Motivate Teachers to Use ICT:Reasons and Factors

Fawzieh Makkawi

Training Manager

NTC - EDUWARE

Educational Research Center-3rd Annual Conference

Why motivating teachers to use ICT?

Introduction

• ICT offered education several solutions and innovations.

• Nevertheless, the introductory of ICT in education was not a welcomed component,

• ICT brought in an intensive force of change.

• This made teachers resistant or at least reluctant in using ICT.

Why we need to motivate teachersto use ICT?

• Teachers are "the most important group of

professionals for our nation's future. Therefore, it

is disturbing to find that many of today's teachers are

dissatisfied with their jobs" (Bishay, 1996).

• “It is recognized worldwide that there is a slow

uptake by teachers of Information

Communication Technologies in school

classrooms” (Leung et al., 2005).

ICT Use Difficulties

ICT Use Difficulties

• ICT is a difficult demanding imposing

educational tool.

• In their research about the motivational factors affecting

teachers’ use of ICT, Cox et al. (1999) find out that:

“the most significant negative factor was

difficulties experienced in using IT”(Cox et al.,

1999).

No Way Out

• However, in the information age and with

the digital native speakers (Prensky, 2001),

ICT use in Education became a must

and not a choice;

• It is a destiny with no way out.

ICT use benefit

The various educational solutions, services

and innovations of ICT, and its fruitful

outcomes, make it worth all the hassle,

difficulties, and the change pressure that

teachers specifically, and all the school

stakeholders in general, may go through.

ICT use benefit

• ICT makes old educational hopes,

and new educational strategies that

cares for every child, like:

personalized learning, or

differentiated learning, a more

realistic achievable targets.

ICT in Education

• The introductory of ICT in education is totally different than

any other educational changes. "As ICT enters the socio-

cultural setting of the school, it “weaves itself into

learning in many more ways than its original promoters

could possibly have anticipated” (Papert, 1993, 53).

• It generates changes in every aspect of the school

system, from curriculum, pedagogy, and interpersonal

communications, which will have a reciprocal effect on

ICT itself (Salomon, 1993, Lim, 2002).

ICT affecting teachers’ role

• ICT is not like the old calculators, simple

and easy to use. They are sophisticated,

ever developing.

• To follow up with the new educational

technology, teachers need to spend time,

work hard and keep this up and running

all their life.

Scaffolding Teachers

• ICT has really changed the role and the job of

teachers. Teachers are not anymore the

source of information, they are becoming

more as facilitators, or “scaffolding”

teachers.

• With such a pressing mandatory change,

teachers definitely need serious help.

Student/teacher Centered

• ICT contributed enormously in enhancing

the student-centered model of teaching

and learning.

• However, most teachers tend to keep

the old teacher-centered model. (Gibson,

2001)

Teaching Strategies

• Likewise, Demetriadis et al. (2003), in a Greek study

showed that teachers may be interested in using ICT to

enhance their learning skills or to get a “better

professional profile”, and when teaching, they tend to

use ICT in the traditional teacher-centered mode.

• Thus, to actually obtain the full benefit of ICT in

Education, teachers need to change their way of

teaching first (Scrimshaw, 2004).

Change

Change

“Change can provide both challenges and threats.

At a personal and professional level, it can call into

question values, beliefs and practices that were

previously assumed and accepted by teachers.”

(Stevenson and Hassell, 1994, p.210).

1- Immobilization

2- Minimization

3- Depression

4- Acceptance / Letting go

5- Testing out

6- Search for meaning

Self-esteem

+

-

TIME

(Usually longer than is thought)

Self-esteem changes during

transition

Source: Adams el al.

1976

(Garrett, 1997, p.74)

7- Internalization

Self-esteem changes during transition(Adams et al.)

Diffusion of Innovation (Rogers, 1962)

Vision

Skills

Incentive

Resources

Action Plan

Skills

Incentive

Resources

Action Plan

Vision

Incentive

Resources

Action Plan

Vision

Skills

Resources

Action Plan

Vision

Skills

Incentive

Action Plan

Vision

Skills

Incentive

Resources

Change Confusion Anxiety Resistance Frustration Treadmill

Change ElementsThousand and Villa's (1995)

ICT Anxiety

• Finally, ICT in education has its own

anxiety because of the following different

aspects:

– its unavoidable presence;

– the mass of change it produces;

– difficulty in learning new skills

– and difficulty in implementing it in classrooms;

ICT Anxiety – Cont.

– expensive tools and trainings;

– time consuming;

– embarrassment in use

• in front digital native students

• and more qualified teachers.

– endless fast growing field…

Motivation

Motivation

Definition

• “Motivation is usually defined as an internal

state that arouses, directs, and maintains

behavior.” (Hoy, A. and Hoy, W., 2003, p.112).

• The three aspects of action that motivation can

affect are:

– Direction (choice),

– Intensity (effort),

– and Duration (persistence).

Five Different Aspects of Motivation

In a more detailed explanation or definition for Motivation, researchers focused on five different aspects:

1. Choosing a behavior,

2. deciding the time when to begin this behavior,

3. the level of involvement,

4. the time for how long the behavior will last,

5. and finally, the person’s feeling during this behavior

(Graham and Weiner, 1996; Pintrich, Marx, and Boyle, 1993).

Extrinsic / Intrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic / Intrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation derived from

the activity itself. It is directly related to the personal

interest, it does not need any outside motivation.

• Whereas the extrinsic motivation, is the motivation that is

derived from related factors to the action and not the

action itself, like the reward that a person may get after

finishing an action.

Extrinsic / Intrinsic Motivation – Cont.

• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are two

motivational aspects that could be totally

separated or affecting each other.

• Mainly, leaders provide extrinsic motivation trying

to enhance the intrinsic motivation, but this is not

always successful.

Extrinsic / Intrinsic Motivation – Cont.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Maslow’s Hierarchy

• “Maslow (1970) suggested that humans have a hierarchy of

needs ranging from lower-level needs for survival and safety

to higher-level needs for intellectual achievement and finally

self actualization.” (Hoy and Hoy, 2003, p.118).

• According to Maslow, the 4 lower levels are the basic needs

for a person, and once they are satisfied, motivation will not

affect this part anymore,

• Whereas the person needs for the higher levels can never be

fully satisfied and he will keep on asking for better

achievement.

Motivation Factors

• Motivation factors may differ from one person to

another depending on:

– their cultural background,

– institutional goals,

– and personal needs

– and interests.

• Motivation factors may differ even with the

same person with time.

Situated Practice

• Administrators need always to track their teachers’ interest. They need

to use the extrinsic motivation that will enhance the intrinsic motivation

in the person.

• At this point, administrators may phase out the extrinsic motivation.

This is a major interest with administration, since extrinsic motivation is

a costing process.

• Therefore situated practice is an essential way of studying and

researching what motivates teachers in the same way of studying the

problems and the success that teachers are encountering when using

ICT.

Motivation Factors

Internal Factors

• Mastery Motivation

• Achievement Motivation

• Mastery Motivation

• ICT in Education maybe faced by resistance and fear from

some teachers, but for others it is an attractive component. It

is something interesting to follow and discover, and they do

not need any kind of extrinsic motivation to use it.

• Teachers may like ICT for personal interests, for enhancing

their work or to make things more enjoyable for their

students.

• Mastery Motivation – Cont.

• This is what is called mastery theory (white, 1959, cited in

Jennings et al., 1984) or mastery goals (Elliot and Harackiewicz,

1996), to enhance the self information and adaptation with the

environment.

• Although mastery theory concentrated on children adaptation

with life, but this interest, curiosity and desire to learn and

master will keep up with the person till the end of life. Its power

may differ from one person to another and from depending on

interest, personal priorities and targeted goals.

• Achievement Motivation

• An important teacher intrinsic motivation in using ICT is the

impact of ICT on learners. This is related to intrinsic goal

motivation (Elliot and Thrash, 2001).

• Many research findings gave evidence on that ICT has its

positive effect and motivation on pupils.

• ICT affects students’ attitude toward a subject, time spent on

studying and their involvement and commitment. It also

enhances their enjoyment and their self esteem (Cox et al.,

1999; Mumtaz, 2000).

External Factors

• Effective CPD

• Support

• Freedom / Risk taking margin

• Teachers Network

• Merit Pay

• Effective CPD

• To motivate teachers to use ICT effectively in

Education, effective continuous professional

development is needed.

• "Previous studies into teacher attitude and

motivation have identified staff development

as one of the contributing factors in using

ICT effectively in the classroom” (McCarney,

2004).

o User Acceptance Enablers

• Venkatesh et al. (2002) researched what they called user

acceptance enablers (UAEs): the pre-training and

training environment.

• These enablers can positively affect the user acceptance

of technology and the continuous use of it. Thus “UAEs will

have a positive influence on intrinsic motivation”

(Venkatesh et al., 2002).

• Support

• As a consequence to a well organized CPD, providing

good resources and support inside the school will

facilitate the use of ICT and enhance teacher

motivation.

• Some governmental projects and funding like laptops

for teachers scheme (Preston, 2004) would act as a

very extrinsic motivating factor.

• Freedom margin

• Pelletier et al. (2002) argue that when teachers have more

pressure, like meeting the curriculum or performance

standards, this may lead teachers to be less self-

determined.

• Sylvia and Hutchinson (1985) found in their study of 167

teachers had successful use of ICT that teachers

motivation were based on the freedom that teachers

had to test new ICT tools and ways of teachings.

• Teachers Network

• In a research done in Canada by Grander et al.

(2002), findings suggest that “supportive and

collaborative relationships among teachers” are

considered as highly motivating factors.

• This is important in the same school, but more

fruitful when it is among a bigger teachers

community.

• Merit Pay

• Money reward in different forms like better

salaries or bonuses could be an important

motivator for teachers to use ICT.

• Although Deci (1971) and Sylvia and Hutchinson

(1985) argued that rewards could affect

negatively the intrinsic motivation,

• Merit Pay – Cont.

• Intrinsic and extrinsic goals can interact and money is an

important motivation factor “especially to teachers

whose pay falls short of personal needs” (Ozcan,

1996)." (Leithwood et al., 2002, p.99).

• Money rewards in the ICT use may enhance this intrinsic

motivation. ICT does not require time and effort to keep up

with, but it needs also a lot of money.

Different needs and interests

• Teachers differ in their needs and interests

and school leaders should use different

motivational models to encourage all

teachers to participate, implement, and test

several ICT use to explore more useful

educational solutions.

Conclusion

• Leaders need to take into consideration:

– the big load added to teachers’ job,

– how much sophisticated and demanding their

job has became,

– and the change difficulty in general and with

ICT specifically.

Conclusion – Cont.

• Leaders need to satisfy teachers’ basic needs in their teaching environment.

• Ask them to participate in implementing the ICT strategy in school.

• Provide well organized CPD, support and up-to-date resources.

• Give rewards, credits, and recognition for special ICT use.

Conclusion – Cont.

• Encourage teachers to keep on having action research studies to explore ICT new implementations and success.

• Finally, a continuous needs assessment including motivation study should be conducted to keep on fulfilling teachers basic needs of self intellectual achievement.

Back On Line

Headteacher AdviceIan Russell

Ian Russell, headteacher of St. Philip’s Primary School, Bath.

“Take your time, don’t try to do it all in a hurry, expect it is going to take several years to provide a full implementation for everything you want, and plan your development plan accordingly.

The headteacher of the school needs to have a real vision for ICT and a real design to see it developed in the school, without that you will not going to end with the budget the resources, or the direction for the subject.”

Headteacher AdviceIan Russell

and finally added:

“Keep staff with you,

support them,

train them,

encourage them, but don’t force a face beyond what they can’t cope with,

but recognize they will get there

and help them”

(Teachers’ TV, 2005).

Fawzieh MakkawiTraining ManagerNTC - EDUWARE

Thank You ...