Teachers’ and Trainers’ Perspectives

Researching the outcomes of the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) ICT Teacher Training

Full Report | TES Article | Interim Report | Background | Project Team

Background information on this Project

Summary | Methodology | Interim Report

Summary
This ICT training programme for teachers was intended to concentrate on the pedagogy of ICT in subject teaching. The Reflective Voices research draws on the voices of as many participant groups as possible: teachers, senior managers, school staff trainers, ICT coordinators, policy makers, quality assurance agents, and the journalists who specialised in NOF training. In this way the team hoped to seek evidence as widely as possible in order to provide guidance about the best ways of helping teachers to use computers intuitively in their teaching.

The main aims of the research were

The main thrust of the research was not only in identifying the good providers, but going beyond that to identify what was good about the providers who were being recommended. Accordingly the research focused on two main areas:

Research methodology
The principal issues were identified using published and other paper sources, the previous research reports, by setting up online forums within the professional organisations and by interviewing key policy makers.

In order to meet the aims and objectives of the project a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods were agreed. Quantitative material covered the type, perceived quality and cost effectiveness of the training model that was used and the access the teacher had to a computer.

The cohort covered a full range of training models and a wide range of school and teacher characteristics. One thousand schools were surveyed at the end of 2002. 638 replies were received. These replies were analysed to identify the issues across the whole cohort.

The free response section was been important in recording a full range of views about the training programme in all contexts, not only where the programme went well.

Around 30 schools were selected which reported general satisfaction with the training outcomes. A more probing questionnaire was sent which helped to narrow the case study cohort, and also ensured a backup in case any of the selected schools decide to back out of the project during the research.

Fifteen schools were selected as case studies which incorporated as wide a range of circumstances, experiences and views as possible. In addition, schools were chosen from contrasting localities and are of different types in order to ensure as much diversity as possible (i.e. region, school age phase, urban/rural, school type - foundation, girls, Church of England etc.)

The principles of selection for these case studies were established through the survey data and the interviews conducted in the first months. The sample size was agreed according to the distribution of schools in the country, five secondary schools including one special school and ten primary schools.

This was done by categorising responses to questions about the model of training provided by the ten heads and five deputy heads who were directing the project in the school. In order to ensure triangulation two other teachers were interviewed in each school who were chosen by the NOF programme director as having differing levels of competence and confidence: in all twelve ICT coordinators, eleven classroom teachers and two teaching assistants were interviewed.

The case study questions in the semi-structured interviews, were based on the quantitative questionnaire data analysis, and other criteria for selection agreed for example schools which had changed their ATP.

Whilst the school-based study is the main focus of this research, a further phase investigated the role, experience and perspectives of relevant ATPs. This information was collected by semi-structured email questionnaires followed up by telephone and face to face interviewing.

All the players were also invited to respond to invitations to join forums and to send opinions by email.

The research publication will provide accounts of how critical issues in delivery and receipt were dealt with. The identification of critical features will be based on a critical use of expert opinion. The case studies will highlight critical features from which lessons for future practice may be learned.

Text of a PowerPoint Presentation made at the Bera/BC Conference, January 2003

We welcome the voice of the teaching and training community in this research. Email if you have views you want to share.

[Full Report | TES Article | Interim Report | Background | Project Team]

[Back to top]