University of Exeter - School of Education B.Phil / M.Ed Modular Degree Programme
Individual Research Module (IT) - P51 Winter 1998 / Spring 1999 Professor Niki Davis
Using ICT training needs analysis materials with staff in two secondary schools
Submitted by: Megan Dick and Alastair Reynolds Previous modules undertaken : G162, G161

Analysis (Part II)
This page was written by Alastair Reynolds


Analysis of School Y Results

Budd (1995) suggests that needs assessment activities need to be carried out on multiple levels within an organisation. Below is an analysis of the responses given by teachers at School Y. Obviously, the analysis can not go into as much depth as the departmental and individual analyses, but it is possible that a broader view of the whole school ICT training needs may be gained.

Fifty teachers in school Y responded. The full table of results for both schools may be found in Appendix C.

Section 1 : Stage of ICT Development

Teachers chose one of three statements in each of five questions. Below are the number of people who selected each statement:

Survival stage Mastery stage Impact stage
I feel that using ICT is a struggle.4I am beginning to cope with using ICT.22I am using ICT successfully most of the time.24
I find it very difficult coping with technical problems which arise when using ICT.21I am learning to cope with technical problems which arise when using ICT.23I can cope with almost all technical problems which occur when using ICT.6
I have no basic ICT skills.2I have some basic ICT skills.26I have a good set of basic ICT skills.22
I do not use ICT in teaching.5I use some ICT in teaching.31I feel confident using ICT in teaching.14
I do not feel confident with ICT but would like to use it.5I feel some level of confidence with ICT and would like to use it more.31I feel confident with ICT and would like to use it more effectively.14

These results are mainly positive; almost half those taking part believe they are using ICT successfully most of the time and that they have a good set of basic ICT skills. One point worth noting here is that the summary results for the second question differ significantly from the other four; almost half those questioned have great difficulty in dealing with technical problems which arise. Any training provided would certainly need to address this particular need in some depth.

Considering the raw data, it can also be seen that 90% of the teachers answered four or five questions at the mastery or impact stages, indicating a generally good level of confidence amongst the staff of school Y. If you assume that anyone with three or more responses in the first column is at the survival stage, anyone with three or more in the third column is at the impact stage, and anyone else is at the mastery stage, then the teachers in this survey have the following distribution:

SurvivalMasteryImpact
53114

Section 2 : Specific ICT Skills

In this section participants were asked to give their level of competence with certain specific skills. The ratings were:

  1. I don't know what this is.
  2. I know what this is but have never used it.
  3. I have used this occasionally but need more training to be competent.
  4. I use this regularly and competently.
  5. I use this confidently in teaching and in administrative work.
  6. I am fully confident to teach others about this.
To make interpretation of the results easier, it is useful to group the responses. Teachers answering 1, 2 or 3 to any section would certainly benefit from further training in those areas. Teachers answering 4 (but not 5) may benefit from courses showing them how to apply their skills in teaching and administrative work. Teachers who answer 5 or 6 could assist in the development of those who are less confident or confident.

SKILLSLevel 1, 2 or 3Level 4Level 5 or 6
Using the keyboard111524
Using a mouse81527
Using on-screen menus121424
Using help facilities in programs261014
Using a printer131819
Installing software291110
Copying, naming and deleting files211415
Researching using CD-ROMs231116
Researching using the Internet26915
Moving material between programs3479

PROGRAMSLevel 1, 2 or 3Level 4Level 5 or 6
Wordprocessor131126
Spreadsheet30614
Database4082
Internet web browser261311
Electronic mail251411
School administration (SIMS software)4163

Clearly training would be beneficial in almost all areas. The sections which showed a need for training in more than half the responses were: help facilities, installing software, research using the internet, moving material between programs, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers and school administration software.

Forty teachers out of fifty rated every section as two or above, indicating a general awareness of ICT skills and software amongst staff. The sections where every teacher rated themselves as a two or more were: using a mouse, using a keyboard, using a printer, researching using the internet and wordprocessing.

Section 3 : Classroom ICT Use

This section provides information about the way teachers use ICT currently, and how they would like to use ICT in the future. The results were as follows:

Methods of organising ICT useI have used ICT in this way.I have not used ICT in this way.I would (do) like to use ICT in this way.I would not like to use ICT in this way.
Pupils working in pairs or groups437491
Pupils working individually445490
Teacher leading pupil work from the front3218434
Teacher learning alongside the pupil 2425398
Encouraging ICT use outside lessons437500
Pupils having option to use ICT in all lessons 7422422

(where results do not add up to fifty some individuals did not tick a box)

For all six methods, the number who would like to use ICT in a particular way was greater than the number who already did, indicating a positive attitude towards the use of ICT. Some resistance is evident in the ‘teacher learning alongside the pupil’ and ‘pupils having option to use ICT in all lessons’ sections. In the latter, this may reflect a lack of clarity in the question.

Examination of the raw data allows us to look at the number of people who responded ‘no’ in both parts for a particular method, and who therefore are certain that they do not want to use ICT in a certain way. No-one answered ‘no’ to both parts in the first, second or fifth sections. Three answered ‘no’ both times for ‘teacher leading from the front’, seven answered ‘no’ both times for ‘teacher learning alongside the pupil’ and twenty-two answered ‘no’ both times to ‘pupils having option to use ICT in all lessons’. This confirms that there is some significant resistance to this last method of using ICT.

Section 4 : Curricular ICT Use

Section four focuses on the teacher’s use of ICT within their own subject area. Teachers chose one of four statements in each of five questions. The four statements roughly correponded to McKenzie’s (1993) stages of development. Below are the number of people who selected each statement:

I have not used ICT in my subject teaching.4I have used ICT in my subject but not very successfully.2I have used ICT in my subject teaching with some success.27I use ICT effectively in my subject teaching.17
I do not think ICT can enhance teaching in my subject.0I think ICT can enhance teaching in my subject but I am not sure how.1I am aware that some uses of ICT enhance teaching in my subject.35I know which uses of ICT enhance teaching in my subject.14
I am not aware of ways in which ICT can be used in teaching my subject.1I am aware of how ICT can be used in teaching my subject but do not use it.7I am aware of how ICT can be used in teaching my subject and do use it.28I would be able to give others advice on how ICT can be used in my subject.14
I do not know of any specialist software designed for teaching my subject.3I know specialist software is available for my subject but have not used any.8I have used some software which has been designed for teaching my subject.24I have evaluated software for my subject and decided what is useful or not.15
I do not feel able to decide whether a particular use of ICT Is effective.2I can sometimes tell whether or not a particular use of ICT is effective.9I am usually aware of whether or not a particular use of ICT is effective.30I can always decide whether or not a particular use of ICT is effective.9

The overall results seem positive; more than two thirds of the responses were in the third or fourth columns. The TTA would like all teachers to be in column four, and there is clearly a strong awareness of subject-based ICT use which can be built upon to achieve this aim.

Further examination of the raw data shows that 35 out of 50 respondents only chose statements in the third and fourth columns, and only 1 chose all five statements from the first two columns. There is a high level of knowledge about subject-based ICT use which should be tapped to provide effective training for the less confident staff.


Summary

The staff in this school have a generally positive attitude towards ICT use. The majority feel some level of confidence in their own ICT capability, but the recognise that there are certain areas where they need further development. They seem to be open to a range of styles of teaching using ICT in the classroom, with the possible exception of pupils having the option to use ICT in all lessons. There is an awareness amongst many staff of the ways in which ICT might enhance teaching in their subject, and this knowledge could be shared to improve the effectiveness of ICT use within the school.


You may now wish to go to Part I of the analysis if you have not already read it.
Otherwise you can move on to the combined conclusions or return to the contents.


Assignment Quick Links
Title Page | Introduction | Contents | Literature Review (Part I) | Literature Review (Part II)
Research Design | Analysis (Part I) | Analysis (Part II) | Conclusions | References | Appendices