TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE AND BELIEFS TOWARDS
USE OF ICT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING:
PERSPECTIVES FROM INDIA
DR MANPREET KAUR DR BALWANT SINGH
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR & VICE PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL
PARTAP COLLEGE OF EDUCATION. PARTAP COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
LUDHIANA. LUDHIANA.

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research is to study the attitude and beliefs of secondary school
teachers towards the use of ICT in the classroom.
Participants of the study are one hundred and fifty secondary school teachers from
schools of Punjab state of India.
Survey was used to study Teachers’ attitude and beliefs towards ICT in Teaching and
Learning.
Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with the purpose of deepening into
major motivations and beliefs of teachers.

There is consensus that the exchange and transformation of knowledge through
information technologies is a feature of developed societies.Information technologies
provide the tools for creating,collecting,storing,using knowledge and for communication
and collaboration.

Today, many countries recognize the importance of education and training in
ICT for citizens with the necessary skills to access information and
participate in transactions through these technologies.

In addition to questions arising from the variety of approaches in which ICT curricula are
conceptualized and delivered, there also arise questions about the nature of the role that
teachers, schools and education systems play in supporting the development of ICT-
related literacies.
Since the integration of ICT in teaching and learning is inevitable, teachers’ beliefs and
attitudes towards the potentials of ICT in teaching and learning have been
regarded as central conditions for a successful implementation of new technologies (Ertmer,
2005 & Eickelmann,2011 ).

Conceptual Framework
Various researches have emphasized the study of teacher’s attitude towards the use of
new technologies in the classroom. The results show very positive attitude and the
common acceptance that their use will be soon completely expanded (Foley, &
Ojeda, 2008; Karagiorgi & Charalambous,2006).
It seems to be that an early age is a highly relevant factor for the teachers who have a positive
attitude towards the incorporation of ICT (Shaunessy, 2007; Aduwa-Ogiegbaen, 2008)because
those who are young have more experience of use of ICT and therefore, feel more involved
with their use than their older counterparts (Hammond et al , 2008).

Teacher’s attitude and belief towards the usefulness of using ICT are considered
crucial for the effective use in educational setting (Zhao et al 2001).

Teachers' beliefs and attitude are the prerequisites for successful implementation and use
of ICT in schools.
A belief can be understood as a subjective element of knowledge that an individual
considers true and important in relation to a specific subject and as bound up with a
person's past history,emotions,and personal values (Petko, 2008)

An attitude can be defined as a complex, multi-dimensional construct comprised to
cognitive, affective, and conative components (Zang & Aikman, 2007)or simply as an
individual's positive or negative feelings (evaluative affect) about performing the target
behavior‘ (Fishben & Ajzen, 1975).

Teacher's attitude and beliefs would therefore seem to be crucial with regard to innovations
in schools,especially those that combine pedagogies and technology.

Research Questions
1) To study secondary school teachers’ attitude and beliefs in implementing
ICT tools in teaching and learning in classroom.
2) To determine the challenges of using ICT tools in teaching and learning in
the classroom among secondary school teachers.
3) To identify the extent to which teachers use ICT tools in teaching and
learning in the classroom.

Sample
Data was collected from 150 teachers selected from 15 government and
private schools of Punjab state of India.

Level 1 schools: These are the schools with a limited use of ICT in educational tasks.
Connectivity is limited to a computer without having a network. There is also a lack of
motivation and interest among the teachers and heads of the schools.

Level 2 schools: These schools have a well-equipped computer classroom. Its
use is not intensive and depends on the interest of some teachers. The use of
ICT is not outlined in the academic plan or is still at an initial stage.

Level 3 schools: These are the schools having one or more very well-equipped computer classrooms.
These computers are interconnected and a local area network has been set up. Moreover, there are
also some computers in the regular classrooms offering the possibility of being used by the students
and teachers during lessons.The use of ICT is partially included in the academic plan.

Level 4 schools: These schools have decided that ICT is a distinct element of their
educational activities. They have very good equipment’s and are fully connected to the
internet. There is someone responsible for solving any maintenance problem.The schools in
this category have an academic plan that include use of ICT in instructions.

• In India most of government schools fall under level 1and 2 but most good private schools
come under level 3 and 4.
• In this research data is collectedfrom schools fall under level 2,3 and 4.
• The average age of teachers selected as sample is 35 years old, ranging between 25 and 60
years and Teaching experience ranges from 5 to 24 years.

Data Collection
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect and analyse data obtained
from the respondents.
A questionnaire was developed and was designed specifically to address research objectives
with regard to teachers’ attitude and beliefs towards use of ICT tools in secondary schools
in India.
Qualitative data was collected from 15 teachers randomly selected from sample. Semi
structured interview method was also used to know about their major motivational beliefs and
attitude towards ICT.

Qualitative data was collected from 15 teachers randomly selected from sample. Semi
structured interview method was also used to know about their major motivational beliefs and
attitude towards ICT.

Findings and Discussion
• Quantitative data
1. Teachers’attitude and beliefs towards ICT
Score range Male Female Total Percentage Level
80-139 6 10 16 10.6 Highly
Unfavorable
140-199 6 20 26 17.3 Unfavorable
200-259 8 30 38 25.3 Neutral
260-319 12 40 52 34.6 Favorable
320-379 8 10 18 12 Highly
Favorable
Table – 1 Various Levels of Teachers Attitude towards using ICT

2. To identifythe extent to which teachers use ICT tools
Among the total 150 teachers, 16 (10.6 %) have highly unfavorable attitude, 26 (17.3 %) have
unfavorable attitude, 38(25.3 %) have neutral attitude, 52 (34.6 %) have favorable attitude
and 18(12%) have highly favorable attitude.
It is concluded that most of the teachers have favorable attitude towards using ICT in
classroom.

In order to find out the significant difference between the teacher’s attitude towards using
new technology scores of male and female teachers t-test was applied and the results are
given in table 2.
Table 2: Showing t-value of score of male and female teachers’ attitude towards use of ICT
Gender N Mean SD t- value
Male 40 244.5 79.8 0.29
Female 110 240.4 66.6

Table 2 shows that male and female teachers do not differ significantly in
their attitudes towards use of ICT in education. Results are in line with the
study conducted by (Shapka & Ferrari 2003) who examined the computer
attitude and outcomes from computer tasks, they also did not find any
gender differences

• Qualitative data
Fifteen interviews complemented the quantitative information. All interview transcriptions
were categorized into two dimensions:
• 1-Attitude and beliefs towards use of ICT and the extent to which teachers use ICT tools
Study suggests that participants had positive attitude and beliefs towards use of ICT as
teaching tools. Teachers believe that pupils like to learn with computers. They are also
keen on the educational use of ICT.

• “The use of ICT in education adds value to teaching and learning, by enhancing the
effectiveness of learning. It added a dimension to learning that was not previously available. After the
inception of ICT in schools, students found learning in a technology-enhanced environment more
stimulating and engaging than in a traditional classroom environment”.(Teacher excerpt)
• “ICT, motivates us towards learning. It is reliable and provides interactive learning experiences. It
facilitates communication and promotes creativity.”(Teacher excerpt).

• “ICT backed teaching is more used between Class I-X. In terms of subjects being taught,
Math, Social Science, Science, English has digitized and visual content which is used for
classroom teaching. But for higher classes, mostly the content is designed by the respective
subject instructors”.(Teacher excerpt).

Most of the private schools seem to be well furnished and make more use of ICT in teaching
in comparisonto government schools.
In government schools technology is implemented but it is not at classroom level. ICT is used
for communication with authorities, at administrative level for filling of e portals of teachers
and students but not in classroom.
.

Among the various services for which schools are making use of ICT, student enrolment,
attendance, their academic progress, payment of fee, salary transfer and teacher recruitment
were found to be the most common activities related to school management for which schools
use ICT.
Some other ICT based activities cited by the schools are – preparation and sharing of
transport roster,library management,vehicle tracking and procurement etc.

2- Challenges in Use of ICT in class byTeachers
Lack of access to ICT resources and poor infrastructure
• The study indicates that lack of access to resources, including home access, is a complex
challenge that prevent teachers from integrating new technologies into education.
• Most teachers felt that practical implementation was difficult mainly due to the lack of ICT
resources, inadequate institutional support, absence of maintenance staff in the school to
support teachers,lack of time in class to use ICT and lack of motivation for teachers.
• The basic barrier in using ICT in teaching reported by Indian teachers are poor
infrastructure,hardware hazards and lack of content related software.

Technical problems
These were found to be a major barrier for
teachers. These technical barriers included failing
to connect to the Internet, printers not
working, buffering of websites and teachers
have to work on old and outdated computers

Training Opportunities
There were not enough training opportunities for teachers for using ICT in a
classroom environment. There is inadequate pre service and in service
training in ICT..

The present study clearly indicates that higher secondary teachers have favorable attitude
and beliefs towards use of ICT in teaching. Gender differences in use of ICT are not
significant so male and female are at equal status with regard to use of ICT.
The study also revealed that use of ICT in teaching is inadequate and insufficient. A number
of early studies investigated why teachers do not use computers in teaching (Winnans &
Brown, 1992; Dupagne & Krendl,1992.; Hadley & Sheingold,1993)

The small sample size makes it difficult to offer any generalizations concerning robustness of
the observed results.
This study does however highlight that the success of the training was structured around
two firm principles, firstly to increase teachers’ confidence in use of technology and
secondly, to allow teachers to develop lessons that utilized ICT resources to be
pedagogically meaningful for their learners.
The observed outcomes of this study found that most of teachers felt confident and
happy with the ICT they were using in their classroom and this resulted in positive
learning experiences and attitudes to further ICT training and use in their lessons.

This study highlights the need for further research to be conducted assessing how best
to assist teachers develop their ICT skills in order to enable greater ICT use in schools in
India.

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