Abstract
This study investigated high school teachers’ perceptions of barriers to using computers in class. A 26-item questionnaire was administered to 119 high school teachers in Greece. Lack of funding, lack of internet access and large number of pupils in the class were among the major perceived barriers to the use of computers in high schools. Three barrier-factors were extracted: “lack of support”, “lack of confidence” and “lack of equipment”. Female teachers perceived as a major barrier the lack of support. Literature teachers also perceived as a major barrier the lack of support, in comparison to mathematics and science teachers. The attendance of B-level training in ICT and the fewer the years of teaching experience resulted in teachers’ perceiving the “lack of confidence” and the “lack of equipment”, respectively, as minor barriers. Confidence with technology was significantly linked to gender, A-level training in ICT, years of experience with computers, and computer use in class. Confidence with technology was higher for male teachers, as well as for those teachers who had more years of computer experience and A-level technical training. Teachers’ confidence with technology and their pedagogical training in ICT (B-level) result in higher probability of computer use in class. Implications of findings for in-service teacher training are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the teachers who participated in this study, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.
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Appendix
Appendix
“Confidence with technology” subscale (Pierce et al. 2007)
1. I am good at using computers | |||
[strongly agree] | [agree] | [disagree] | [strongly disagree] |
2. I can fix a lot of computer problems | |||
[strongly agree] | [agree] | [disagree] | [strongly disagree] |
3. I am quick to learn new computer software needed for school | |||
[strongly agree] | [agree] | [disagree] | [strongly disagree] |
4. I am good at using things like VCRs, DVDs, MP3 s and mobile phones | |||
[strongly agree] | [agree] | [disagree] | [strongly disagree] |
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Nikolopoulou, K., Gialamas, V. Barriers to ICT use in high schools: Greek teachers’ perceptions. J. Comput. Educ. 3, 59–75 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-015-0052-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-015-0052-z