 .538 .313 306 .754 .052 .167 -.276 .381

Equal variances

not assumed

.313 304.189 .755 .052 .167 -.277 .381

Equal variances

assumed

2.152 .143 .989 306 .323 .238 .241 -.236 .712

Equal variances

not assumed

.990 305.892 .323 .238 .241 -.235 .712

Equal variances

assumed

1.447 .230 -.693 306 .489 -.159 .229 -.609 .292

Equal variances

not assumed

-.693 305.989 .489 -.159 .229 -.609 .292

Equal variances

assumed

.032 .858 -.469 306 .640 -.091 .195 -.474 .292

Equal variances

not assumed

-.469 305.682 .640 -.091 .195 -.474 .292

Equal variances

assumed

.002 .963 .172 306 .863 .020 .117 -.210 .250

Equal variances

not assumed

.172 305.987 .863 .020 .117 -.210 .250

Equal variances

assumed

1.284 .258 -2.089 306 .038 -.413 .198 -.802 -.024

Equal variances

not assumed

-2.090 305.868 .037 -.413 .198 -.801 -.024

Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

I download music files or software

from the Web

Std. Error

Difference

95%

I look up for information on hard disk

and compact discs ( CD ROMs )

I use educational software to learn

some lessons

I use some spreadsheets

I use / create pictures and animations

I watch DVDs/videos on the

computer

I make/design things on the computer

(like posters, invites)

I use computer for writing

I design websites

I program the computer

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F

I shop on the Internet

I send and receive emails

I organize the computer settings such

as files/memory/system

I use the Internet to look up

information

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on

the Internet

I use the Internet to revise for exams

I create/record sound files on the

computer

I make films/animations on the

computer

I browse the Internet for fun

I play games on the computer

I shop on the Internet

How often do you use ICT at school

for completing these tasks?

155

Students were also invited to assess their use of the same ICT features, in the home. The

results are shown in Table 5.50 and Figure 5.9. ICT use from the home, as opposed to school

based use, is generally higher for students. The variation in means between male and female

students however, shows little significance. The only category which has any significant result

is „I shop on the internet‟ with a mean of 1.81 for females and 1.40 for males.

Table 5.50: Students’ ICT use at home, by Gender

gender

male female Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I shop on the Internet 1.40 152 1.81 156 1.61 308

I play games on the computer 3.05 152 3.28 156 3.17 308

I browse the Internet for fun 3.60 152 3.42 156 3.51 308

I make films/animations on the computer 1.33 152 1.31 156 1.32 308

I create/record sound files on the computer 1.53 152 1.42 156 1.47 308

I use the Internet to revise for exams 1.89 152 1.87 156 1.88 308

I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the Internet 2.20 152 2.49 156 2.34 308

I use the Internet to look up information 1.13 152 .97 156 1.05 308

I organize the computer settings such as

files/memory/system

1.36 152 1.15 156 1.25 308

I send and receive emails 3.10 152 2.87 156 2.98 308

I download music files or software from the

Web

3.39 152 3.16 156 3.27 308

I program the computer 2.25 152 1.99 156 2.12 308

I design websites 3.28 152 3.11 156 3.19 308

I use computer for writing 2.72 152 2.86 156 2.79 308

I make/design things on the computer (like

posters, invites)

1.49 152 1.69 156 1.59 308

I watch DVDs/videos on the computer 2.74 152 2.74 156 2.74 308

I use / create pictures and animations 2.13 152 2.35 156 2.24 308

I use some spreadsheets 1.39 152 1.29 156 1.34 308

I use educational software to learn some lessons 1.61 152 1.48 156 1.54 308

I look up for information on hard disk and

compact discs ( CD ROMs )

1.80 152 1.42 156 1.61 308

156

Table 5.51: T-test for Students’ ICT use at Home, by Gender

Lowe

r

Uppe

r

Equal variances

assumed

1.284 .258 -2.089 306 .038 -.413 .198 -.802 -.024

Equal variances not

assumed

-2.090 305.868 .037 -.413 .198 -.801 -.024

Equal variances

assumed

7.120 .008 -1.115 306 .266 -.223 .200 -.617 .171

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.113 297.347 .267 -.223 .200 -.617 .171

Equal variances

assumed

.065 .799 .892 306 .373 .176 .197 -.212 .563

Equal variances not

assumed

.892 305.851 .373 .176 .197 -.212 .563

Equal variances

assumed

1.549 .214 .077 306 .939 .015 .193 -.365 .395

Equal variances not

assumed

.077 305.310 .939 .015 .193 -.365 .395

Equal variances

assumed

.502 .479 .583 306 .561 .116 .200 -.276 .509

Equal variances not

assumed

.582 305.246 .561 .116 .200 -.276 .509

Equal variances

assumed

.042 .837 .145 306 .885 .029 .203 -.369 .428

Equal variances not

assumed

.145 305.995 .885 .029 .202 -.369 .428

Equal variances

assumed

2.044 .154 -1.308 306 .192 -.290 .222 -.726 .146

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.307 303.719 .192 -.290 .222 -.726 .147

Equal variances

assumed

1.134 .288 .904 306 .367 .157 .174 -.185 .500

Equal variances not

assumed

.902 301.693 .368 .157 .174 -.186 .500

Equal variances

assumed

.016 .899 1.156 306 .249 .201 .174 -.141 .544

Equal variances not

assumed

1.157 305.946 .248 .201 .174 -.141 .544

Equal variances

assumed

1.886 .171 1.133 306 .258 .233 .206 -.172 .639

Equal variances not

assumed

1.132 303.936 .259 .233 .206 -.172 .639

Equal variances

assumed

.004 .950 1.071 306 .285 .228 .213 -.191 .647

Equal variances not

assumed

1.071 305.860 .285 .228 .213 -.191 .647

Equal variances

assumed

1.096 .296 1.274 306 .204 .263 .206 -.143 .669

Equal variances not

assumed

1.273 303.572 .204 .263 .206 -.143 .669

Equal variances

assumed

.004 .950 .854 306 .394 .167 .196 -.218 .553

Equal variances not

assumed

.854 305.983 .394 .167 .196 -.218 .553

Equal variances

assumed

.163 .686 -.676 306 .500 -.142 .210 -.555 .271

Equal variances not

assumed

-.676 305.534 .500 -.142 .210 -.555 .271

Equal variances

assumed

1.245 .265 -1.064 306 .288 -.199 .187 -.567 .169

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.063 301.826 .289 -.199 .187 -.567 .169

Equal variances

assumed

.122 .727 -.033 306 .974 -.007 .203 -.406 .393

Equal variances not

assumed

-.033 305.323 .974 -.007 .203 -.406 .393

Equal variances

assumed

.026 .872 -1.048 306 .296 -.221 .211 -.637 .194

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.047 305.351 .296 -.221 .211 -.637 .194

Equal variances

assumed

.408 .523 .521 306 .603 .100 .192 -.277 .477

Equal variances not

assumed

.521 305.918 .603 .100 .191 -.277 .476

Equal variances

assumed

.040 .841 .691 306 .490 .124 .180 -.230 .479

Equal variances not

assumed

.691 305.763 .490 .124 .180 -.230 .479

Equal variances

assumed

4.028 .046 1.950 306 .052 .380 .195 -.003 .762

Equal variances not

assumed

1.947 298.795 .052 .380 .195 -.004 .763

Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean

Difference

I send and receive emails

Std. Error

Difference

95%

I shop on the Internet

I play games on the computer

I browse the Internet for fun

I make films/animations on the

computer

I create/record sound files on the

computer

I use the Internet to revise for

exams

I watch TV/listen to radio/music

on the Internet

I use the Internet to look up

information

I organize the computer settings

such as files/memory/system

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F

I use / create pictures and

animations

I use some spreadsheets

I use educational software to learn

some lessons

I look up for information on hard

disk and compact discs ( CD

ROMs )

I download music files or software

from the Web

I program the computer

I design websites

I use computer for writing

I make/design things on the

computer (like posters, invites)

I watch DVDs/videos on the

computer

157

Figure 5.9: Students’ ICT use at Home, by gender

Students were also invited to give their opinions on the use of ICT in the teaching and learning

process, and were requested to agree/disagree with a series of statements. These are shown in

Table 5.52 below, again broken down by gender. In this analysis, where 5=strongly agree,

students were posed with several positive and negative statements. The mean averages shown

below highlight the fact that there is no significant difference between male and female

perceptions.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Male

Female

158

Table 5.52: Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender

male female Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

I enjoy lessons with a computer 3.95 152 3.95 156 3.95 308

I feel comfortable working with

computers

3.76 152 3.87 156 3.82 308

I believe that the more often

teachers use computers, the more

I will enjoy school

3.70 152 3.89 156 3.80 308

I am tired of using a computer 2.36 152 2.24 156 2.30 308

I have better information sources

than ICT

2.83 152 2.93 156 2.88 308

ICT is very helpful in my

learning process

3.90 152 3.73 156 3.81 308

Computers scare me 1.93 152 2.04 156 1.99 308

I need help from teachers to learn

with ICT

2.58 152 2.60 156 2.59 308

Computers are difficult to use 1.98 152 2.07 156 2.03 308

I find it time-consuming using

ICT in learning

2.59 152 2.67 156 2.63 308

I know how to use ICT but am

not interested in using it to learn

2.82 152 2.88 156 2.85 308

Working with computers makes

me nervous

2.28 152 2.38 156 2.33 308

I wish ICT was not used in

teaching

2.20 152 2.17 156 2.18 308

It is also clear to see this in Table 5.53. The T-test shows this clearly as there are no significant

results below 0.05.

159

Table 5.53: T-test for Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

Gender

Lowe

r

Uppe

r

Equal variances

assumed

.888 .347 -.010 306 .992 -.001 .130 -.256 .254

Equal variances not

assumed

-.010 305.461 .992 -.001 .129 -.256 .253

Equal variances

assumed

1.143 .286 -.852 306 .395 -.109 .127 -.360 .142

Equal variances not

assumed

-.851 303.467 .395 -.109 .128 -.360 .142

Equal variances

assumed

2.218 .137 -1.396 306 .164 -.194 .139 -.467 .079

Equal variances not

assumed

-1.395 303.064 .164 -.194 .139 -.467 .080

Equal variances

assumed

.331 .566 .861 306 .390 .118 .137 -.152 .388

Equal variances not

assumed

.861 304.421 .390 .118 .137 -.152 .388

Equal variances

assumed

.105 .746 -.677 306 .499 -.101 .149 -.393 .192

Equal variances not

assumed

-.677 305.846 .499 -.101 .149 -.393 .192

Equal variances

assumed

.574 .449 1.259 306 .209 .171 .135 -.096 .437

Equal variances not

assumed

1.260 305.970 .209 .171 .135 -.096 .437

Equal variances

assumed

.010 .921 -.724 306 .470 -.104 .144 -.388 .179

Equal variances not

assumed

-.724 305.972 .470 -.104 .144 -.388 .179

Equal variances

assumed

1.311 .253 -.158 306 .874 -.024 .149 -.317 .270

Equal variances not

assumed

-.158 304.704 .874 -.024 .149 -.317 .270

Equal variances

assumed

.437 .509 -.633 306 .527 -.090 .143 -.371 .190

Equal variances not

assumed

-.632 304.516 .528 -.090 .143 -.371 .191

Equal variances

assumed

.011 .917 -.475 306 .635 -.075 .157 -.384 .235

Equal variances not

assumed

-.475 305.802 .635 -.075 .157 -.384 .235

Equal variances

assumed

2.801 .095 -.422 306 .673 -.062 .148 -.354 .229

Equal variances not

assumed

-.423 303.999 .673 -.062 .148 -.353 .228

Equal variances

assumed

.418 .518 -.723 306 .470 -.102 .141 -.378 .175

Equal variances not

assumed

-.724 305.862 .470 -.102 .141 -.378 .175

Equal variances

assumed

1.282 .258 .191 306 .849 .031 .161 -.286 .348

Equal variances not

assumed

.190 304.676 .849 .031 .161 -.287 .348

I am tired of using

a computer

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

95%

I enjoy lessons with

computer

I feel comfortable

working with

computer

I believe that the

more often

teachers use

computers, the

I know how to use

ICT but am not

interested in using

it to learn

Working with

computers makes

me nervous

I wish ICT was not

used in teaching

I have better

information sources

than ICT

ICT is very helpful

in my learning

process

Computer scares

me

I need help from

teachers to learn

with ICT

Computers are

difficult to use

I find it time-

consuming using

ICT in learning

160

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Male

Female

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Male

Female

Figure 5.10: Students’ Perception of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender

Students were finally invited to describe their confidence in ICT use against a number of ICT

features. Here we can see a slightly higher more confident response from females than males.

Figure 5.11 shows the difference graphically. From this Figure and from Table 5.54, the results

consistently show us that female‟ have slightly more confidence in their use of ICT.

Furthermore Table 5.55 highlights that a number of aspects here have significant variation in

the means for male and female students. For example, „Create and Design Presentations‟ had a

mean of 3.61 for male and 4.04 for females. Similarly, „Using databases‟ had a mean of 3.56

for males and 3.83 for females. The t-test results for both of these variables were less than

0.05, and so are significant with a 95% confidence level.

Figure 5.11: Students’ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender

161

Table 5.54: Students’ confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by Gender

male female Total

Mean N Mean N Mean N

Basics of operating PC (using keyboard,

mouse … etc.)

4.07 152 4.36 156 4.22 308

Managing files (delete, move to … etc.) 4.20 152 4.40 156 4.30 308

Using word processor ( such as word

program )

4.11 152 4.33 156 4.22 308

Use spreadsheet processor (such as excel

program )

3.88 152 4.02 156 3.95 308

Creating or Using data base processor (such

as access program)

3.56 152 3.83 156 3.69 308

Create and design presentations 3.61 152 4.04 156 3.83 308

Combining files from different resources (

sound or video files ) to create presentations

3.81 152 3.99 156 3.90 308

Producing learning software 3.00 152 3.24 156 3.12 308

Searching for saved data on hard disk or

compact disk

3.93 152 4.06 156 4.00 308

Using data show basis on PC as projection

tool

3.26 152 3.58 156 3.42 308

Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

3.69 152 3.63 156 3.66 308

Deleting or editing pictures, animations or

movies

4.09 152 4.22 156 4.16 308

Using digital camera 3.89 152 3.94 156 3.92 308

Internet browsing 4.28 152 4.43 156 4.36 308

Searching for information on the Internet 4.29 152 4.46 156 4.37 308

Downloading files from the Internet 4.24 152 4.42 156 4.33 308

Using Email ( reading and sending mails) 4.17 152 4.38 156 4.28 308

Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook,

Twitter)

4.05 152 4.17 156 4.11 308

Publishing a personal blog 3.33 152 3.40 156 3.36 308

Designing web page or personal site 3.34 152 3.41 156 3.37 308

162

Table 5.55: T-test for Students’ Confidence in Using ICT in Teaching and Learning, by

Gender

Lowe

r

Uppe

r

Equal

variances

assumed

8.892 .003 -1.918 306 .056 -.287 .149 -.581 .007

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.913 293.085 .057 -.287 .150 -.581 .008

Equal

variances

assumed

3.024 .083 -1.523 306 .129 -.193 .127 -.443 .056

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.522 302.626 .129 -.193 .127 -.444 .057

Equal

variances

assumed

1.239 .266 -1.803 306 .072 -.228 .127 -.477 .021

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.801 303.479 .073 -.228 .127 -.477 .021

Equal

variances

assumed

.240 .624 -1.094 306 .275 -.144 .132 -.404 .115

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.094 305.293 .275 -.144 .132 -.404 .115

Equal

variances

assumed

1.711 .192 -2.050 306 .041 -.268 .131 -.525 -.011

Equal

variances not

assumed

-2.049 304.834 .041 -.268 .131 -.525 -.011

Equal

variances

assumed

2.304 .130 -3.266 306 .001 -.427 .131 -.684 -.170

Equal

variances not

assumed

-3.264 304.300 .001 -.427 .131 -.684 -.169

Equal

variances

assumed

4.571 .033 -1.367 306 .173 -.184 .135 -.450 .081

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.365 300.286 .173 -.184 .135 -.450 .081

Equal

variances

assumed

.082 .775 -1.862 306 .064 -.237 .127 -.488 .013

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.862 305.415 .064 -.237 .127 -.488 .014

Equal

variances

assumed

3.420 .065 -.943 306 .346 -.130 .138 -.401 .141

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.941 297.122 .347 -.130 .138 -.401 .142

Equal

variances

assumed

.106 .745 -2.321 306 .021 -.327 .141 -.604 -.050

Equal

variances not

assumed

-2.321 305.578 .021 -.327 .141 -.604 -.050

Equal

variances

assumed

.564 .453 .434 306 .664 .063 .144 -.221 .346

Equal

variances not

assumed

.434 303.186 .665 .063 .144 -.221 .346

Equal

variances

assumed

.418 .518 -.976 306 .330 -.126 .129 -.379 .128

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.976 304.714 .330 -.126 .129 -.380 .128

Equal

variances

assumed

.511 .475 -.371 306 .711 -.054 .146 -.341 .233

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.371 304.413 .711 -.054 .146 -.341 .233

Equal

variances

assumed

2.558 .111 -1.165 306 .245 -.147 .126 -.394 .101

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.163 301.196 .246 -.147 .126 -.395 .101

Equal

variances

assumed

3.851 .051 -1.336 306 .182 -.166 .124 -.410 .078

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.334 298.191 .183 -.166 .124 -.410 .079

Equal

variances

assumed

4.178 .042 -1.479 306 .140 -.186 .126 -.434 .062

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.476 297.323 .141 -.186 .126 -.435 .062

Equal

variances

assumed

5.912 .016 -1.551 306 .122 -.207 .134 -.470 .056

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.547 289.960 .123 -.207 .134 -.471 .056

Equal

variances

assumed

2.435 .120 -.808 306 .420 -.114 .141 -.392 .164

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.807 301.677 .420 -.114 .141 -.392 .164

Equal

variances

assumed

1.295 .256 -.473 306 .636 -.068 .145 -.353 .216

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.473 303.423 .637 -.068 .145 -.353 .216

Equal

variances

assumed

.810 .369 -.527 306 .599 -.075 .142 -.354 .204

Equal

variances not

assumed

-.527 304.552 .599 -.075 .142 -.354 .204

Equal

variances

assumed

5.060 .025 1.088 306 .278 .148 .136 -.120 .417

Equal

variances not

assumed

1.086 300.080 .278 .148 .137 -.121 .417

Use spreadsheet processor

(such as excel program )

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

95%

Basics of operating PC (using

keyboard, mouse … etc.)

Managing files (delete, move

to … etc.)

Using word processor ( such

as word program )

Downloading files from the

Internet

Creating or Using data base

processor (such as access

program)

Create and design

presentations

Combining files from different

resources ( sound or video

files ) to create presentations

Producing learning software

Searching for saved data on

hard disk or compact disk

Using data show basis on PC

as projection tool

Using different designing

programs (Photoshop, Flash)

Deleting or editing pictures,

animations or movies

Using digital camera

Internet browsing

Searching for information on

the Internet

Using Email ( reading and

sending mails)

Using chat rooms and forums

(Facebook, Twitter)

Publishing a personal blog

Designing web page or

personal site

Other applications, please

specify

163

5.7.9 Analysis by Gender using Combined Variables

Similar to the analysis undertaken for the independent variable of sector, we can now

consider the influence of gender. Here we use the same combined variables as previous to

establish whether there are significant differences at a broader level between males and

females. Table 5.56 below shows us that males are more likely to use ICT than females,

whereas females are more likely to have higher confidence levels and a greater belief in its

ability to impact upon learning and teaching. This is consistent with the results shown

previously, given the relative differences in the means, where the issue of confidence

would appear to be greater.

Table 5.56: Combined Measures for Students by Gender

Group Statistics

gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Student school and home use combined male 152 1.875000 .7555863 .0612861

female 156 1.843590 .8080236 .0646937

Student confidence combined male 152 3.839803 .8788791 .0712865

female 156 4.015064 .8740233 .0699779

Student ICTin learning combined male 152 3.827303 .9842441 .0798327

female 156 3.860577 .9830172 .0787044

The T-test results tell us that none of these differences are explained by the gender

variable, and as such are not significant. However the Mann-Whitney result tells us that the

difference in confidence is significant, and as such to investigate this contradiction we

examine the normality of the data. The distribution of the data, shown in the Shapiro-Wilk

result in Table 5.59, is not normal – and as such we would assume the Mann-Whitney

outcome. This leads us to the conclusion that females are indeed more confident than

males and that difference is significant.

164

Table 5.57: T-test Results for Combined Variable by Gender

Table 5.58: Mann-Whitney Results for Combined Variables by Gender

Table 5.59: Shaprio-Wilk Results for Student Confidence

Shapiro-Wilk

Statistic df Sig.

studentconfidencecombined .897 308 .000

165

5.8 Interview Data Analysis

5.8.1 Analysis by Research Question

Having already analysed the questionnaire responses, attention is now focused on the

structured interviews which took place as part of the research. It is important to note that

aims of this part of the data analysis are to answer two of the four key questions outlined in

Chapter 1 of this thesis. Namely:

How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

The interviews came in two major parts. Firstly, the researcher interviewed 14 teachers in

primary and secondary education in Kuwait. They were asked six questions which are

outlined in Appendix 3 of this document. Secondly, two Directors from the Ministry of

Education in Kuwait were interviewed – the Director of the Department for Educational

Technologies and the Director for the Department of Research, shown again in Appendix 3

of this document.

The focus of the analysis herein is the responses from the teaching staff in schools. Here

we consider each question in turn, and create a coding structure to interpret the data. These

codes are initially considered in isolation, before we attempt to develop emergent

categories from those kids, in an attempt to answer the questions outlined above, and

additionally triangulate that data with that considered in the survey analysis earlier in this

Chapter. To do this, the analysis first considers the emergent codes from each question in

turn, and then considers the two research questions in light of the categories (or themes)

which develop from that coding. It should be noted that in doing so, we subject breakdown

of the respondents is ignored, due to the small numbers of respondents involved.

When considering the categories, cross-reference is made to the responses from the

Directors in the Ministry of Education, who answered five different, but linked questions.

166

In attempting to triangulate the data in this way, we can compare the evidence from policy-

makers as well as those who implement those policies.

Question 1 – What kind of ICT do you use in the classroom?

A large number of respondents to this question cited projector based software/hardware

and educational software as the main sources of ICT use in the classroom. The former,

including software such as „MS PowerPoint‟ and the use of a data project, appears to be

commonplace within the teaching environment in Kuwait. Educational software, notably

that provided by the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, is also frequency used by teachers.

Additionally, the use of the internet, other standard applications (e.g. Excel) and

movie/subject based software are also included in the responses.

Question Codes Occurrences

1 PROJ 8

EDU 9

XLS 1

NET 3

MOV 1

SUBJ 1

Question 2 – What are the teaching methods that you use to integrate ICT in the classroom,

such as individual and team projects including lectures?

The responses to this question are very closely linked to that of question 1, as one might

expect given the nature of question 1 being focused on the actual methods used, and

question 2 being the methodology used to employ those methods. Here we can see that a

significant focus of the effort from teachers to integrate ICT into the classroom is focused

167

on three areas – participation, team activities and educational software. From the

respondents it seems that ICT acts as a key enabler to improve participation for learners in

the classroom.

„…cooperative education with use of ICT helps the teacher to explain his subject and

makes all students participating in the educational process…‟

(Interview Transcript 7)

Additionally, the use of educational software, as already adhered to in Question 1, seems

prevalent to teachers in Kuwait as a key method for learning and teaching. It appears that

the use of that software is linked to evidencing more practical approaches to learning,

whereby students can use more visual or „hands-on‟ approaches in learning and,

„…can see and interact with scientific material, for example in anatomy, the student can

experience virtual autopsy on some animals through educational program.‟

(Interview Transcript 8)

Another common response is the use of teamwork as a teaching and learning method

through ICT use. Respondents commented on the use of teams and „using 1 PC‟ per those

teams, to integrate ICT into the classroom.

Question Codes Occurrences

2 WKS 2

PART 4

EDU 5

TEAM 4

RES 1

MOV 1

168

Question 3 – What are the objectives that you want to achieve through the integration of

ICT?

In this question, four major areas are seen form the responses. A major objective

associated with the integration of ICT in the classroom is that of the efficiencies and speed

gained in its application, both from the perspective of preparing for lessons, and the

efficiency in which the subject matter is delivered during lessons:

„ICT helps the teacher to vary teaching methods and provides time and effort for student as

well as teacher.‟

(Interview Transcript 8)

Another common response here was the opportunity to provide real-life, applied, examples

of theoretical concepts applied in learning. ICT can enhance the opportunity to see visual

examples of the work they are undertaking, to enhance learning. Additionally, a more

traditionally conception associated with ICT is that it focuses the students attention and

increases interest in the subject matter undertaken – this is certainly the case in the

responses, with four occurrences in this code.

Standards and educational achievement is a common response, although surprisingly not

the highest with four occurrences. Some of the respondents see ICT as a valid method of

improving standards and outcomes for students:

„The best objective that I strive to achieve is to raise students‟ scientific and technological

level.‟

(Interview Transcript 5)

169

Question Codes Occurrences

3 QK 5

APP 4

ATT 4

STAND 4

VAR 1

CONF 1

ADMIN 1

TEAM 1

Question 4 – Are the students capable of using ICT during classes?

Overwhelmingly, the response to this question is positive about the ICT abilities of the

learners; in addition to the facilities they have access to in their home lives. For example,

one respondent describes the students abilities as ‘better than the teachers’ (Interview

Transcript 1), whilst another describes how they „…have not seen a single student who

does not have a computer at home’ (Interview Transcript 4). Other respondents describe

the constraints to students‟ use of ICT in the classroom, both in terms of the skills of the

teacher and the technology available:

„This depends on the type of technology used in the class and the teacher‟s ability in

class…‟

(Interview Transcript 12)

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Question Codes Occurrences

4 EXC 7

TEACH 3

PART 3

TECH 3

NUM 1

Question 5 – Have you noticed a change in the grasping capacity of the student while

using ICT in the educational process?

Respondents were overwhelmingly positive about the grasping capacity of students whilst

using ICT in the classroom. All 14 respondents fall into this coding, and many were very

positive about the experience of students in using ICT in the classroom:

„No doubt, the presence of ICT in the classroom is very useful for students…‟

(Interview Transcript 11)

Some of the respondents go further than simply describing the positive impact on students‟

grasping capacity. Others focus on the teacher‟s ability as a constraint, and others

emphasise that the use of ICT focuses students‟ attention, and raises interest.

Question Codes Occurrences

5 POS 14

TEACH 2

EDU 1

ATT 3

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Question 6 – Do you have comments, concerns or suggestions for the policy makers in the

Ministry of Education, or other teachers, about the ICT they use in the classroom?

In this part of the interviews, many of the respondents highlighted areas such as training

for teachers/teachers abilities in the classroom – „The Ministry of Education should hold

educational training for teachers…’ (Interview Transcript 6), the facilities associated with

ICT – ‘…improvement in the infrastructure of educational technology in schools’

(Interview Transcript 5) and the development of educational, or subject specific software –

‘We request the Ministry of Education to send for schools ready and advanced software’

(Interview Transcript 12).

Question Codes Occurrences

6 TEACH 6

QK 1

FAC 4

PART 2

SUBS 3

EDU 4

DIFF 1

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5.8.2 Developing Categories from Codes

Utilising the emergent codes from the research, categories have been created, as shown

below:

Figure 5.12: The Development of Categories from Codes

These categories were created by grouping the data into relevant areas. Given the nature of

the interview questions, some of these categories are more relevant to some questions than

others. However, these categories will be applied in answering the two key questions that

this element of the analysis considers in the next section.

5.8.3 Reviewing the Key Questions from the Research

Here we should remind ourselves of the original questions that we sought to answer,

namely:

• How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

• How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

19

7

33

13

17

21

7

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

VARIETY OF TEACHING APPROACHES

EFFIENCIES IN USING ICT

ICT TOOLS USED

MOTIVATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ICT USE

TEACHING STANDARDS AND ICT

IMPACT UPON STANDARDS

ICT FACILITIES

Frequency of Categories

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Herein, in attempting to answer those questions it is necessary to consider (a) the responses

of teachers who were interviewed, (b) in the context of the responses offered by Directors

from the Ministry of Education.

• How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

It is clear from the emergent categories that teachers in the Kuwaiti classroom use a

significant variety of ICT tools as methods for teaching, including educational software,

the internet, the use of projectors and presentational software. This is recognised by the

Ministry of Education:

„They use computers, data show, some educational programmes....‟

(Interview Transcript, Director of Research in the Ministry of Education)

Some of the most common including the use of educational software developed by the

Ministry of Education and the use of Data Projectors. It is possible to infer that there is a

well-established link between the production of software at Government level and its

application in the classroom.

Additionally, there is considerable variation in the nature of teaching approaches utilised in

teaching with ICT – from workshops, to group activities to individual students utilising the

internet for research. From our coding, we have seen that the opportunities to improve

participation levels are a major concern for teachers in using ICT in the classroom.

Another category emerging from the data is the critical factor that teaching standards in

ICT plays, coupled with the need for an effective framework for teaching staff. Teachers

appear to be concerned that it is their ICT skills which are critical in delivering effective

outcomes, and therefore impacts upon their confidence in pedagological approach.

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How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

The data from the interviews may answer this in a number of ways. Firstly, the impact

upon standards as a category (formed from the positive impact of ICT and the actual

standard of ICT ability) commonly occurs throughout the responses. Teachers in the

classroom believe that students have good ICT skills and that this enables them to use it as

a vehicle to improve understanding. Furthermore, this is also the perception of the

Ministry of Education:

„The use of ICT reduces the difficulty and contributes significantly to the understanding of

the curriculum.‟

(Interview Transcript, Director of Educational Technologies in the Ministry of Education)

Further to this, there is also a perception that ICT improves understanding by motivating

students to learn, through an attractive and interesting interface. This is a historical

perception of ICT, as a learning tool:

„The ICT also helps students to focus on study and keep away from boredom.‟

(Interview Transcript, Director of Educational Technologies in the Ministry of Education)

Finally, in answering this question, the categories also show the consideration that

„efficiencies‟ gained by ICT use also impact upon the student and teacher, in terms of

allowing them to better prepare for lessons, deliver longer plenary sessions and generally

have more time to focus on the learning experience.

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6 Discussion

6.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the study considers the results from both the questionnaires and the

interviews, with reference to both the context of Kuwait and the relevant research

emerging from the literature review.

This discussion will follow the five main research questions, and utilise evidence from

both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the analysis previously considered in

Chapter 5. At this juncture it is useful to remind the reader that there were four main

research objectives, which were originally shown in Chapter 1:

1. Investigate the difference that ICT makes to teaching and learning.

2. Explore how ICT affects teachers confident in the classroom.

3. Examine the teaching and ICT contributions to improving attainment – notably

students‟ perception of their attainment.

4. Investigate the advantages and disadvantages for using ICT in the classroom for

teachers and students in selected subjects in the curriculum.

These objectives were developed into research questions, which we can now attempt to

answer:

1. How confident are teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?

2. Does this confidence and application vary between subjects?

3. How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

4. Are there any differences between students’ teaching and learning in public schools

and private schools in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

5. Are there any differences between male and female students’ teaching and learning

in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

All five of these questions are considered by the quantitative analysis involving the

questionnaires. The questionnaires were split between a questionnaire designed for

teachers (completed by a sample size of 331) and a questionnaire designed for pupils (with

a sample size of 308). Both samples were split proportionately across a range of schools in

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Kuwait, reflecting the geographical distribution, gender and specialism of the Kuwaiti

education system.

The student questionnaire, shown in Appendix 1 of this document, is split into three major

sections. Firstly, students were requested to make an assessment of their ability in a variety

of computer skills or applications. Secondly, they were requested to assess their use of

specific ICT related tools or activities in both the home and the school. Finally, they were

requested to give their opinion on the use of ICT in the teaching process, to provide an

insight into their perceptions of ICT on the learning environment.

The teacher questionnaire, shown in Appendix 2 of this document, is split into four major

sections. The teacher question is largely reflective of the student questionnaire. Firstly,

similar to that of the students, respondents were requested to make an assessment of their

ability in a variety of computer skills or applications. Secondly, they are requested to

assess their use of specific ICT related tools or activities both in the home and in the

school. Finally, and distinctly different from the student questionnaire, they are requested

to give the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in the classroom, and assess the

impact of using ICT on the quality of their teaching.

The interviews undertaken (the transcripts from which can be seen in Appendix 3 of this

document) the interviews came in two major parts. Firstly, the researcher interviewed 14

teachers in primary and secondary education in Kuwait. Secondly, two Directors from the

Ministry of Education in Kuwait were interviewed – the Director of the Department for

Educational Technologies and the Director for the Department of Research. The

interviews for the teachers focused on the use and impact of ICT in the classroom, whilst

the interviews for the policy makers focused on the evidence of ICT use (and its associated

impact) in schools.

In the next sections of this Chapter, the researcher utilises the scales and analysis described

the previous undertaken in Chapter 5 to facilitate a detailed discussion into the major

questions outlined as part of the research. Where applicable, that discussion considers

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evidence from both the quantitative (questionnaire) analysis, as well as the qualitative

(interview) analysis, and attempts to relate any discussion to wider agreement in the

literature review.

In advance of discussing the major research questions, the use of independent variables is

now considered.

6.2 Use of Independent Variables

As previously discussed, the schools sample undertaken as part of the research is a broad

reflection of the educational „mix‟ in the country of Kuwait. The use of information on

independent variables is critical to the original research questions outlined earlier in this

Chapter. Namely, the research will focus on the differences between gender and ICT

use/impact, and similarly seeks to highlight any differences between public and private

education in the Kuwaiti education system.

Moreover, as Appendix 1, the student and teacher questionnaires show, the researcher is

also able to consider a number of other independent variables which will be adhered to in

the proceeding discussions. These include:

Subject specialism for teachers

Where relevant, the discussion make may use of these independent variable groups to

highlight any important points arising as a result of the data analysis.

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6.3 Research Question 1 - How confident are teachers in using ICT in the

teaching and learning process?

The first research question relates directly to the teacher questionnaire, and specifically to

two aspects considered within the questionnaire – namely sections two and three within the

teachers‟ questionnaire (Appendix 3). However, it is useful to consider further additional

aspects of the results associated with the responses from teachers, and as such this

discussion considers wider detail in attempting to answer the research question.

6.3.1 Teachers ability to effectively use ICT

Where teachers were requested to assess their own confidence in ICT use, the research

shows a consistently high level of response (in terms of confidence) to the various features

listed. For example, as shown in Table 6.1 below, the highest mean responses were

associated with basic tasks such as operating a PC, management of files, using the internet

etc (all with mean responses of over 4 where 1= Very unconfident and 5=Very confident).

The lowest responses were for activities such as designing web pages, use of packages

such as Photoshop or flash and publishing a personal blog. These results are as what the

research might expect to see, given some of the specialist knowledge an individual would

require to be very confident in some of the more „difficult‟ activities listed. The researcher

allocated a high, medium and low banding to the arithmetic mean associated with the

results, whereby high is between 3.68 and 5, medium is between 2.34 and 3.67 and low is

between 1 and 2.33. According to this banding, 10 of the 20 ICT activities were rated by

respondents as „high‟ and the other 10 as „medium‟.

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Table 6.1: Teachers Confidence in ICT

ICT Feature Mean Level of Use

Basics of operating PC (using keyboard, mouse …

etc.)

4.59 High

Managing files (delete, move to, … etc.) 4.44 High

Searching for information on the Internet 4.3 High

Internet browsing 4.25 High

Using word processor ( such as word program ) 4.23 High

Searching for saved data on hard disk or compact

disk

4.13 High

Downloading files from the Internet 4.11 High

Using Email ( reading and sending mails) 4.08 High

Using PowerPoint software 3.86 High

Using data show basis on PC as projection tool 3.74 High

Deleting or editing pictures, animations or movies 3.6 Medium

Using chat rooms and forums (Facebook, Twitter) 3.6 Medium

Combining files from different resources (sound or

video files ) to create presentations

3.59 Medium

Using digital camera 3.53 Medium

Use spreadsheet processor (such as excel program ) 3.5 Medium

Producing learning software 3.2 Medium

Creating or Using data base processor (such as

access program)

3.09 Medium

Publishing a personal blog 2.84 Medium

Using different designing programs (Photoshop,

Flash)

2.78 Medium

Designing web page or personal site 2.69 Medium

N=331

An interesting feature of the results is the movement of the standard deviation against the

arithmetic mean shown by the 20 aspects of ICT that teachers self-assessed against. For the

ICT features that respondents rated themselves as most confident – i.e. „Basics of

Operating a PC‟ (mean = 4.59), the standard deviation is conversely the lowest (s.d. =

0.863), or rather 68% of respondents were within 0.863 of the mean value in this instance

(and similarly 95% were with two standard deviations or 1.725). As we move down the

scale to more „complex‟ tasks, the standard deviations increase, implying a more widely

distributed response from the teachers in terms of their confidence. However, as we reach

the most „complex‟ tasks, the data shows a slight drop in the standard deviation of the

results. I.e. the suggestion is that for the most complicated tasks there is less variability in

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light of the specialist nature required. For the more „intermediate‟ tasks, there are high

levels of variability in the responses. This is perhaps expected given the nature of the 5

point scale adopted as part of the research, and the results are depicted in Figure 6.1 below.

The „categories‟ can be seen in the teacher questionnaire within Appendix 2 of this

document.

Figure 6.1: Arithmetic Mean against Standard Deviation for Confidence in ICT of

Teachers

Regardless of the variability in responses, the results displayed here are reflective of what

the researcher would expect to see from a self-assessment on those particular ICT features.

These results, in some cases, exceed those displayed in other studies, for example Al

Shaweesh (2010), whereby Teachers were excellent in mastering the use of computers and

managing files with an arithmetic mean amounted to 3.39 out of 5.00. Similarly, for

Abdullah (2012) were means were significantly lower than the results displayed within this

research. However, the researcher recognises the distinction between self-assessment and

other forms of measuring tools.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Arithmetic Mean

Standard Deviation

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6.3.2 ICT Use in Practice

Having depicted a positive picture of teachers‟ own perceptions of their ability through

self-assessment, it is now useful to attempt to develop the impact on their teaching styles

and the impact upon using that ICT in actual teaching practices. For this purpose, the

original questionnaires requested teachers to assess how much they used ICT in the home

and how much they use ICT in the classroom. This ranged from Never (=1) to Daily (=5)

against 15 aspects of ICT.

The results showed us that those areas where one might expect a teacher to use more at

home (i.e. Use the internet to obtain teaching resources or create a document using a word

processor) had higher arithmetic means that those that the researcher may expect to show

high levels at school (i.e. use of an interactive whiteboard). This is consistent with the

expectations of the research.

Focusing on the application of the ICT tools in school use, the results show that the most

consistently utilised functionality was around computer management (looking up

information on a hard disk drive or CD) with a mean of 2.91 and using the internet to

obtain resources with a mean of 2.79. Perhaps the most startling initial feature of these

results is that there are significant numbers of „Low‟ scores, based on our previous

interpretation of the arithmetic mean results. For instance, the use of interactive

whiteboards, software to monitor student attainment and participation in on-line bulletin

boards all had arithmetic means below 1, with the modal group being „never‟. This

immediate distinction between the confidence of teachers previously discussed goes

against some research, whereby confidence in ICT ability is suggested to lead to action, for

example in Ward and Parr, 2010 or Nico, Ruttena and Wouter, 2011.

The low use in tools such as interactive whiteboards is considerably surprising; especially

in relation to existing research such as Zaylie (2007) who describes the use of them as

„embedded‟ in common teaching practices. Similarly, the use of subject specific software,

with a mean score of 2.37, we might expect to see as higher given existing research

describing its use, such as Al-Mustafa (2000) or Al-Hadlaq (2003).

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The data from the interviews is contradictory to those displayed in the questionnaires, for

example, educational software and projector use were two of the highest occurring

categories shown in the analysis in response to the question, „What kind of ICT do you use

in the classroom?‟. Moreover, a director from the Ministry of Education comments that

teachers use a variety of „…computers, data show, some educational programmes…‟

(Interview Transcript, Director Research in the Ministry of Education). Although this is

not a frequency-based question, the researcher might still expect greater consistency

between the highest recorded categories in the interview analysis, to the quantitative data

analysis.

6.3.3 Perceptions of the Impact of ICT on Teaching Styles and Pedagogy

In light of the discussion thus far, the research can be begin to paint a fuller picture of the

skills and employed of various element of ICT in the Kuwaiti classroom. In response to the

original research question, the research now looks more specifically at the impact of that

ICT use on teaching styles and pedagogy in the Kuwaiti classroom.

Interestingly, teachers in Kuwait are favourable with regards to the potential impact that

ICT can make to their teaching styles. On a four-point scale when asked to evaluate the

extent that ICT in teaching changes their teaching methods , where 1 = no change and 4 =

high level of change, the arithmetic mean for all respondents is 2.68. This is consistent

with research offered by Kennewell (2007) and Morrisa (2011).

Of course, it is fundamental such that teachers need to be convinced of the need to

effective apply ICT in the classroom, to actually undertake the training and development

associated with implementing it. In the research, teachers were requested to move from

evaluating the overall impact of the use of ICT to be more specific about the advantages

and disadvantages associated with ICT use in the classroom. Here, the research requested

teachers to agree or disagree with a series of statements, on a five point scale.

Here the results provide a greater insight of the impact upon pedagogy. The statements

most agreed with by teachers include those related to motivational and visual aspects (ICT

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makes teaching more interesting for me, ICT improves the presentation of material in my

lessons, ICT makes the lessons more fun for the students all rated with arithmetic means

greater than 3.5). This is a reflection of numerous research studies such as Cox (1997),

Bullock (2001) and Denning‟s (1997). Additionally, the economies of utilising ICT in

preparing for teaching is also reflected – for example, finding it easy to think of ways to

use ICT in teaching rated highly, with an arithmetic mean of over 3.96.

The „disadvantages‟ associated with ICT in teaching are a reflection of the generally

positive attitude of the respondents. Only disruption of lessons due to problems with

hardware or software (with an arithmetic mean of 3.09 and a modal group of „Neither

agree nor disagree‟ showed any notable presence in the responses. For example,

statements such as „ICT makes teaching more difficult‟ and „ICT decreases students‟

motivation‟ held arithmetic means of 2.21 and 2.34 respectively, and were in modal groups

of „Disagree‟ and „Strongly Disagree‟.

Respondents in the teachers‟ questionnaire were equally positive in terms of the question

(see Appendix 2) where they were asked to assess the ways in which ICT affects them as a

teacher. These included issues perhaps more pertinent to pedagogy, such as the role as the

impact of ICT on the learning climate, the role of the teacher, relationships,

professionalism and interaction between students. In all aspects of this part of the

questionnaire, the mean average was over 3.5 – with „ICT positively changes the learning

climate in my classroom‟ the highest with a mean of 3.87 and a modal group of „Agree‟.

As an example, the positivity relayed by the respondents in relation to the statement „ICT

enhances my role as a leader‟ is reflective of the findings shown by Kennewell (2005).

Similarly, in the context of the learning climate, the results from the research here are

consistent with that of Al Suba'ie (2002).

With regards to the impact on teachers‟ pedagogy in the classroom, the research associated

with the interviews perhaps allows us to glean more than the quantitative analysis. In

respect to Question 1 as applied in the interviews (What kind of ICT do you use in the

classroom?) the research shows that projector hardware and education software (typically,

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subject specific) dominate. In relation to projectors, the most relevant software includes

presentational applications such as MS PowerPoint. Notably, the use of subject specific

software, such as packages provided by the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, is also

prevalent in this area.

Question 2 focused on the teaching methods utilised to integrate ICT in the classroom, and

is more directly linked to pedagogy. Here, perhaps most distinctly linked to the

constructionist principle, we see ties to „participation‟, „teamwork‟ and „educational

software‟. It would appear that the respondents see ICT as an enabler of increased levels

of participation in the learning environment:

„cooperative education with the use of ICT helps the teacher to explain his subject and

makes all student participating in the educational process…‟

(Interview Transcript 7)

Whilst the ability of ICT to develop interactivity and responsiveness within a classroom

setting is agreed upon by a range of research, for example in Hargreaves (2010) or

Kennewell (2007) it is clear from responses such as this, that the use of ICT has moved

from being a focus of the interaction, to a tool which allows higher levels of interactivity to

take place, as advocated in research such as Beauchamp (2011) or in Smith et al. (2005).

The interactivity enabled by the use of ICT is moving from a „technological‟ one to a

„pedagogical‟ aspect.

It is also clear from the coding in the interviews that the use of ICT is enabling more

practical and „hands-on‟ approaches to learning, specifically in relation to providing real-

life examples through the use of educational software provided by the Ministry of

Education in Kuwait. For example, this is supported by the findings of Al-Sanee (2012).

We must however, recognise that this is based on a small sample of teachers (14) and that,

as summarized in many research papers, the use of specific software packages and the

success of implementing them is firmly linked to the confidence of the practitioners

implementing them.

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The other major method than interviewees reported was that of increased use of teamwork

or group activities as a result of the implementation of methods involving ICT. Again, this

points to a constructivist notion, whereby increased the teaching methods promote

increased „dialogue and discourse‟ (Gould, 1996).

„Mostly I use team projects, lectures and sometimes self learning. I use team works as it is

very suitable and interesting for math classes and I use only one computer for each team.‟

(Interview Transcript 4)

Teachers who participated in the interviews were also asked about the objectives that they

sought through the integration of ICT in their classrooms. Whilst there were common

„efficiency‟ type objectives, we can also see from the coding that again the opportunity to

offer real-life examples of the work is relevant in this area. Here however we see a

contradiction from some of the teachers involved in the interviews. Whilst, as discussed

previously, the interviews suggest that teachers are witnessing the movement towards

pedagogical enhancement through ICT we still observe here a concerted opinion that the

motivation of teachers through using ICT is to increase „attention‟ – a more traditional

view of the benefits of utilising ICT in the classroom.

There is clear an overall response which is generally positive about the impact of ICT in

the classroom, with the issue of raising standards reported by a number of interviewees in

their objectives for ICT use. Similarly, and anecdotally, teachers are positive about the

impact of ICT use in their classroom – and thus we can infer that, given available and

appropriate ICT facilities, they would surely be influenced in their choice to use them, and

moreover the teaching styles employed in their lessons:

„No doubt, the presence of ICT in the classroom is very useful for students…‟

(Interview Transcript 14)

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6.4 Research Question 2 - Does this confidence and application vary between

subjects?

The original research question of „How confedent are the techers in using ICT on teaching

and learing?‟ stipulated that the research would investigate the differences in this question,

associated with the subject specialism associated with the teachers responding to the

questionnaire. The analysis shown in the previous chapter adheres to this, highlighting the

results broken down by teachers‟ responses across all major elements of the questionnaire.

Here we consider and interpret each of those major components of the questionnaires in

turn.

In terms of the teachers‟ confidence in their ICT use, we can see a considerable difference

in the results broken down by subject, with English, Arabic, Science and then Mathematics

specialism‟s the „general‟ order of the results in most cases. English teachers are broadly

more confident in the use of ICT, in a classroom setting or otherwise, than the other

subjects.

This is an interesting finding. Commonly, it could be interpreted that teachers of

mathematics and science might be more likely to have higher ICT skills than teachers in

the languages, given the often technical nature of ICT use. However, it is possible also to

suggest that teachers of languages such as Arabic or English are perhaps more confident of

their own ICT use, whilst not necessarily being more technically proficient.

Even in areas such as „creating or using database processors‟ such as MS Access, English

teachers are more confident in their ICT use than their mathematical counterparts. Some

areas, such as the „Use of Word processor‟ we might expect to see a higher response from

English teachers, but others are unexplained.

There is little in the literature or theory to describe why these two languages might have

greater ICT ability than their more scientific/technical counterparts. As such, the researcher

might seek to infer that this distinction is down to their interpretation of the questionnaire

187

and the confidence they have in their own ability, notably for the nuances in using areas

such as databases, as described above.

The use of ICT in schools was examined next. Here, the breakdown by subjects shows a

slightly different pattern than the confidence in ICT. Science teachers across the range of

ICT aspects are far more likely to use ICT in schools, with mathematics teachers the least

likely to. English and Arabic teachers fluctuate across variables in terms of rank order.

Studies such as Scardamalia and Bereiter (2000) or Al-Omar (2001) suggest that the use of

ICT in Science can be particularly rewarding and beneficial to the students involved.

Science offers significant opportunities to utilise some of the major benefits of ICT in

schools – as an example highlighting real-world examples – as described in much of the

research, including the work of Scardamalia and Bereiter (2000) in developing knowledge-

supporting material or the use of videos or digital media to evidence things which cannot

be effectively shown in the classroom – Al-Mustafa (2000).

The results shown here are also at odds with the results described in some of the research.

For instance, that of Al-Hadlaq (2003) who suggested that few science teachers use ICT

other than animation or word-processing applications. As an example, the highest mean

for „Create lessons that incorporate simulation software‟ was for science, and similarly for

using the internet, setting homework and using subject-specific software.

Even in areas that we might not necessarily expect science teachers to use ICT more so

than others, significant differences are shown. „Using software to monitor the students‟

scores‟ is one example, with an arithmetic mean of 2.13 in comparison to English (1.94),

Arabic (1.92) and mathematics (1.65).

As already discussed, teachers ICT use at home is broadly higher than their ICT in schools.

This „gap‟ is evident when the data is broken down into the four subjects. Here, the

analysis shows far less variability in terms of the subjects, with less significance shown in

the T-test results. This points to a more consistent level of ICT use and (inherently)

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capability when in the home, but a greater application in science, and lesser application in

mathematics, when in a school setting.

Very few of the variations in mean are significant in comparison to the other elements of

the survey. Only four areas showed significance in the variation of means, broken down by

subject. These were „Using the internet to obtain teaching resources‟ (English with the

highest mean at 3.79), „Set computer-based homework‟ (Science with the highest mean at

3.11), „Use email to communicate with other teachers‟ (English with the highest mean at

1.84) and „Use interactive whiteboard‟s (Mathematics with the highest mean at 1.72).

Setting computer based homework could possibly refer to the availability of online-

resources in Science and perhaps the more investigative nature of the subject. The result

for using email to communicate with other teachers perhaps is intuitive given English

teachers‟ perceived ability as communicators. The other two categories are far more

difficult to explain – it is the opinion of the researcher that possibly teachers of

mathematics are more likely to use interactive whiteboards to prepare for lessons, whilst

English teachers are more likely to use the internet, and conscious of the role that the

internet can offer in improving the curriculum.

Teachers were also invited to agree and disagree with statements made in relation to their

experience of using ICT in teaching. In this instance, only two statements showed

significant variation in the mean responses when broken down by subject.

In responding to the statement „I find it easy to think of ways to use computer in my

teaching‟ the significant variation stems from the fact that mathematics teachers were more

negative about the statement. Again, this ties in with the fact that mathematics teachers are

less likely to use ICT in schools. Similarly, the statement „ICT makes teaching more

interesting for me‟ also shows mathematics teachers being less favourable in their

responses; highlighting the fact that they are less likely to implement ICT measures in the

classroom.

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At a more macro level, when combining the separate elements of the questionnaire into

variables, we ding that it is the use of ICT that is most explained the subject specialism.

Confidence appears to differ more significantly at a specific applicstion or task level,

whilst use of ICT varies more across subjects when considered as whole.

6.5 Summary of Teacher Analysis

The results from the teachers‟ perspective, in terms of answering the first and second

research question, offer a number of incites. These include:

1. Teachers are broadly confident about their use of ICT and its applications.

2. In spite of their confidence, their use of ICT to influence teaching methods, both at

home and at school is relatively low, which is especially surprising in established

areas such as the use of Interactive Whiteboards.

3. The use of ICT is met with positivity from teachers, contradictory to its actual

implementation and application.

4. When ICT is used, some teachers believe that it encourages more constructivist

approaches in the classrooms and increases the diversity of pedagogical approaches.

5. English teachers are more confident in their use of ICT, whilst science teachers are

more likely to employ ICT in the classroom. Teachers of mathematics are less likely

to be either confident in ICT use or apply methods using ICT, or believe in its value.

These findings take us some way to answering the two questions „How confident are

teachers in using ICT in the teaching and learning process?‟ Does this confidence and

application vary between subjects?as we find a situation in Kuwait whereby clearly ICT

offers positive impacts on teachers‟ pedagogical approaches, encouraging a more modern

and constructivist environment, yet its application is low, and variable across subjects. In

spite of positive attitudes from teachers, there exists a „gap‟ between skills and application,

which the next Chapter attempts to address.

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6.6 Research Question 3 - How do students use ICT in the classroom and at

home?

Students‟ perceptions of ICT and the impact on their learning are considered through the

two major evidences sources undertaken as part of the research. In this section, similar to

the first, the research considers the major areas emerging from the research.

6.6.1 Using ICT at School

Students were requested to assess their exposure to ICT use in schools. From the results,

we can see that ICT use in Kuwaiti schools as reported by the students is very

disappointing. All bar one of the responses received a modal group response of „Never‟,

with the only result response which gathered a modal group result higher than „Never‟ was

designing websites, and the mean average of all the responses was lower than 2.5,

something we classified as a „low‟ in the definitions contained within the research. This is

considerably at odds with the perception of ICT use of the researcher and broadly the

intimation of much of the research and literature surrounding ICT use in schools across the

world, and certainly in wealthy countries such as Kuwait.

The order of responses is also surprising – for instance, the second highest mean average is

in the category „I browse the internet for fun‟, which has a mean average of 2.42 and 29%

of respondents claimed that they did this on a „daily‟ basis. This is something the

researcher would not expect students in Kuwait to be undertaking, in schools, on a daily

basis – whilst it is clearly something they would be more likely to do in the home.

Similarly, „I play games‟ on the computer ranks as the 5th

highest response of the 20 feature

listed. Whilst the questionnaire did not distinguish between recreational and educational

games, as in Al-Ghamdi (2010), it is still surprising to see this ranked as highly as it did.

Some of the lowest scores are attributed to aspects of ICT that we might perceive to be

more widely used in the classroom. For example „I use some spreadsheets‟ had a mean

average of 0.87 and a modal group of „Never‟, also „I use the internet to look up

information‟ fared even worse with a mean average of 0.78 and also a modal group of

„Never‟.

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6.6.2 Using ICT in the Home

Significantly, ICT use in the home is considerably rates considerably higher than ICT use

in schools. Across the spectrum of ICT functions students were asked to assess themselves

by, ICT use in the home has a higher mean average score. Figure 6.2 below highlights the

considerable „gap‟ between Home and School use.

Figure 6.2: ICT use in the Home versus School

This gap was pre-supposed to have existed at the onset of the research. However, the

results shown here are quite surprising. Even in tasks that the researcher might expect to be

higher in the school environment, the mean average of school use remains lower. For

example, functional areas such as „using educational software to learn some lessons‟ is

higher in the home (1.54 mean) in comparison to school (1.35). Similarly, the use of some

„spreadsheets‟ is higher, with a mean average of 1.34 for home use and 0.87 in schools.

The magnitude of the difference here is quite high, and harks back to the original premise

of the Kuwaiti Government‟s strategy, whereby bridging the gap between home and school

use of ICT was one of the fundamental aims.

From the perspective of frequency of ICT use in the home, students suggest that they most

frequently use ICT for fun, over and above homework or other learning type activities.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Home

School

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This is not a consideration of the research, and is expectedly a social norm in most

advanced countries.

6.6.3 Students’ perceptions of ICT in the teaching/learning process

The fundamental aim of this specific research question is to investigate students‟

perceptions of ICT in the learning process, and therefore students were invited to

agree/disagree (1=Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree) with a series of statements

associated with the use of ICT in the and how it impacts upon their learning. From the

results, we can see range of responses with „I enjoy lessons with computers‟ (3.95) to

„Computers scare me‟ (1.99), all of which are notably positive in their response.

Notably, in this aspect of the results, the standard deviation is quite high – with the

aforementioned categories having a standard deviation in responses of 1.135 and 1.263

respectively. Students enjoyment of lessons with computers can be related back to the

literature quite clearly, for example through researchers such as Cox (1997) and Bullock

(2001), again re-iterating the „technological‟ aspect of motivation as opposed to a

„pedagogical‟ one.

Perhaps the most important result shown here is from the aspect „ICT is very helpful in my

learning process‟, where students are in some way assessing the impact of ICT in teaching

and learning. Again, students are positive with a mean average of 3.81. Again, this should

be put into context with the variance in response – a standard deviation of 1.190.

It is notable that a number of the more „negative‟ statements still received relatively high

responses, „I find it time-consuming using ICT in learning‟ is one such example, with a

mean average of 2.63. In spite of having a modal group of „Strongly Disagree‟, this feature

was rated as „Strongly Agree‟ or „Agree‟ by over 27% of respondents. These findings are at

odds with researchers such as Ahmed (2012), who suggest that ICT saves time in the

teaching and learning process. Here, we can see that many respondents believe that ICT

actually takes more time in learning, and is thus obstructive to the learning process itself.

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Another example highlights the „gap‟ between ICT use in the home and in the school is the

aspect „I know how to use ICT but am not interested in using it to learn‟. This differential

between home and school based ICT use, as highlighted in previous sections, is evidenced

by a mean score of 2.85, with 33% responding with „Strongly Agree‟ or „Agree‟. Here, the

research is showing evidence that potentially this gap is not simply caused by unavailable

resources or teachers‟ lack of ICT utilisation, but also a lack of will from the students in

participating in , and effectively using, ICT in the teaching and learning process.

Another negative statement which stands out in the responses is „I have better information

sources than ICT‟ in reference to students utilising other resources (for example, books or

libraries) than ICT. The mean average response to this statement was 2.88, with the modal

group of „Undecided‟ with over 32% of respondents saying they either „Strongly Agree‟ or

„Agree‟ with the statement. How this is interpreted is debateable – it could be argued it is a

good reflection of the facilities available in Kuwaiti schools, or a poor reflection of

students‟ abilities to harness the internet. In the digital age, and given the results discussed

in terms of students‟ ICT confidence, then it is possible to infer that this negativity is linked

more closely with the former of these two.

6.6.4 Students Confidence Level in ICT Use

Students were invited to rate their confidence against two ICT features, similar to the

teachers questionnaire. The results here are very positive, with a majority of categories

rating as „high‟ in accordance with the criteria developed by the researcher. Indeed, only

three categories had a modal group other than „Very confident‟ – these were „producing

learning software‟, „publishing a personal blog‟ and „designing a web page or personal

site‟. These are amongst the most technical features listed and as such it is what we might

reasonably expect to be shown in the results, and are perhaps more applicable for teachers

as opposed to students.

The standard deviation of some responses is quite high, with „Basics of operating a PC‟

having a standard deviation of 1.317 away from the mean response of 4.22. Also, „Using

chat rooms and forums‟ had a standard deviation of 1.238 away from the mean of 4.11.

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The overall positivity in response to this part of the questionnaire is what we might

reasonably expect from the use of ICT by younger people in society today. Students are

exposed widely to ICT use in the home and everyday life, in addition to any exposure in

schools. Where many of the activities are inherently more technical than others, we can see

a drop in responses, as the researcher would anticipate. This is widely reflective of the

qualitative data taken from the interviews of teachers. For example, one of the teachers

describes the students as „better than the teachers‟ (Interview Transcript 1) and another

highlights the fact that they have not seen „…a single student who does not have a

computer at home (Interview Transcript 4).

6.6.5 Summary

The results from the students‟ perspective, in terms of answering the third research

question, offer a number of incites. These include:

1. Students are very critical of their use of ICT, reflective of the teachers‟ application

of ICT, notably in features the research would hope to be utilised more, such as

spreadsheets or use of the internet to look up information.

2. Considerably more use of ICT, even in a learning context, is actively undertaken in

the home, which still points to the prevailing gap between home use and application

in the classroom.

3. Students are positive, to an extent, about the application of ICT in the classroom and

its impact on their learning. However, there are still considerable reservations about

the use of ICT and a belief amongst students that it can negatively impact their

learning.

4. Students are extremely confident about their ICT use, similar again to teachers,

which highlights the potentially wasted opportunity that the lack of ICT provision

highlights.

These findings take us some way to answering the question „How do students use ICT in

the classroom and at home?‟ notably that there is conceivable evidence to suggest there is

certainly capacity from students (in addition to that from teachers highlighted in the last

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section) to utilise the full scope that ICT can offer. This has to be married with the

existence of criticisms relating to the impact of ICT, which we will further discuss in the

next chapter.

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6.7. Research Question 4 - Are there any differences between students’ teaching

and learning in public schools and private schools in terms of their use of

ICT in the classroom?

Whilst in the previous section the research examined the overall perceptions of students of

ICT use and the impact on learning, we now focus on the split between public and private

schools in terms of the original research question that asks „Are there any differences

between students teaching and learning in public and private schools in terms of their

exposure to, and use of ICT in the classroom?‟. The analysis associated with this question

is shown in section 5.5 of this thesis. It should be noted at this stage, that there is a genuine

lack of notable research in this area, in terms of the literature, and therefore much of the

interpretation here is based on the opinions of the researcher.

The first notable finding of the results is associated with the students‟ use of ICT in school.

Here, from the results we can see, across all categories of ICT, that public school students

are far more likely to use ICT more regularly than their private sector counterparts. This is

interesting; as it might be possible to perceive that private schools would have more access

to funds than public (state funded) schools and therefore would have better use of the

technology. There are a number of possibilities that could explain this difference.

It could be the case that public schools have more ICT facilities available to them, and

spend a greater proportion of their resources on ICT. Alternatively, teachers in public

schools may take more opportunities to embed ICT into their teaching, thereby exposing

the students involved to greater use. Finally, it could be that students in public schools have

a different perception of the frequency of use of the categories – i.e. they may interpret the

meanings of daily/weekly/monthly differently, although this is unlikely.

It is the opinion of the researcher that the reasons for this gap is that the teachers and

schools in the public sector are more open to ICT use. It seems unlikely there is a

significant difference in the availability of ICT, given the relative wealth of Kuwait as a

state and similarly the affluence of the private sector. It is possible that due to the increased

pressure of a fee-paying environment, schools and teachers are less likely to experiment

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and provide opportunities for ICT use in the classroom. It is possible that the ICT capacity

of schools, i.e. what resources they actually have, could be a further line of research.

In terms of ICT use in the home, the research shows that broadly private school students

are more likely to use ICT more often that those students from public schools. This is

expected, given the relative wealth of private school individuals. However, it may be more

to do with concerns of parents, and a focus on using ICT to develop their skills and

education. However, this is contradictory to the supposition that private schools are less

likely to employ ICT in the classroom, due to „parent-pressure‟ or being more results

driven. Looking more closely at the results, there is no discernable pattern shown in terms

of differences between the public and private school students. Public school students, for

instance, are more likely to „shop on the internet‟, „make films or animations‟ but private

school students are more likely to „play games on the computer‟. In a more academic

sense, public school students are more likely to „use spreadsheets‟ whereas private school

students are more likely to use „educational software‟.

In combining the various elements of the questionnaire, in terms of use of ICT, the results

again supported the fact that students from public schools used ICT more than their private

school counterparts, although this was a more marked difference in the ICT use at school,

in comparison to ICT use at home.

The next element of the analysis is concerned with students‟ perceptions of using ICT in

learning and teaching. Here, the research shows another notable gap between public and

private school students. Notably, public school students were more likely to disagree with

the positive statements and similarly more likely to agree with the negative statements.

Public school students are less likely to be positive about their experiences in using ICT in

schools. This is in contrast with the volume of ICT they respond to using in schools.

The fact that public school students are less favourable than their private school

counterparts could be for a number of reasons. Potentially, it could be down to the quality

of teaching and the skills that the teachers possess in successfully embedding ICT into the

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curriculum. Alternatively, it could be due to the expectations of the public school students

being higher than private schools, although this is unlikely given that private school

students are more confident in ICT use and as such we might reasonably expect to be more

demanding of the teachers. It is the opinion of the researcher that this is linked to the

quality of teaching and the application of ICT than anything else – this again is a notable

are for further research.

Students were finally invited to assess their confidence in ICT use against a number of

categories of ICT use. Here, the results show a significantly more confident response from

private school students that their public school counterparts, with an almost a uniform

„gap‟ across all categories in the responses. The only exception being for „producing

learning software‟ – which is not necessarily a skill that we might expect secondary school

students to have mastered. This finding is also supported when combining the individual

elements of the questionnaire.

These results are a reflection of the home use of ICT by private and public school students,

and the consistent gap in the results for that area. It is also interesting to compare these

results with the positivity shown by the students in terms of the impact of ICT on their

learning. In fact, it is the opinion of the researcher that the relative positivity shown by

private school students in terms of the impact of ICT use, is a reflection of their confidence

in using ICT, and that more highly skilled students will benefit more from ICT use in the

classroom; the same truth could be said of the teachers‟ ICT skills (Ward and Parr, 2010).

In summary, the significant differences shown here between public and private school

students are:

1. Students from public schools are very more likely to be exposed to ICT use in the

classroom than their private school counterparts.

2. Students from private schools however, are more positive about the impact of ICT

use: potentially pointing to the dangers of over-use, or even that teachers are failing

to successfully use ICT in teaching and learning.

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3. Public school students are less confident about their own use of ICT than private

school students. Private school students increased confidence could be an

explanation of their beliefs and values about the impact of ICT use in teaching and

learning.

Again, this section brings us closer to answering the research question „Are there any

differences between students‟ teaching and learning in public schools and private schools

in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom??‟ where we have described a situation where

fundamentally (a) public school students use ICT more, but (b) are less positive about the

impact of ICT on their learning. This brings an interesting conundrum – is using too much

ICT bad for our children‟s‟ learning?

Fundamentally, this question is dependent upon the appropriateness of that ICT use – the

use of technology for its own sake or for valid and pedagogical reasons – and the research

explores that theme in the next chapter.

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6.8. Research Question 5 - Are there any differences between male and female

students’ teaching and learning in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

The final key research question outlined in Chapter 1 focuses on differences between the

genders in relation to their expose to, and use of, ICT in the classroom. Similar to the last

section, and the corresponding analysis, the research now sets out the student

questionnaires broken down by male and female respondents. Here, considerably more

research and literature exists, as documented in the literature review of this thesis.

Students were firstly invited to describe the frequency of their ICT use in school. Here, the

results are inconclusive, with variations in the mean showing higher results for male and

females across the various elements of ICT use. Only two elements of ICT based

provision show significant results – one in favour of males (finding information on hard

disks and CD ROMs) and the other for females (I shop on the internet). It is evident from

the results that there is no profound difference in the school-based ICT use of male or

female students.

Students were then invited to describe the frequency of ICT use in the home. In this

analysis, only one element of ICT showed any significant variation in the mean – namely

that of „I shop on the internet‟ – an activity with females performed more frequently than

boys. The lack of variability in ICT use is supported by theorists such as Liao (1999), but

in contradiction to research such as Whitley (1997), Boser, Palmer & Daugherty (1998 or

Bame et al. (1993) who describe a situation whereby males generally are more interested in

ICT than females.

In terms of students‟ perception of the impact ICT use, there is again no significant

difference between male and female students in the research. Once more, the t-test results

show no significance at 95% confidence levels. This finding is supported by the work of

researchers such as Vekiri (2010), who found no difference in students‟ perceptions of ICT

use.

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Finally, students were invited to assess their confidence in ICT use. The results showed a

broad trend of higher average means (i.e. greater confidence) for females than males. This

is a result that surprised the researcher, as traditionally we might expect male to have more

confidence in their ICT use than females (Hill, Loch, Straub and Elsheshai, 1998) or at

least they would be at equivalent levels (Vekiri, 2010). It is significant that this research

shows higher values for females than males and it is the opinion of the researcher that this

represents a significant shift in thinking and theory associated with the gender „gap‟ in ICT

use.

In summary, the significant differences shown here between male and female school

students are:

1. There is no discernable difference between male and female students in terms of

ICT use in schools or in the home.

2. There is no discernable difference in terms of any impact on their learning.

3. Female students are more confident than their male counterparts.

Finally, this enables the research to answer the question „Are there any differences between

male and female students‟ teaching and learning in terms of their use of ICT in the

classroom?‟ Whilst no significant differences exist, the interesting conclusion from the

research is that female students are now more confident (a trend that has reversed over the

last two decades) than their male counterparts. In spite of agreement over impact on

learning, it is clear that if greater reliance upon methods involving ICT is to be embedded

in Kuwaiti educational culture, that any gap between the sexes will have a negative impact

on the weaker genders‟ learning. This finding this supported when considering the

individual questions combined, and proved through the implementation of a Mann-

Whitney test, to be significant.

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7 Conclusions and Recommendations

7.1. Introduction

This chapter summarises the research and thereafter attempts to make recommendations

associated with those findings. This follows the two preceding chapters, the analysis and

the discussion, in considering each of the key questions in turn. Similarly, the

recommendations will be based on the findings associated with each research question.

Additionally, the chapter investigates the limitations associated with this piece of research

and proposes areas of further study for the researcher, or indeed other researchers in this

field.

The main question of this research was: „A Study on the Scale and Nature of ICT use in

Secondary Classrooms in Kuwait‟. The researcher then derived five sub-questions, all of

which were addressed through the questionnaire (and quantitative) analysis, and the first

two of which were suplemmented by the use of interview (and qualitiative) analysis.

7.2. Research Question 1 - How confident are teachers in using ICT in the

teaching and learning process?

Teachers‟ responses reflect a general confidence in ICT use, especially for the most basic

and intuitive PC tasks. According to the classification used by the researcher, over half of

the ICT skills or applications listed were rated as „high‟, with the remainder rated as

„medium‟. Those skills which rated worst were the ones that we would most likely expect

to see, tasks which are far more technical in nature. The overall mean for all the tasks was

3.71, which means that they were close to „confident‟.

Teachers‟ use of ICT in both the home and school is low, with a mean average of 2.31

(between occasionally and monthly) in the home and 2.26 in the school, describing their

use of ICT in preparing for teaching practice and school-related activities. The results were

reflective of what we might expect from home based ICT use in addition to school based

ICT use. For example, they are more likely to „use the internet to obtain teaching

resources‟ at home and „use an interactive whiteboard‟ at school.

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Whilst low levels of ICT use in the home may be a comment on teachers‟ dedication to the

role, or expectations from the schools on them, the low levels of use in schools is startling.

As used as an example in chapter 6, the modal group of „never‟ to describe the use of

interactive whiteboard provides a glimpse into the failings of the Kuwaiti education system

to embed such „standard‟ ICT tools such as this into their system. Whilst some of these

results are at odds with the findings of the interviews, albeit the low numbers of

interviewees may be a less reliable measure of the findings than the questionnaires.

In spite of teachers‟ lack of ICT use, they are quite positive about the potential impact of

ICT, and the advantages of using ICT. In terms of potential impact, a mean average of

respondents of 2.68 (between „a little‟ and „somewhat high‟) described the extent they

believed ICT changes their teaching methods. This clearly describes a situation where

teachers believe ICT can change the nature of learning in the classroom, for good or bad.

When invited to contextualise the nature of that impact, teachers were favourable about the

advantages associated with ICT and generally disagreed with any negative statements.

Teachers clearly believe that ICT can have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

However, they agree most strongly with those statements which are a reflection of the

„technical‟ or motivational aspects as outlined in the research, over any prevailing

„pedagogical‟ motives. This suggests that many teachers are still working on a basis that

ICT impacts pupil learning through look and feel, as opposed to any deeper impact on

learning. However, the interviews reveal a belief from many teachers that ICT does offer

„deeper‟ benefits than simply making lessons more attractive to students. For instance,

interviewees suggest that ICT offers increased opportunities for participation, group

activities and constructive, real-life examples. This depicts a situation whereby some

teachers clearly show „buy-in‟ to the student-centred paradigm of constructivism, and the

opportunities offered by ICT to embed this.

Therefore in attempting to answer this question, the research shows a situation in Kuwait

where teachers believe they are high skilled in ICT, yet do not employ it extensively in

their use for teaching and learning (be it in the home or at school) and whilst many see that

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ICT offers clear advantages to the teaching process, a selection are positive about the

pedagogical impact that ICT can offer.

7.3. Research Question 2 - Does this confidence and application vary between

subjects?

Reflecting upon the discussion and analysis associated with the teachers, some significant

(and often surprising) variations by subject were shown. Firstly, teachers with an English

specialism are more confident than others in their ICT use, and notably moreso than

mathematicians. This has a huge implication for the skill level, and resulting possibilities in

professional development, of the profession in the country. In terms of ICT use, we can see

that science specialists are more likely to employ ICT use in school over the other subjects

and again mathematicians are the weakest in employing the use of ICT – potentially a

reflection of their weak ICT skills. Whilst we might recongise that science as a subject

lends itself to the application of ICT, it could be argued the same for practical mathematics,

and as such this emphasises the relative strengths and weaknesses of these subject areas.

In terms of variations about the impact of ICT, a few significant differences were shown.

Mathematicians were again less positive about some of the statements, namely around

ways of using ICT in ther teaching and how interesting ICT makes lessons. These

variations clearly depict mathematics as a subject as weak not only confidence or skills,

but also in the beliefs and values of the teachers, something key to successfully embedding

ICT into the curriculum and altering the pedagogical beliefs of the teachers implementing

it.

7.4. Research Question 3 - How do students use ICT in the classroom and at home?

Students‟ responses around ICT use in schools reflect the results shown in the teachers‟

questionnaire. Here, a mean average of only 1.56 (between less than once a month and at

least once a month) describes their frequency of use of the various ICT tasks or

applications. Once more, this is a significantly disappointing result, however, and must be

taken in context with their home use of ICT. Here, for the same ICT tasks or applications

we see a much higher mean of 2.15 (between at least once a month and about once a week)

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describing their frequency of home use. It is important to note that this home use refers to

learning activities, and as such students are clearly using ICT more in the home than in

school for ICT activities.

It could be supposed that this is possible for a number of reasons. For example, effective

direction of ICT at home by teachers, parents pushing children to use ICT more for

homework or a conscientious approach from Kuwaiti students. Kuwaiti schools are

generally very well resourced in terms of ICT (although we may recognise this as a

limitation of the research and will revisit this issue later in the chapter), similar to homes

where PCs, internet access and appropriate software are all freely available. Therefore, we

may deduce that the cause of this „gap‟ in ICT is not based upon a lack of resources.

Moreover, the teachers‟ responses to their use of ICT in the classroom depicts a situation

where students (a) do not have the opportunity to use ICT directly in teaching and learning,

and (b) are not exposed to a culture of ICT use in their schools. Whatever the reasons for

that gap, the key point is that students are able and willing to use ICT in their own learning,

but the education system is letting them down in providing opportunities to do so directly

at school.

Turning our attention to students‟ perceptions of ICT in the teaching and learning process,

this positivity is reflected in the responses. Students were asked to agree and disagree with

a range of positive and negative responses, Students were most positive about the

motivational aspects of using ICT, again pointing towards a position where the students are

experience „technical‟ motivations towards ICT than necessarily deeper pedagogical

benefits. From the negative statements, the response to „I I know how to use ICT but am

not interested in using it to learn‟ is particularly worthy of note. The mean average here is

the highest of all the negative statements, and underlies some negativity towards the use of

ICT in schools.

Whether or not this culture is a reflection of the students themselves or of the cultures

embedded in Kuwaiti schools is not clear, but given the general positivity about and

confidence in ICT shown by students, it is the opinion of the researcher that the attitude of

Kuwaiti schools is having a negative affect on some students opinions about ICT in the

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learning process. This is re-enforced when we look at the results for the students‟

confidence in ICT, where confidence across nearly all ICT skills or applications is high. A

mean average of 3.91 (confident) displays a situation where Kuwaiti students clearly have

confidence in their own abilities to use ICT effectively.

In answering this question, the research describes a situation where students are confident

in their ICT use, and evidence this in their home use of ICT as a learning tool. However,

there still exists a large gap in home and school use of ICT, something which the Kuwaiti

Government‟s strategy in ICT and education has attempted unsuccessfully to address.

There is capacity, based on their perceptions of the positive impact on their learning, to

utilise the beliefs and values of secondary school students in Kuwait to successfully embed

ICT further into the curriculum. However, it is a considerable failure of policy-makers and

practitioners that this has not been achieved. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that

some students are actively becoming less enthusiastic about the potential impact of ICT use

in the school.

7.5. Research Question 4 - Are there any differences between students’ teaching

and learning in public schools and private schools in terms of their use of

ICT in the classroom?

The analysis of students‟ responses by sector provides us with some interesting, and

significant results. The first of these is the fact that public school students are more likely

to use ICT in the school than their private sector counterparts. As previously discussed, this

could be for a number of reasons, but there is no evidence to suggest variations in

resources between sectors in Kuwaiti schools. The research believes that this could be as a

result of the increased pressures on fee-paying schools and a lack of „risk-taking‟ by the

school strategists and practitioners. This finding is at odds with ICT use in the home, where

private school students are more likely to more likely to use ICT for learning than those in

the public sector. The reasons for this are debateable – it could describe a more directed use

of ICT from private school teachers. However, given the lack of implementation in the

school environment, this is unlikely. It is more likely that this is down to the relative

affluence of private school children, and possibly more ICT being available in their homes.

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One of the more notable results arising in this analysis is from students‟ perceptions of the

use of ICT in teaching and learning. Here, public school students agree more with the

negative statements and less with the positive statements than their private school

counterparts. The key finding here is the inverse relationship between a students‟ exposure

to ICT in school (i.e. public are higher than private schools) and their positive belief about

the impact of ICT in schools (private are higher than public schools). This is a surprising

result, and perhaps calls into question the ability of school teachers to successfully embed

ICT into teaching and learning, as the implication of this finding is that either students are

over-exposed to ICT in school (not likely given the scale of the results in terms of ICT use)

but more worryingly, that teachers are failing to successfully use ICT in teaching and

learning.

In terms of confidence, private school students are more confident than public school. This

point may offer an alternative explanation to the previous finding about the impact of ICT

use. If students are less able in ICT use, then they will be less likely to fully appreciate or

achieve the benefits offered by it through teaching and learning. According to the results, a

skills gap exists between the private and public school students.

In terms of answering this question, the research shows a situation where public school

students are more likely to be exposed to ICT use in schools, but are less likely to use it in

the home. They are less confident in their ICT use and, fundamentally, they are less

positive about the potential impacts of ICT on their learning.

7.6. Research Question 5 - Are there any differences between male and female

students’ teaching and learning in terms of their use of ICT in the classroom?

Most of the results associated with the analysis by students‟ gender do not show any

significant variation in the means of the two groups. The only real point of interest is where

students are invited to assess their confidence in ICT use. Here, surprisingly perhaps, we

see a significant variation in favour of females. This is contradictory to most research from

the past twenty years, and whilst the research accepts the limitations of self-assessment as

208

opposed to other instruments that could be used, it perhaps signals a trend moving towards

increasing female confidence in ICT use.

It is possible to infer an interesting conclusion from this result. In the analysis related to

sector, the researcher suggests that increased confidence in ICT could be linked to

increased positivity about the impact about the benefits of ICT (see section 7.4). However,

this is not the case for the gender analysis, and could point to other possible reasons for the

private school students‟ positivity about ICT use. As previously expressed by the

researcher, perhaps that variability in beliefs or values is better explained by the variability

in ICT use: Leading the researcher to the conclusion that there is evidence of poor teaching

in ICT negatively impacting students‟ perceptions.

7.7. Recommendations

For the discussion in chapter 6, the research summarised the main findings of the research

are shown below. Based on both negatives and positives of these findings, the researcher

has made recommendations in the form of a ‟10 point plan‟ for the Kuwaiti government

and practitioners in the country to resolve these issues.

Teachers

Teachers are broadly confident about their use of ICT and its applications.

In spite of their confidence, their use of ICT to influence teaching methods, both at

home and at school is relatively low, which is especially surprising in established

areas such as the use of Interactive Whiteboards.

The use of ICT is met with positivity from teachers, contradictory to its actual

implementation and application.

When ICT is used, some teachers believe that it encourages more constructivist

approaches in the classrooms and increases the diversity of pedagogical

approaches.

English teachers are more confident in their use of ICT, whilst science teachers are

more likely to employ ICT in the classroom. Teachers of mathematics are less

209

likely to be either confident in ICT use or apply methods using ICT, or believe in its

value.

Students

Students are very critical of their use of ICT, reflective of the teachers‟ application

of ICT, notably in features the research would hope to be utilised more, such as

spreadsheets or use of the internet to look up information.

Considerably more use of ICT, even in a learning context, is actively undertaken in

the home, which still points to the prevailing gap between home use and application

in the classroom.

Students are positive, to an extent, about the application of ICT in the classroom

and its impact on their learning. However, there are still considerable reservations

about the use of ICT and a belief amongst students that it can negatively impact

their learning.

Students are extremely confident about their ICT use, similar again to teachers,

which highlights the potentially wasted opportunity that the lack of ICT provision

highlights.

Students by Private and Public Schools

Students from public schools are very more likely to be exposed to ICT use in the

classroom than their private school counterparts.

Students from private schools however, are more positive about the impact of ICT

use: potentially pointing to the dangers of over-use, or even that teachers are failing

to successfully use ICT in teaching and learning.

Public school students are less confident about their own use of ICT than private

school students. Private school students increased confidence could be an

explanation of their beliefs and values about the impact of ICT use in teaching and

learning.

Students by Gender

There is no discernable difference between male and female students in terms of

ICT use in schools or in the home.

There is no discernable difference in terms of any impact on their learning.

210

Female students are more confident than their male counterparts.

In attempting to cover all of these issues, some of the following recommendations are

specific to an issue, whilst others are broad and may be concerned with more than one.

Outlined here is a ten-point plan for the Kuwaiti Government and schools in Kuwait to

follow, on the basis of the research undertaken.

Recommendation One: Setting a Strategic Direction for ICT use in Kuwait

One of the implications of the research is that the existing Kuwaiti ICT and education

strategy has failed in some of its core purposes. Given this, a new strategic direction needs

to be set by Government for schools and teachers. There needs to be a common

understanding of the ways in which ICT should be implemented and to what extent it

should be used in schools.

Recommendation Two: Ensuring Teachers are Sufficiently Skilled

Whilst the research here suggests that teachers are generally confident about their ICT use,

there must still be recognition that this is a self-audit and therefore liable to issues of over-

confidence or lack of awareness. Therefore teachers should be subjected to an audit test of

ICT knowledge, with a „gap‟ analysis used to develop a national programme of training to

sufficiently deal with the weakest areas.

Recommendation Three: Moving from Skills to the Classroom

One of the biggest problems that the analysis shows is that whilst teachers feel confident in

their ICT use, they fail to utilise it in the classroom. The analysis also suggests that where

it is used, it is not necessarily being used well. The Kuwaiti Government could approach

this in a number of different ways, from direct guidance to schools, to training courses or

ICT „champions‟ in districts of Kuwait. Whether one of these methods, or a mixture are

employed, there needs to be more specialist advice and support for teachers in using ICT in

teaching and learning.

Recommendation Four: A Specific Focus on Mathematics

Mathematicians are significantly less confident than their counterparts in other subjects,

and also less likely to use ICT in teaching and learning. The Government needs to address

this problem, similar to the methods above, but with a specific focus on teachers of

mathematics, and with advice and support tailored to the subject area.

211

Recommendation Five: Delivering ICT on Entry

One of the most effective ways of embedding a culture within a profession, is to deliver a

programme of training and education on entry to the profession for teachers. Similar to that

described in the UK, teachers should (a) have to aware of the possibilities of ICT use, (b)

have a clear acceptance of the benefits for it, and (c) be tested on their skills before being

allowed to become a teacher.

Recommendation Six: Putting the Student at the Heart of Learning

If learning and teaching in Kuwait is to move towards a more successful, student-centred

paradigm, then the Government need to emphasise this through appropriate regulation and

inspection regimes for both public and private sector schools. Without a credible threat, it

seems unlikely that Kuwaiti education is advanced enough to move towards this approach

on its own.

Recommendation Seven: Closer Regulation of Private Schools

The results showed significantly less use of ICT in the classrooms of private schools as

opposed to public schools. Standards and exposure to ICT should be standardised and the

same opportunities provided for all students in Kuwaiti classroom. Any regulation or

inspection regime should be associated with the private sector, in addition to the public

sector.

Recommendation Eight: Auditing Schools’ Resources

Whilst this research does not enquire about the resources of the school (and recognises this

as a shortcoming), the Kuwaiti Government should perform an audit of school ICT

resources to ensure that ICT facilities are available to a good standard across all schools in

Kuwait. Thereafter, financial support should be targeted to those schools needing it most.

Recommendation Nine: Monitoring the Performance of Boys

Whilst this research takes no performance measures, it does show that boys are less

confident about their use of ICT than girls. Whilst this is yet to be represented by grades or

results, if this trend is representative of Kuwaiti schools, then within a few years we might

expect it to be evident in school results. To avoid this, the Government (through schools)

should closely monitor the performance of boys with ICT use, and ensure that appropriate

interventions are taken to develop their skills.

212

Recommendation Ten: Planning Ahead

One of the failings of the previous strategy has been to carry forward a strategy to

implementation. To achieve this, they need to put in place the associated operational

elements of strategic delivery. They include an appropriate planning mechanism, delivery

of clear targets and performance measures, with local and regional ownership. There

should be appropriate measures and clear opportunities for in-depth review, built into any

plan – thus affording them the opportunity to revise the strategy should they need to.

7.8. Limitations and Areas for Further Study

Through the discussion and conclusions a number of limitations and/or areas for further

study have been noted. Here, these are discussed in turn.

The two questionnaires are very much driven by self-assessment. Self-assessment is a valid

method for analysing skills, quantity of use, confidence and opinions, however it does have

limitations. These include the interpretation of the question itself, in addition to the

interpretation of your own scale associated with any of the aforementioned areas. Notably

in this piece of research, the questions on ICT use in schools and ICT abilities could

benefit from additional measuring instruments which further analyse the levels associated

with either. For instance, this could include practical tests to investigate the ICT ability

levels of teachers or students. This type of investigation is both costly and time-intensive,

but could be beneficial for future studies to build on the findings here.

The data and findings drawn from the interviewees are limited as only 14 interviews took

place. It is possible that future research may wish to interview more respondents, to

develop a broader base of data for analysis. The study did not investigate the level of ICT

resources available to the teachers and students. Further studies may wish to adopt a series

of measures to define this, for example a PC to student ration, an IWB to student ratio

and/or speed-test on internet access. These could then be used to measure against both

teachers and students‟ ICT use.

Finally, the research recognises that the research does not focus on outcomes, but rather

impact on teachers‟ pedagogies and students‟ values or beliefs. In order to build on this

research, the next stage would be to involve testing the impact of ICT through

213

implementing specific ICT methods and using testing as a measuring instrument to indicate

the outcomes associated with ICT use.

7.9. Closing Statements

This research describes a situation in Kuwaiti secondary schools where ICT use is, at best,

sporadic. Far from the development of the deep pedagogical impact that ICT can offer, or

indeed the delivery of a student-centered paradigm, schools in Kuwait remain at a level

where they are simply not employing enough ICT to make a difference. Where it is

employed, evidence is mixed as to whether there is indeed a positive or negative impact.

The research does suggest there is capacity in the skills of teachers and students to employ

ICT effectively, at least on a fundamental or technical level. There remains a significant

gap between possessing these schools and applying them in the school setting. Alongside

this, there is some support and recognition of the benefits associated with ICT use, and

there are some teachers who recognise the importance of ICT in developing more

constructivist methods in the classroom.

The research implies both a failure of Government and the profession itself to effectively

implement ICT in the Kuwaiti classroom. The Government strategy implemented in 2005

sought to decrease the gap between everyday use of ICT and its application in teaching and

learning. To this point, this research shows little indication that this has been successful,

and points to radically needed reform to ensure this aim is achieved.

214

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229

Appendix 1 – The Student Questionnaire

Background Information:

SECTOR 1-PUBLIC 2-PRIVATE

GENDER 1-MALE 2-FEMALE

1. What year are you in?

□ Year 10 □ Year 11 □ Year 12

2. What class are you in?

□1 □2 □3 □4 □5

3. At school, on a weekly basis, I use computer and it's applications (ICT) for learning

purposes

□ 1 Never □ 2 One hour □ 3 Two hours

□ 4 Three hours □ 5 Four hours □ 6 More than Five hours

4. At home, on a weekly basis, I use computer and it's applications for learning purposes

□ 1 Never □ 2 One hour □ 3 Two hours

□ 4 Three hours □ 5 Four hours □ 6 More than Five hours

5. How long have you been using computer and it's applications for learning purposes

either at school or at home?

□ 1- Never use □ 2 -less than one year □- 3One year

□ 4 -Two years □ 5 -Three years □ -6More than four years

230

6. At school, on a weekly basis, I use computers for learning purposes

Time Arabic language

Science

Maths

English

Never use

1 hour/ week

2 hours/ week

3 hours/ week

4 hours/ week

More than five hours/ week

231

Section 1: Using ICT at School.1. How often do you use ICT at school for completing these tasks?

No.

At School ……...

Tick one box only on each row

Nev

er

Less th

an o

nce a m

onth

At least o

nce a m

onth

About o

nce a w

eek

Tw

o to

three tim

es a week

Every

d ay

1 I look up for information on hard disk and compact discs ( CD

ROMs ) S1A1 1 5 5 1 1 1

2 I use educational software to learn some lessons

3 I use some spreadsheets

4 I use / create pictures and animations

5 I watch DVDs/videos on the computer

6 I make/design things on the computer (like posters, invites)

7 I use computer for writing

8 I design websites

9 I program the computer

10 I download music files or software from the Web

11 I send and receive emails

12 I organise the computer settings such as files/memory/system

13 I use the Internet to look up information

14 I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the Internet

15 I use the Internet to revise for exams

16 I create/record sound files on the computer

17 I make films/animations on the computer

18 I browse the Internet for fun

19 I play games on the computer

20 I shop on the Internet

232

Section 2: Using ICT at Home

1. How often do you use ICT at home for completing these tasks?

No.

At Home ……...

Tick one box only on each row

Nev

er

Less th

an o

nce a m

on

th

At least o

nce a m

on

th

Ab

ou

t on

ce a week

Tw

o to

three tim

es a week

Ev

ery d

ay

1 I shop on the Internet 1 5 5 1 1 1

2 I play games on the computer

3 I browse the Internet for fun

4 I make films/animations on the computer

5 I create/record sound files on the computer

6 I use the Internet to revise for exams

7 I watch TV/listen to radio/music on the

Internet

8 I use the Internet to look up information

9 I organise the computer settings such as

files/memory/system

10 I send and receive emails

11 I download music files or software from the

Web

12 I program the computer

13 I design websites

14 I use computer for writing

233

15 I make/design things on the computer (like

posters, invites)

16 I watch DVDs/videos on the computer

17 I use / create pictures and animations

18 I use some spreadsheets

19 I use educational software to learn some

lessons

20 I look up for information on hard disk and

compact discs ( CD ROMs )

2. How often do you use computer at home for completing these tasks?

No.

At Home ……...

Tick one box only on each row

Nev

er

Less th

an o

nce a m

onth

At least o

nce a m

onth

About o

nce a w

eek T

wo to

three tim

es a

week

Every

d ay

1 For Entertainment 1 5 5 1 1 1

2 For school homework

3 Other works (helping my family,

purchasing, etc...)

234

Section 3: Your Opinion about using Computer in the teaching/learning process

1. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements:

No.

Please tick one box on each row

Stro

ng

ly ag

ree

Ag

ree Un

decid

ed

Disag

ree

Stro

ng

ly d

isagree

1 I enjoy lessons with a computer 1 1 1 5 5

2 I feel comfortable working with computers

3 I believe that the more often teachers use computers, the

more I will enjoy school

4 I am tired of using a computer

5 I have better information sources than ICT

6 ICT is very helpful in my learning process

7 Computers scare me

8 I need help from teachers to learn with ICT

9 Computers are difficult to use

10 I find it time-consuming using ICT in learning

11 I know how to use ICT but am not interested in using it to

learn

12 Working with computers makes me nervous

13 I wish ICT was not used in teaching

235

2. To what extent has the use of ICT at school (you and your teachers ' usage) impacted

your learning experiences?

□ No impact1 □ Simple impact 2 □ Significant impact 3

Section 4: Your Computer Usage Level

1.How would you rate your confidence level in terms of the following computer skills or

applications?

No.

Please tick one box only that

indicates the appropriate choice in

each row

Very

unconfi

dent

Not

confident Unsure Confident

Very

confident

1 Basics of operating PC (using

keyboard, mouse … etc.)

2 Managing files (delete, move to …

etc.)

3 Using word processor ( such as

word program )

4 Use spreadsheet processor (such as

excel program )

5 Creating or Using data base

processor (such as access program)

6 Create and design presentations

7

Combining files from different

resources ( sound or video files ) to

create presentations

236

8 Producing learning software

9 Searching for saved data on hard

disk or compact disk

10 Using data show basis on PC as

projection tool

11 Using different designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

12 Deleting or editing pictures,

animations or movies

13 Using digital camera

14 Internet browsing

15 Searching for information on the

Internet

16 Downloading files from the Internet

17 Using Email ( reading and sending

mails)

18 Using chat rooms and forums

(Facebook, Twitter)

19 Publishing a personal blog

20 Designing web page or personal site

237

Appendix 2 – The Teacher Questionnaire

Teachers' Questionnaire

Background Information:

SECTOR 1-PUBLIC - 2-PRIVATE

GENDER 1-MALE 2-FEMALE

Your main specialisation ( please specify ): …………………………

MATH 1 ARABIC 2 SCIENCE 3 ENGLISH 4

2. What grade do you teach? [Tick only one of the following. If you teach different levels,

tick the level you teach most often]

□ 1-Year 10 □ 2-Year 11 □ 3- Year 12

3. Your Age:

□ 1 -20 – 30 □ 2-31 – 40 □3 -41 – 50 □ 4-51 - 60

4. Number of years in teaching: ………………. Year/ years.

5. Have you attended any ICT training courses?

□1 Yes □ 2 No

Section one: Your ICT Usage Level

1.How would you rate your confidence level in terms of the following computer skills or

applications?

238

No.

Please tick one box only

that indicates the

appropriate choice in

each row

Very

unconfident

1

Not

confident

2

Unsure

3

Confident

4

Very

confident

5

1

Basics of operating PC

(using keyboard, mouse

… etc.)

2 Managing files ( delete,

move to, … etc.)

3 Using word processor (

such as word program )

4

Use spreadsheet

processor (such as excel

program )

5

Creating or Using data

base processor (such as

access program)

6

Combining files from

different resources (

sound or video files ) to

create presentations

7 Producing learning

software

8 Using PowerPoint

software

9

Searching for saved data

on hard disk or compact

disk

239

10 Using data show basis

on PC as projection tool

11

Using different

designing programs

(Photoshop, Flash)

12

Deleting or editing

pictures, animations or

movies

13 Using digital camera

14 Internet browsing

15

Searching for

information on the

Internet

16 Downloading files from

the Internet

17 Using Email ( reading

and sending mails)

18

Using chat rooms and

forums (Facebook,

Twitter)

19 Publishing a personal

blog

20 Designing web page or

personal site

2. How do you describe your level in using ICT in comparison with your associates at

school? (Please tick the appropriate number)

240

3. How do you describe your level in using ICT in comparison with your students at

school? (Please tick the appropriate number)

Section Two: ICT Usage in Teaching Practice

1. How often do you use any of the following ICT tools and activities for teaching

practices and school-related work at school or home?

At school At home

Nev

er

Occasio

nally

Month

ly

Week

ly

Daily

No. [Tick the option that indicates both school and home

use] Nev

er

Occasio

nally

Month

ly

Week

ly

Daily

5 5 1 1 1 1 Create a document using a word processor 5 5 1 1 1

2 Manipulate graphics or images using graphics software

3 Look up information on a hard disc drive or compact

disc

4 Use the Internet to obtain teaching resources.

5 Create lessons that incorporate simulation software

6 Create lessons that use presentation software

7 Set computer-based homework

8 Create lessons that incorporate students' use of a digital

video, graphics or sound editors.

9 Use email to communicate with other teachers.

10 Use email to communicate with your students.

241

11 Use email to communicate with your students‟ parents

12 Participate in an on-line interactive discussion or

bulletin board with students

13 Use software to monitor the students' scores

14 Use interactive whiteboards

15 Use subject-specific software

2. On a weekly basis, how many hours do you expect students use ICT for learning?

…………… hour/ hours

3. To what extent the usage of computer in teaching change your teaching methods?

(Please tick the appropriate response)

□ No change 1……… □ A little2 ……….. □ Somewhat high 3……… □ High4

242

Section 3: Your Opinion about using ICT in the teaching process:

1. Advantages and disadvantages of using computer in your teaching method

No. [Please tick one box only in each row] S

trongly

disag

ree D

isagree

Neith

er

agree

no

r

disag

ree

Agree

Stro

ngly

agree

1 I find it easy to think of ways to use computer in my

teaching

5 5 1 1 1

2 ICT makes teaching more interesting for me

3 ICT makes teaching more difficult

4 ICT makes my lessons more diverse

5 ICT decreases students‟ motivation

6 ICT improves the presentation of material in my lessons

7 ICT makes preparing lessons quicker

8 ICT limits the content of my lessons

9 ICT makes preparing lessons more difficult

10 ICT makes the lessons more fun for the students

11 ICT makes it more difficult to control the class

12 ICT often prevent teaching because of interruption in work

or in software

13 ICT has given me more confidence to extend my use of

computer to other topics

243

2. When you use ICT in teaching, in what ways does this affect you as a teacher?

No. [Please tick one box only in each row]

Stro

ngly

disag

ree D

isagree

Neith

er

agree

nor

disag

ree

Agree

Stro

ngly

agree

1 ICT enhances my role as a teacher 5 5 1 1 1

2 ICT makes me feel more professional

3 ICT positively changes the learning climate in my

classroom

4 ICT positively changes the relationship between me and

my students

5 ICT positively changes the usual relationship between

students in my classroom

Thank you for your participating in this survey

244

Appendix 3 – Coded Interview Transcripts

Questio

n

Number

Interview

Respondent

Response Code

1 1 INT 1 I often use computer and data show in the teaching

process because it is always available and easy to use.

Likewise I use PowerPoint to display lesson and Excel

Program to display some mathematical issues.

PROJ

2 INT 2 Data Show, Laptop and Projector, There is also

some other technologies but we mainly use these at the

moment.

PROJ

3 INT 3 I use educational software provided by the

Ministry in mathematics likewise I also use computer,

PowerPoint and Excel sheet.

EDU,

PROJ,

XLS

4 INT 4 I often use Microsoft and Google programs and

some other educational softwares specialised in

mathematics

EDU,

NET

5 INT 5 I often use PowerPoint, Microsoft program and

Google search online in the classroom. Being science

school, we always need new and latest information of

science subject.

EDU,

NET

6 INT 6 I use the software which Ministry of Education

provides to teachers likewise I use personnel laptop and

scientific research sites for biology and chemistry

subjects.

EDU,

NET

7 INT 7 I use many technologies in classroom such as Data

Show, Flash, educational programs and films

EDU,

MOV

245

8 INT 8 The best technology that I use is smart electronic

blackboard, computer and educational software.

PROJ,

EDU

9 INT 9 I use Data Show, PowerPoint, and personnel laptop

and education software provided by the Ministry of

Education

PROJ,

EDU

10 INT 10 Of the ICT that I often use is Projector,

PowerPoint and personal laptop

PROJ

11 INT 11 Mostly I use Projector, PowerPoint and personal

laptop.

PROJ

12 INT 12 I prefer to vary in the use of technology,

sometimes I use PowerPoint and sometimes special

educational software provided by the Ministry of

Education and I use online.

PROJ,

EDU

13 INT 13 As a teacher of English language, I use types of

ICT, importantly electronic dictionary, electronic

language laboratory and laptops

SUBJ

14 INT 14 The educational technologies that we use are

educational programs designed by the Ministry of

Education, personnel laptops, electronic dictionary and

PowerPoint.

EDU,

PROJ

2 1 INT 1 There are many ways to integrate technology into

education in the educational process but we focus on

learning workshops for students whereas each student

participate in class and learning becomes more effective.

WKS,

PART

2 INT 2 The method which I use: Participation of all

students in the preparation of the lesson with the help of

the teacher and we also use some educational programs

with students in collective way.

PART,

EDU

246

3 INT 3 Mainly we focus on learning workshops for

students whereas each student participates and we use

special educational software of Mathematics and work

there collectively.

WKS,

PART,

EDU

4 INT 4 Mostly I use team projects, lectures and sometimes

self learning. I use team works as it is very suitable and

interesting for math classes and I use only one computer

for each team.

TEAM

5 INT 5 There are many teaching methods in science where

teachers use ICT and in my view, the best method is to

encourage students to use Google search online prior to

coming in the class as they may discover good

information about the lesson that helps them to

understand the lesson and grasp it, so, when I explain

lesson, I feel that students have good knowledge of the

subject and interact with me positively.

RES

6 INT 6 In my experience, the best method is to show

scientific fiction movies to students and discuss

collectively about its scientific contents during or after

show.

MOV

7 INT 7 In my view, the best method is cooperative and

self education, these two, through the use of ICT, are very

effective methods of education which help students to

participate in the educational process effectively. The

cooperative education with use of ICT helps the teacher

to explain his subject and makes all students participating

in the educational process

PART

8 INT 8 ICT helps me in using modern teaching methods

such as linking theories with science whereas the student

not just listen to theories but also can see and interact

EDU

247

with scientific material, for example in anatomy, the

student can experience virtual autopsy on some animals

through educational program.

9 INT 9 The best method I prefer is discussion between

students with each other‟s and teachers, I use here

educational software provided by the Ministry which is

effective but needs constant improvement by specialised

programmers.

EDU

10 INT 10 There are many methods in Arabic language but

mostly I prefer teamwork wherein each group designs a

power pint slide and present it. Subsequently all students

discuss about its contents and have a fruitful discussion

and dialogue on the subject.

TEAM

11 INT 11 I use educational software specialised in Arabic

language teaching in the classroom in addition to

personal laptop.

EDU

12 INT 12 As I am an Arabic teacher, I prefer dialogue and

discussion wherein a part of the subject is displayed

through PowerPoint then have a dialogue and discussion

between the students on the subject.

PROJ

13 INT 13 I often use team method wherein students are

divided into teams and each team is provided computers

and taught through this.

TEAM

14 INT 14 The method that I use in the classroom is

teamwork where students can use ICT in a team and

classroom is divided into many teams.

TEAM

3 1 INT 1 Most important objectives of ICT that helps me in

the educational process is that it simplifies the

information to the student and helps me to explain

QK

248

educational information to the student, likewise I utilise it

to shorten time in the class so that I can revise the lesson

with students without any pressure on ending class time

2 INT 2 The most important objective is that I present

many examples in class and this is because Mathematic

requires many examples for mathematical issues and ICT

helps me a lot and it also helps me to explain the lesson in

an easier and better way.

APP

3 INT 3 As for my objective is concerned, the ICT can

keep pace with the rapid evolution of technology and

through ICT we can change the way of explaining the

lessons, move away from the routine way and can attract

the attention of students as well.

ATT

4 INT 4 The main target which I want to achieve through

ICT is to save time and effort in the educational process

equally both for student and teacher and ICT helps me to

provide images and paintings of mathematical equations

likewise it helps me to attract student‟s attention.

QK,

APP,

ATT

5 INT 5 The best objective that I strive to achieve is to raise

students‟ scientific and technological level and develop

the scientific research skill of the student

STAND

, RES

6 INT 6 A Science teacher can achieve the best educational

objectives through the use of ICT. The objective that I

would like to achieve is to simplify and display proper

scientific visualisation of scientific theories in science.

STAND

, APP

7 INT 7 In fact I have a specific goal that I am trying to

achieve through ICT. The goal is to clarify scientific

concepts in a broader way and facilitate its understanding

for students and ICT helps me to provide attractive

ATT,

QK,

APP

249

environment of educational process for student and helps

to saves adequate time for teacher to prepare for lesson

economically and materially.

8 INT 8 ICT helps the teacher to vary teaching methods

and provides time and effort for student as well as

teacher, likewise its objective is linking technologies with

modern developments.

QK,

VAR

9 INT 9 To encourage students to learn and use ICT in their

lives and broaden their participation in the classroom, be

effective part of the educational process and not just

listeners.

PART

10 INT 10 The objective that I strive to achieve through ICT

is to generate enthusiasm among students so that they

participate in the educational process. The problems that

the teacher faces is presence of large number of students

in the classroom of limited hour but modern ICTs help us

to overcome these problems.

ATT,

QK

11 INT 11 I think the most important goal a teacher wants to

achieve is to help students to gain confidence in using

modern technology efficiently. The modern technology is

not just for playing but the basic objective is to develop

knowledge.

CONF,

STAND

12 INT 12 Integration of ICT helps the teacher in the

classroom administration and he can encourage all

students to participate in dialogue and discussion likewise

it provide prominent role for students in the educational

process.

PART,

ADMIN

13 INT 13 The objective I try to achieve is imitation in

language and teaching to students the imitation method

STAND

250

through some existing computer programs.

14 INT 14 I have observed throughout my educational

experience that if ICT is used properly, it promotes

teamwork among students and helps in the development

of the educational process.

TEAM

4 1 INT 1 The students are excellent in using any type of new

developed technologies better than teachers and this

quality helps me to use any new technology.

EXC

2 INT 2 Yes, especially in mathematics because

educational programs that we use are easy and the

students, in this age of technological culture, have

become good enough from outside school and this helps

me to explain students without wasting time while using

ICT as they know what will I use before I tell them.

EXC

3 INT 3 This depends on the teacher and the way ICT is

being used and if technology will be used in an effective

way, the students will respond with it and they will be

more interactive in using technology.

TEACH

4 INT 4 During my teaching experience I have not seen a

single student who does not have computer at home,

therefore, we feel that the students have excellent ICT

culture and well capable to use latest technologies.

EXC

5 INT 5 Most of our students are well aware of ICT and

occasionally exchange ICT with scientific research skills

in classes which are useful for both students and teachers.

EXC

6 INT 6 There are some educational programs that we use

with the students in the learning process and we cannot

use these programs unless they know how to use it

correctly and through my daily experience with the

EXC

251

students, I realised that they are well enough in using

modern technology

7 INT 7 This depends on the type of technology are being

used in the classroom. Sometimes all students are not

getting opportunity to use technology due to lack of

required number of systems in the classroom.

TECH

8 INT 8 The positive aspects of some educational programs

are that they provide more opportunities for students to

participate in scientific experiments and all students are

getting chance to use ICT in the class.

PART

9 INT 9 Yes students are well versed in using ICT in the

classroom, but we wish that they can vary in the use of

different kinds of ICTs in the classroom. Since the

existing technologies are very limited, it will be very

useful for students if modern technologies are introduced

which will increase chances for them to participate in the

educational process.

EXC

10 INT 10 They are not getting chances each times to

participate in the educational process in the classroom

and this depend on the type of technology used in the

classroom and if the computers will be provided to all

students, it is certain that they will participate in the

lesson

TECH,

PART

11 INT 11 This depends on the ability of the teacher and

how does he use ICT. Some teachers are positive who

involve all students in using technology while some

teachers, unfortunately, do not give chances to students

and use themselves only.

TEACH

12 INT 12 This depends on the type of technology used in TECH,

252

the class and the teacher's ability in class Administration

using technology. In my class, I encourage all students to

participate even in the limited period of the class.

TEACH

, PART

13 INT 13 I face no difficulty in this as students have

previous experience in using modern and advanced ICTs,

rather it helps me during teaching as I do not have to

spend extra time to teach them how to use ICT.

EXC

14 INT 14 This depends on the number of students in

classroom. If students are less, all will get chance to use

ICT, otherwise, sometimes, we face difficulties due to

shortage of systems.

NUM

5 1 INT 1 Of course there is a significant change because the

student is more focused during the use of educational

technology and interacts in a positive way with the

teacher in the classroom. And of course this helps the

teacher to interact with students.

POS

2 INT 2 Grasping capacity of students is affected in a

positive way and as the math is based on the numbers, the

ICT helps students to understand the numbers and deal

with them easily.

POS

3 INT 3 Grasping capacity of the student develops

spontaneously on use of technology and on the success of

the teacher in the use of technology in the educational

process.

POS,

TEACH

4 INT 4 The most advantage of ICT is to attract attention of

the students during the class and this itself increases the

grasping capacity of the student.

POS

5 INT 5 Science has a special nature; it relies on images,

scientific models and anatomy programs. There are a lot

POS,

EDU,

253

of educational resources in educational technology that

contain scientific information and I as a teacher use this

information effectively in a positive way and this

increases the grasping capacity of the student.

ATT

6 INT 6 In science, educational process depends on the

interaction between student and teacher and as much as

the teacher uses ICT, student‟s grasping capacity

becomes better. Since some scientific lessons are based

on anatomy and the student adopts this process while

using education software, its increases his grasping

capacity on the subject.

POS,

ATT

7 INT 7 For students, ICT is consider a mental preparatory

aspect and this helps to attract their attention in class and

subsequently helps them in understanding scientific

subjects.

POS,

ATT

8 INT 8 This depends on the type of ICT we use, some

educational programs are interesting and students interact

with it positively while some are boring, therefore, they

cannot avail themselves of this sufficiently.

POS

9 INT 9 Of course, the use of ICT enhances grasping

capacity of the students in the educational process as they

feel that they are part of the educational process and not

like traditional system where they are only listeners and

teacher speaks throughout the class.

POS,

PART

10 INT 10 Arabic language depends on specific skills and

acquiring these skills require long times. The ICT helps

students in acquiring these skills that enhance the

grasping capacity of the students

POS

11 INT 11 No doubt, the presence of ICT in classroom is POS,

254

very useful for students and enhances their grasping

capacity but this depends on the teacher and his capability

to manage the educational process in the class.

TEACH

12 INT 12 Yes, the students have ability to interact in a

positive way in classroom while using ICT and this helps

them to participate positively in discussion and dialogue

with students and teachers in the classroom and this

certainly enhance in their grasping capabilities.

POS

13 INT 13 As English language requires skills such as

speaking, writing and some others and students can

enhance these skills through use of ICT and also can use

some technologies while at home. Of course, this

increases grasping capacity of the student.

POS

14 INT 14 This depends on the extent of the student's ability

to participate in the lesson and how they benefit from the

ICT, because whatever the teacher motivates student to

participate and student does not have ability to use it, he

will not be able to grasp the skills even in the presence of

effective educational technology.

POS

6 1 INT 1 Teachers should be proficient in all types of

educational programs which facilitate the presentation,

especially, which embodies mathematical forms in the

circle of mathematics. The objective of ICT is to take

advantage of time, however, it is very sad, that we do not

have enough halls equipped with necessary arrangements

for the students that results in moving them from one

classroom to the other. And because of this, for a

classroom that doesn't have necessary arrangements, it

consumes considerable time of the particular period itself,

in the process of making these arrangements for the class.

TEACH

, QK,

FAC

255

2 INT 2 The teachers should develop themselves in using

ICT, especially in mathematics because ICT makes the

mathematics very interesting subject for students and all

students will start participating in the class.

TEACH

, PART

3 INT 3 Technology despite its evolution can never take

place of experience and smart way of teaching, of course

ICT complement the teacher‟s effort but cannot take its

place.

SUBS

4 INT 4 The most important suggestion is to train teachers

to use ICT properly and request to the Ministry of

Education to provide modern equipped software

especially in the field of mathematics, and we wish to

have electronic blackboards in each class.

TEACH

, EDU

5 INT 5 It is very important to use ICT in the educational

process but can‟t be a substitute of traditional methods

and we use ICT as an assisting means of the educational

process. We want from the ministry to help teachers

through continuous improvement in the infrastructure of

educational technology in schools

SUBS,

FAC

6 INT 6 The Ministry of Education should hold educational

trainings for teachers where they can design educational

software and should provide latest scientific books /

articles on scientific discoveries.

TEACH

, EDU

7 INT 7 I advise teachers to encourage students to

participate in preparation of scientific lessons, thus

students will collect scientific material and help teacher

in design lesson. This is the best method to teach

students. I request my colleagues of other subjects to

share experience of modern technology with other

PART

256

sections.

8 INT 8 I think it is necessary that the teacher be well

familiar with scientific subject and constantly develop

them and they should not depend on ICT only, the

teachers should notice individual differences during use

of ICT between students.

SUBS

9 INT 9 I think the more important matters for teacher is

that he should be well trained to use modern technologies

and know how and when to use so that he can benefit

from it and influence students positively likewise the

teacher should keep on following new specialised

technologies and learn how to use them in daily classes.

TEACH

10 INT 10 I hope from the Ministry of Education to develop

ICT so that we can use it in assessing students after

completion of each classes and it will help teachers in

term of shortening the time.

FAC,

EDU

11 INT 11 In my opinion, the teachers make maximum

efforts in choosing appropriate and best available ICT for

students that fits them practically, psychologically and

culturally.

FAC

12 INT 12 We request the Ministry of Education to send for

schools ready and advanced software always as per the

curriculum and teachers opinions should be taken into

consideration while designing software packages,

because their views play pivotal roles in educational

software.

EDU

13 INT 13 The presence of ICT in the educational process

necessitates teachers to develop themselves in

innovations of ICT and they must be well aware of

TEACH

257

modern technologies at least in their specialisation.

14 INT 14 All teachers should take care of individual

differences between students and this consideration

should be given importance while using ICT and it is not

necessary that a specific technology suits all students.

DIFF

258

Appendix 4 – Interview Coding and Frequency

Code Description Occurrences

PROJ Powerpoint and/or projector

technology

8

EDU Educational software 19

XLS Spreadsheet software 1

NET Internet as a teaching tool 3

MOV Use of movies as a teaching

tool

2

SUBJ Subject specific software 1

WKS Workshop type activities 2

PART Participation in learning 10

TEAM Team or group work

activities

5

RES Research 1

QK Quickness or Efficiencies 6

APP Application or real life

examples

4

ATT Raising attention as a visual

or motivational aid

7

STAND Raising standards or

educational outcomes

4

VAR Variety of approaches in 1

259

teaching and learning

CONF Confidence of learners 1

ADMIN Administrative Activities 1

EXC Excellent levels of ICT skills

shown by students

7

TEACH ICT use or capability is

dependent upon the capability

of the teacher

11

TECH ICT use is dependent upon

the nature of the technologies

available

3

NUM Effective ICT use is

dependent upon class sises

1

POS ICT use has a positive impact

on grasping capacity

14

DIFF Appreciation of differences in

individual students

1

FAC Facilities or technology

associated with ICT

4

SUBS ICT not acting as a substitute

for good quality teaching

3

260

Appendix 5 – Interview Coding Frequency by Question

Question Codes Occurrences

1 PROJ 8

EDU 9

XLS 1

NET 3

MOV 1

SUBJ 1

2 WKS 2

PART 4

EDU 5

TEAM 4

RES 1

MOV 1

3 QK 5

APP 4

ATT 4

STAND 4

VAR 1

CONF 1

261

ADMIN 1

TEAM 1

PART 1

4 EXC 7

TEACH 3

PART 3

TECH 3

NUM 1

5 POS 14

TEACH 2

EDU 1

ATT 3

6 TEACH 6

QK 1

FAC 4

PART 2

SUBS 3

EDU 4

DIFF 1

262

Appendix 6 –Interview Categories from Codes

Codes Overall Occurrences Category Category

Frequency

MOV 2 VARIETY OF

TEACHING

APPROACHES

19

WKS 2

PART 5

TEAM 10

VAR 1

QK 6 EFFIENCIES IN

USING ICT

7

ADMIN 1

PROJ 8 ICT TOOLS USED 33

EDU 19

XLS 1

NET 3

SUBJ 2

ATT 7 MOTIVATIONAL

CHARACTERISTICS

OF ICT USE

13

CONF 1

APP 4

RES 1

TEACH 11 TEACHING

STANDARDS AND

17

NUM 1

263

DIFF 1 ICT

SUBS 3

EXC 7 IMPACT UPON

STANDARDS

21

POS 14

TECH 3 ICT FACILITIES 7

FAC 4

264

265

266

267

268