Teachers' attitudes towards training in ICT: a critical approach

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to investigate why teachers participate in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes, what their sociological approaches are, and where they focus their attention in order to achieve the objectives of their training in these new technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample group of this research consists of 162 teachers who work in primary schools in Northern Greece. There were 70 (43.2 percent) men and 92 (56.8 percent) women. For the fulfilment of the general research an improvised questionnaire was designed concerning the training of teachers in ICT. In total, it comprises 80 questions.

Findings

The findings of the research study show that one of the main reasons for primary school teachers' participation in ICT programmes is their interest in exploiting ICT, in both their teaching and in their personal lives. They consider lifelong education as necessary to the practice of teaching and useful in settling educational inequalities, while at the same time they think that in‐service education should be in accordance with the requirements of the modern social‐cultural environment.

Originality/value

This is an interesting research on ICT training of teachers in Greece, developing a critical thinking approach towards ICT in‐service training. The article stresses that the in‐service training interact and are affected by the social and political orientations that prevail in social and educational policy.

Citation

Giavrimis, P., Giossi, S. and Papastamatis, A. (2011), "Teachers' attitudes towards training in ICT: a critical approach", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 283-296. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684881111158072