Pupils still spend up to four times as long using computers at home than they do at school, despite the millions of pounds poured into helping schools improve their technology infrastructure.
The disturbing finding has emerged from the interim report of one of the most comprehensive and significant research projects undertaken in the UK to evaluate the impact of ICT on pupil attainment.
In 1999 the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) commissioned teams from Nottingham, Manchester Metropolitan and the Open universities to conduct the three-year ImpaCT2 programme as part of the evaluation of the National Grid for Learning.
Sixty schools and 2,179 pupils have participated in the study, partly based on data collected by teachers and students themselves.
The interim report highlights a range of problems with technology. As well as having trouble being able to use a computer at school, students found Internet access much faster at home. They reported “some frustration” with the ICT curriculum, as teachers seemed to underestimate their capabilities. “This is not just in terms of pupils’ skills, but also in their discretion about how, when and why to use ICT,” the report stated.
The evidence indicates just how far there is to go before ICT is integrated into subject teaching. Although teachers were not negative about technology, the researchers found many do not use it confidently in their lessons: “Relatively few teachers are integrating ICT into subject teaching in a way that motivates pupils and enriches learning or stimulates higher-level thinking and reasoning.”
Training therefore remains a serious issue, but teachers have been reluctant to take the New Opportunities Fund training due to its high demands on their own time. It was also inappropriate for the many who had not yet acquired basic skills, it was found.
Controversially, the report suggested that relating ICT capability to pay seems to have a positive impact. “Teachers’ motivation to use ICT effectively in lessons may be enhanced by threshold payments,” the academics said.
Clearly the millions spent on the National Grid for Learning has still not given schools enough equipment, as ICT use is “detrimentally affected by lack of sustainability of funding for equipment”. The report also stated that long-term positive impact will not be made without guaranteed funding for technical support and ongoing staff training.
Fascinatingly, the research found that teachers’ opinions about where computers should be located in schools altered with time and experience. Those who first preferred computer suites seemed to change their minds, as they found clusters of classroom-based or subject-dedicated PCs allow better integration of ICT within their daily lessons.
Further analysis will take place before the final ImpaCT2 report is published next year.
