Implementing ICT in classroom practice: what else matters besides the ICT infrastructure?

• Published in: Large-scale Assessments in Education Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 1 - 28
• Main Authors: Lomos, Catalina, Luyten, J. W. (Hans), Tieck, Sabine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.01.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Assessment; Cooperation; Education; Educational Policy and Politics; Educational Technology; Expertise; Foreign Countries; Humanities; ICILS 2018; ICT implementation model; ICT resources; Information literacy; Instructional Materials; Law; Leadership Responsibility; Learning; Pedagogical use of ICT; Program Implementation; Statistics for Social Sciences; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Behavior; Teacher ICT self-efficacy; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Technology Integration; Technology Uses in Education; Technology-driven approach; Testing and Evaluation; Luxembourg; Pedagogical use of ICT; Technology-driven approach; Teacher ICT self-efficacy; Nonresponse adjustment; ICILS 2018; ICT implementation model; ICT resources
• ISSN: 2196-0739; 2196-0739
• DOI: 10.1186/s40536-022-00144-6

Background The large-scale International Computer and Information Literacy Study (2018) has an interesting finding concerning Luxembourg teachers. Luxembourg has one of the highest reported level of technology-related resources for teaching and learning, but a relatively lower reported use of ICT in classroom practice. Methods ICT innovation requires a high initial level of financial investment in technology, and Luxembourg has achieved this since 2015. Once the necessary financial investment in ICT technology has been made, the key question is what else matters to increase the use of ICT in teaching. To identify the relevant factors, we used the “Four in Balance” model, aimed explicitly at monitoring the implementation of ICT in schools. Results Using data for 420 teachers in Luxembourg, we identify that within such a technology-driven approach to digitalization, teachers’ vision of ICT use in teaching, level of expertise , and the use of digital learning materials in class are significant support factors. Leadership and collaboration , in the form of an explicit vision of setting ICT as a priority for teaching in the school, also prove to be important. Conclusions Through these findings, we show that the initial investment in school infrastructure for ICT needs to be associated in its implementation with teachers’ ICT-related beliefs, attitudes, and ICT expertise.