A study of teachers' use of ICT in a secondary school in north Cyprus

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school teachers' use of information and communication technology (lCT) in North Cypriot schools. The main focus was to discover the barriers and possible enablers in integrating technology into teaching and learning. Also, teachers' attitudes and beliefs towards ICT integration and the ways of their usage were examined in the study. A qualitative research methodology was applied in this study. Case study strategy was utilized in conducting research in one secondary school in North Cyprus. Data were gathered through semi-structures interviews with volunteer teachers. The data were also collected through observations of teachers while using ICT tools in their teaching. Seven teachers were interviewed but only three of them were observed. After completing all observations, follow-up interviews were carried out with these three teachers. The results of the study revealed that although the teachers had positive attitudes towards the technology integration, there was not frequent use of ICT tools in teaching. Moreover, teachers believed that the use of technology would be beneficial for students and themselves. However, there were many factors that hindered their technology use. The main barriers that were mentioned by interviewees were a lack of resources and a lack of access to available rooms. Moreover, teachers' lack of knowledge, confidence, and insufficient training on pedagogical use of technology in teaching was discovered as the most popular barrier in integrating technology. The fundamental conclusion of this study was that not all but many teachers would like to use technology in their teaching but first of all many barriers should be turned into enablers. It is recommended that the authorities needs to develop an JCT policy in order to raise standards in schools. It is also recommended that schools should be equipped with additional lCT tools with the help of businesses or projects. Another important conclusion is that teachers need training, not only for developing the basic skills, but training on improving their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) as well. Keywords: leT in education, teachers' use of technology, Teacher trainingEThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo