Primary teachers' attitudes to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education

It is proposed that teachers’ attitudes have an effect on their use of ICT in teaching and learning. The key research question addressed is to identify: What attitudes do teachers have to ICT in teaching and learning in primary education and what factors underlie them? The position adopted regarding attitude is that it is multi-conceptual encompassing mindset, bearing, perception, philosophy and psychology. This study investigates teachers’ thinking about ICT, what influences their use of it, their awareness of it and how they behave as ICT users. This research adopts a multi-method qualitative approach using text analysis software to process the data collected from interviews, observations and questionnaires. The data source originates from primary school teachers working in Key Stages 1 and 2 in a cross-section of schools in the south of England. The contribution this research makes to the body of knowledge regarding ICT in primary education is the development of a different approach to teachers’ continuing professional development with ICT in teaching and learning. This is based on considering the individual’s attitudinal location. Two significant questions arose from this study. The first being: What measures do teachers use to judge their ICT practice against and what opportunities for this are provided? The second: What is the quality and content of the pupil/teacher interaction with ICT in the classroom?