Starting Teachers’ Integration of ICT into Their Teaching

Received: December 25, 2015Accepted: January10, 2018Online First: February 27, 2018

Copyright © 2018 EDAMwww.estp.com.tr

DOI 10.12738/estp.2018.1.0431 February 2018 18(1) 23–45

Research Article

KURAM VE UYGULAMADA EĞİTİM BİLİMLERİ EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES: THEORY & PRACTICE

Citation: Aslan, A., & Zhu, C. (2018). Starting teachers’ integration of ICT into their teaching practices in the lower secondary schools in Turkey. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 18, 23–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.12738/estp.2018.1.0431

* Thisstudywaspreparedusingtheauthor’sdoctoraldissertationtitled“Variablesinfluencingpre-serviceandstartingteachers’integrationofICTintoteachingpracticesintheTurkishcontext”whichwasacceptedbyVrijeUniversiteitBrussel,Facultyof Psychology and Educational Sciences, 2016.

1 Correspondence to: AydınAslan (PhD),Yahyalar Durali Bezci Lower Secondary School,Yenimahalle,Ankara 06210Turkey.Email:[email protected]

2DepartmentofEducationalSciences,Pleinlaan2,1050Brussels,Belgium.Email:[email protected]

AbstractThe objective of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the integration of ICT of starting teachers in lower secondary schools in the Turkish context. Both quantitative and qualitative research was implemented for this objective. The participants were selected according to a stratified two-stage sampling design. That is, they were supposed to have graduated from one of the six state universities which were determined according to the population size of the universities in relation to three highest and lowest numbers of studying pre-service teachers. They were teachers who teach Turkish, social sciences, elementary mathematics and science in the lower secondary schools to represent teachers teaching in both social sciences and science teaching branches. The study showed that perceived competence in ICT integration and pedagogical knowledge are significant predictors for starting teachers’ integration of ICT into their teaching practices. Teachers should have opportunities to access to ICT resources to integrate ICT into their teachings effectively. Besides, changes are necessary in curriculum and assessment systems to enable teachers to facilitate teaching with ICT.

Keywords

Starting teachers • ICT integration • ICT competency • Lower secondary schools • Mixed research method

AydınAslan1

Ministry of National Education of Republic of Turkey

Chang Zhu2

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Starting Teachers’ Integration of ICT into Their Teaching Practices in the Lower Secondary Schools in Turkey*

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EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES: THEORY & PRACTICE

Theworldischangingrapidly.Modernizationandglobalizationaremostlyacceptedto imposechallenges to individualsandsocieties (Schleicher, 2012).Furthermore,Voogt and Roblin (2012)asserthowwe live,workand learnareconstantlybeingtransformedbytheglobalizationandinternalizationofeconomyaccompanyingwiththe rapid development of ICT.To illustrate, individuals have tomaster changingtechnologiestointerpretalargequantityofavailableinformationinordertomakesenseofandfunctionwellinthisdiverseandinterconnectedworld(OrganizationforEconomicCo-operationDevelopment[OECD],2005).

In the 21st century, effective citizens andworkers are required to have functionalandcriticalthinkingskillssuchasinformationliteracy,medialiteracyandICTliteracy(Partnershipfor 21st century learning, 2015). In this regard, teachers are expected to enable citizens,workers to acquire those functional and critical thinking skills.Thisindicatesthatteachershavetobecompetentintheuseofinformationandcommunicationstechnology(ICT).Theyneedtobepreparedtoprovidetheirstudentswithtechnology-supported learning opportunities to support student learning (UNESCO, 2008). Furthermore,Zhu, Wang, Cai, and Engels (2013)havestatedthatinnovativeteachingisnecessaryforallteacherstomeettheeducationalneedsofthenewgenerations.Theyhavealsofoundoutthatteachers’technologicalcompetencyispositivelyrelatedtotheirinnovativeteachingperformance.Therefore,teachershavetobeproficientinusingICTintheirclassactivitiestoenhanceteachingandlearningprocess.

It is widely acknowledged that the use of technology will make a significantcontribution to enhancing teaching and learning process. Based on thisacknowledgement, it is seen that both developed and developing countries havemadehugeinvestmentsintheemploymentofICTineducation.WhenTurkeywithits limitedbudget in respect to thehuge investments in ICTpolicy including ICTinfrastructure,humanresources,particularly teachers, in theeducationalsystemistakenintoaccount,theemploymentofICTinthetransformationofeducationneedstobeimplementedeffectivelyandrationally.Inthistransformation,teachersundertakeimportantresponsibilities.Inthisrespect,itisimportantforteacherstobecompetentin ICT to facilitate the teaching and learning process. Therefore, teachers’ integration of ICT into teaching practices is a frequently studied topic in the literature.

ResearchresultsindicatethatteachersintegrateICTintoatalowlevelorabasiclevel(e.g.,Aslan&Zhu,2015;Somekh,2008;Tezci,2009). InanandLowther(2010) havestressedoutthatitisnotempiricallysufficienttoclaimthataccesstotechnologyhasimprovedthequalityofinstructiontosupportstudentlearning.Furthermore,mostteachersdonotusetechnologyfortheinstructionaldeliveryanddonotintegrateitintotheircurriculum,either(Afshari,AbuBakar,Luan,AbuSamah,&Fooi,2009).Therefore, the issue of teachers’, particularly starting teachers, integration of ICT

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Aslan, Zhu/StartingTeachers’IntegrationofICTintoTheirTeachingPracticesintheLowerSecondarySchoolsinTurkey

into their teaching practices needs to be studied in amore inclusiveway to gainadeeperunderstandingthefactorsinfluencingteachers’integrationofICTintheircoursesandreveal theirperceptionsfor thestrengthsandweaknessof the teachertrainingprogramstopreparethemtouseICTforeducationalpurposes.Thisstudyaimstofocusonthefollowingresearchquestions:

- Whatare thestarting teachers’perceptionsof theICT-relatedvariables,namelyperceivedICTcompetence,perceivedcompetenceinICTintegrationineducation,attitudestowardsICT,computeranxietyandexternalbarrierstotheuseofICT,perceptions concerning ICT-related courses, pedagogical knowledge, and priorexperience concerning ICT training? (RQ1)

- To what degree do the starting teachers use ICT in their teaching practices? (RQ2)

- To what degree do the ICT-related variables predict the starting teachers’“integration of ICT into teaching practices”? (RQ3)

- WhatdothestartingteachersperceivetheinfrastructureforICTintegrationintoeducationandtheICT-relatedcoursesinteachertrainingprogram?(RQ4)

- WhatdothestartingteachersperceivetheintegrationofICTintoeducation?(RQ5)

- To what degree do the starting teachers’ perceptions of the use of ICT in education affect their teaching practices with ICT? (RQ6)

Theoretical BackgroundIntegrationofICTintoeducationplaysanimportantroleinfacilitatingandenhancing

student learning. As Aslan and Zhu (2015)havepointedoutthatteachers’integrationofICTintotheirteachingpracticesisacomplexandchallengingissue.So,itisnecessarytoinvestigatethevariableswhichenableordisableteacherstoutilizeICTforinstructionalpurposes.TheresearchmodelofICTintegration(Figure1)wasformedbasedonteachervariables, training related variables and institutional variables in relation to teachers’integration of ICT into education as a result of the extensive literature review. Thedescriptionsof thevariablesarepresented inTable1. In thecontextwith the teachervariables, teachers’ gender, perceived ICT competence, perceived competence inICT integration, attitudes towards technology, computer anxiety and prior experienceconcerningICTwereselected.UnifiedTheoryofAcceptanceandUseofTechnology(UTAUT),TheoryofPlannedBehavior(TPB),TechnologyAcceptanceModel(TAM)andSocialCognitiveTheory(SCT)weretakenintoaccounttoformthetheoreticalbasisof these variables. Direct determinant variables including performance expectancy,effort expectancy, social influenceand facilitatingconditionsandmoderatorvariablescontaininggender,age,experienceandvoluntarinessareregardedtohaveasignificant

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roleonuseracceptanceandusagebehavior inUTAUT(Venkatesh,Morris,Davis,&Davis,2003).Themoderatorvariableswereconsideredtoincludegenderandexperiencevariables in the teacher variables in the current study. On the other hand, attitudestowardbehavior, subjectivenormandperceivedbehavior are seen tobe independentdeterminants of intention for behavior (Ajzen, 1991).Besides, people are inclined toperformbehaviorstowardwhichtheyhavepositiveattitudesaccordingtoTAM(Davis,Bagozzi, &Warshaw, 1989).Attitudes toward behavior is seen to be an importantcomponentinTPB,TAMandSCT.Therefore,attitudestowardtechnologyvariablewasdecidedtobeaddedintheteachervariables.Besides,self-efficacy,affectandanxietyareconsideredascoreconstructsforcomputerutilizationinSCT(Venkatesh et al., 2003). WithregardtothesecoreconstructsinSCT,perceivedICTcompetence,andperceivedcompetenceinICTintegrationandcomputeranxietyvariableswereincludedintheteachervariables.Inthecontextwiththetrainingrelatedvariables,theteachers’subjectareas,theuniversitieswheretheystudyintheirteachertrainingprogramandgraduatefrom,ICT-related courses and pedagogical courses in relation to ICT integration in teacher training programwerestudied.ThetheoryofschoolimprovementandtheTPACKframeworkweretakenintoaccounttoconceptualizethetrainingrelatedvariables.Thecontemporaryschoolimprovementisseentodealwithcurriculumandinstructionissues.Curriculumisregardedasaprincipalagentofeducationalreform(Hopkins, 2005). Therefore, the universitieswithrespecttotheteachers’acquisitionofICTcompetenceswereinvestigatedatinstitutionallevel.Thedynamic,transactionalrelationshipamongcontent,pedagogyandtechnologycomponentsintheTPACKframework(Koehler&Mishra,2005) was considered to include ICT-related courses, pedagogical courses in teacher trainingprogramandsubjectdomainsinthetrainingrelatedvariables.Asfarastheinstitutionalvariables are concerned, the external barriers to ICTuse teachers confront in teachertrainingprogramandattheschoolsettingswerestudied.Thesevariablesareconstitutedbased on Ertmer’s(1999)classificationofthebarriersfortechnologyintegration.

Theconceptualmodelof thecurrentstudy isbasedon therelevantresearch in theTurkish context regarding teachers’ integration of ICT into teaching practices (Aslan & Zhu, 2017).To furthervalidate the researchfindings, thepresent study focuseson thestarting teacherswho have been teaching for notmore than three years.As they arenewgraduates,theycanevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheteachertrainingprogramstoacquire and apply ICTcompetence in their teachingpractices.Besides, new teachersaremore inclined to integrate technologycompared tomoreexperiencedpeersgiventheir knowledge or training on technology integration (Inan&Lowther,2010). In this study,startingteachersarehypothesizedtobemorecompetenttointegrateICTintotheirclassroomuses incomparison to theirmoreexperiencedcounterparts.Therefore, it iscrucialtoinvestigatetowhatextenttheyareusingICTintheirinstructionstounderstandand identify the factors affecting teachers to use ICT in their teaching practices.


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Aslan and Zhu (2017) foundout that the subject teachingprograms (e.g.,Turkishlanguage, social sciences, elementarymathematicsand science teaching) significantlyaffect pre-service teachers’ use of ICT in their teaching practices. The current studyinvestigates whether this finding is valid for those graduates of the abovementionedprograms as well. That is, the teachers from the subject domains of Turkish, socialsciences,elementarymathematicsandsciencetorepresentbothsocialscienceandscienceteacherstoinvestigatewhetherthesubjectdomainshavesignificanteffectsonteachers’teaching practices. As those teachers can work in lower secondary schools which are the fouryear compulsoryeducation following the fouryear compulsoryeducation inprimaryeducation(MinistryofNationalEducationofTurkey[MONE],2015), teachers’ integrationofICTintolowersecondaryschoolwasinvestigatedinthepresentstudy.

Perceived ICT

Competence

Perceived Competence

in ICT Integration

Attitudes to Technology

External Barriers to ICT

Use

ICT-Related Courses

Pedagogical Knowledge

Prior Experience Concerning

ICT

Integration of ICT into Teaching

Practices

Gender

Subject

University

Computer Anxiety

Figure 1. Theresearchmodelofthecurrentstudy.

MethodInthisstudy,bothquantitativeandqualitativeresearchwasusedtoinvestigatethe

participants’ integration of ICT into their teaching practices as the research questions aimedatinvestigatingthedifferentdimensionsofICTintegrationintoeducation.Inthisrespect,thequantitativeandqualitativeresearchwereconductedrespectivelytocomprehensivelyunderstandtheissueinmultipledimensions.

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The Data Collection InstrumentsIn this study, the survey instruments developed and validated byAslan and

Zhu (2017)wereused.TheaimoftheseinstrumentsistoinvestigatethevariablespredictingTurkishpre-service teachers’ integrationof ICTinto teachingpractices.Theinstrumentsconsistoftwoparts,namely“teachers’ICTcompetence”(TIC)andthe“integrationsurvey”(IS).Attheendofthesurvey,openendedquestionsarealsoincludedtogetadeeperandfurtherunderstandingwhatpre-serviceteachersperceivethe use of ICT in their teaching practices.

Thefirstpart (TIC) consistsof49 itemsand four components: “perceived ICTcompetence”, “perceived competence in ICT integration in education”, “attitudestowards ICT” and “anxiety concerning ICT usage in teaching practices.” The second part (IS) involves 40 items andfive components: “barriers related to the teacher-training programs, human and physical conditions”, “perceptions concerningICT-related courses in the teacher-training programs”, “pedagogical knowledgein the teacher-training program, in terms of integration of ICT into education”,“prior experience concerning ICT training” and “integration of ICT into teaching practices.”Five-pointLikert-point scalinghasbeenused inbothTICand IS.ThefollowingLikertmeasurementshavebeenusedforthedifferentscales:forinstance,(1)None,(2)Low,(3)Confident,(4)Highand(5)VeryHighareusedinthescalesfor“perceivedICTcompetence”and“perceivedcompetenceinICTintegrationin

Table 1Description of the Variables in the Conceptual ModelVariables DescriptionGender Teachers’ gendersSubject Teachers’ subject areas (e.g., Turkish Teaching, Science Teaching etc.)University UniversitiesteachersgraduatedfromPerceivedICTcompetence

BasicICTskills(e.g.,usingsearchenginestolookforinformationontheInternet,using presentation programs, using the Internet to communicate, using a wordprocessingprograms,etc.)

Perceivedcompetencein ICT

Integrationof ICTskills (e.g.,usingsimulated tasks todiscover,experienceandexperiment, selecting and evaluating educational software, creating lesson plansthroughICT,havingtheknowledgeandskillsnecessaryforICTintegration,etc.)

Attitudes towards technology

Teachers’ attitude towards the general use of ICT

Computeranxiety Teachers’ perceived anxiety stemming from the specific use of ICT in teachingpractices

External barriers to ICT use

Barriersbeingextrinsictoteachers(e.g.,lackofaccesstocomputersandsoftware,insufficienttimetoplaninstructionsetc.)

ICT-relatedcourses ICT-relatedcoursesinteachereducationprograms.Pedagogical knowledge Pedagogicalcoursesinvolvedinpre-servicetraining,withregardtoICTintegrationPrior experience concerning ICT

ICTcoursesprovidedatsecondaryeducationlevel

Integration of ICT into teaching practices

Teachers’self-ratingoffrequencywithregardtotheir integrationofICTintheirteaching practices

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education”,inTIC.TheLikert-pointscalingusedintheotherscalesinTICandIS,except in the scale for “integration of ICT into teaching practices” as follows: (1) Stronglydisagree,(2)Disagree,(3)Neutral,(4)Agree,and(5)StronglyAgree.(1)TheLeast,to(5)TheMostLikertpointscalingisusedforthelastscaletodeterminehow often teachers use ICT in their teaching practices.

ThefitindexvaluesfortheTICcompetencescalewereasfollows:X2=425;AGFI=.90;NFI=.95;CFI=.96;RMSEA=.039;X2/sd = 1.71; and SRMR = .041. The internalconsistencyreliabilityforTICvariedfrom.85to.91,whileforISitrangedfrom.86to.97.

As opposed to the quantitative research, it was addressed in the open endedquestionsinthequalitativestudywhattheparticipantsperceivedtheinfrastructureof ICT integration into education, the ICT-related courses in the teacher trainingprogramsandtheuseofICTineducation.

UponreceivinginformedconsentfromtheMinistryofNationalEducation(MoNE)andtheparticipants,phoneinterviewswereimplementedwiththemindependently.Ittookabout15-20minutestoconducteachinterviewwiththemonphone.Sometimesadditional questions were posed to make clear what they experienced in theirteachingswithICT.Alltheinterviewswereaudiorecordedfollowingtheirconsent.

TheinterviewquestionswerebasedonthestudyofAslan and Zhu (2015). The questions tried to elicit the participants’ perceptions how the integration of ICT into theteachertrainingprogramsandlowersecondaryschoolscouldbeimprovedandhowICTtransformedtheirteachingsintheschoolsetting.

ParticipantsThe participants were chosen based on a stratified two-stage sampling design.

Atthefirststage,theyshouldgraduatefromoneofthesixstateuniversitieswhichwere determined according to the population size of the universities in relationto three highest and lowest numbers of studying pre-service teachers to identifywhether thepopulationsizeshaveconsiderableeffectson teachers’practices.TheStudent Selection and Placement Centre’s 2012 quotawas used to determine thesamplinguniversitiesinthisstudy(ÖSYM,2012). At the second stage, the teachers fromthesubjectdomainsofTurkish,socialsciences,elementarymathematicsandscience were chosen.TIC and IS were applied to 105 starting teachers who were atmost three year experienced in teachingTurkish, Social Sciences, Science andElementaryMathematicsduringthe2014SpringandAutumnSemestersinTurkey.ThedemographicinformationoftheparticipantsisdisplayedinTable2.

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Table 2Demographic Characteristics of the Participants (n=105)

N %

Age18–2324–3031–40

216816

2064.815.2

Gender FemaleMale

4362

4159

University

UniversityAUniversityBUniversityCUniversityDUniversityEUniversityF

21142291110

1.910.5409.510.513

Subject Area

ElementaryMathematicsTeachingScience TeachingSocial Sciences TeachingTurkish Teaching

113214121151

18.935.720.225.2

Working Period1 year2 year3 year

312747

29.525.744.8

Inthequalitativestudy,62startingteachersansweredtheopenendedquestionsinthequantitativeresearchofthisstudy.AstheseteachershaveworkedingeographicallydifferentpartsofTurkey,phoneinterviewswereimplementedtoreachthem.Fourteenstarting teachers (eight female and sixmale teachers) participated into the phoneinterviewsinthe2015SpringSemester.Thetotalnumberoftheparticipantsinvolvedinthequalitativepartofthestudywas76.Thenamesoftheuniversitiesfromwhichtheparticipantsgraduated,wereanonymizedbyassigningA,B,C,D,EandFletterstotheuniversities.

Coding and Data AnalysisThemeanscoresofthescalesweretestedagainstthebaselinevalue3.Multiple

regressionanalysisratherthanstructuralequationmodeling(SEM)dataanalysiswasconducted to test the relationshipbetween thepredictingvariablesand integrationof ICT into teaching practices on account of the relatively limited number of thesampling(N=105).Inotherwords,thefitindexvaluesforSEMwereseennottobeatthedesirablelevel.So,multipleregressionanalysiswasdecidedtobeusedinthecurrentstudy.Beforeconductingmultipleregressionanalysis,thevarianceinflationfactor (VIF) and tolerance values were calculated to determine whether there ismulticollinearityamongpredictingvariables.AccordingtoCohen, Cohen, West, and Alken (2003, pp. 423–424),anyVIFof10ormoreandtolerancevaluesof.10orless(equivalenttoaVIFof10)showevidenceofseriousproblemsofmulticollinearityconcerningindependentvariables.WhiletheVIFvalueswereseentovaryfrom1.00to2.18, the tolerancevalues ranged from0.45 to0.99.There results indicate thatmultipleregressionanalysiscanbeconducted.

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Theparticipants’responsestotheopenendedquestionsinthesurveyandinterviewdatawereanalyzedwithqualitativedataanalysis.Theresponsesandall interviewdataweretranscribedandanumberwasassignedtoeachcasefortheopenendedquestionsinthesurvey(S)andinterview(I)inthequalitativedata.Thematiccodingwas implementedfor theanalysisof thedata involving theunitofanalysiswhichtookintoaccountunitsofmeaning.Thethemeswereformedthroughopencodingandthesub-themeswereconnectedtotherelatedthemesthroughaxialcoding.Asaresultofopencoding,threemainthemeswereformulated.Theyare“conditionsforICT integration in education”, “starting teachers’ perceptions of ICT integration”, and“theperceivedimpactofICTonstartingteachers’teachingpractices”.

Thecodingofthedataandtheconstructionofthethemesandsub-themeswereconductedbythefirstauthorandtwootherindependentresearchers.Theirresultswerecomparedafterwards.Cohen’sKappacoefficientshadbeencalculatedtodeterminewhetherthecodingprocedurewasreliable.Thecoefficientsforthethemesandsub-themeswereseentovaryfrom0.62to1.00.Basedontheseresults,itwasdecidedthatthecodingprocedurewasreliable.Furthermore,theresearchersdiscussedthosesub-themesthathadalowerreliabilitytoreachaconsensus.

Results

Descriptive Results of Key Variables on ICT Integration of Starting Teachers (RQ1)ThemeanscoresandstandarddeviationforTICaresummarizedinTable3.Based

onthedatainTable3,itappearsthatthestartingteachers’perceivedICTcompetencelevelisrelativelyhigh(M=3.82;SD=.74,p <.001).Theyarealmostallconfident,butnotnecessarilycompetent,about integratingICTintotheir lessons(M=2.85;SD=.74,p <.001).TheirattitudestowardsICTarepositive(M=3.82;SD=.64, p < .001). It can be inferred that they are anxious for ICT usages in their teaching practicestosomeextent(M=2.54;SD=.89,p < .001).

ThemeanscoresandstandarddeviationforISaresummarizedinTable3.Thestarting teachers reported that they encountered external barriers to ICT integration (M =3.59;SD=.67,p <.001),andthattheirperceptionswithregardtotheeffectivenessof the ICT-related courses were moderately effective (M = 3.53; SD = .90, p < .001). In this regard, theyalsoperceived theeffectivenessofpedagogical courses(M= 3.33; SD= .98,p < .001) and prior experience concerning ICT training at secondaryeducationleveltobemoderately(M=3.37;SD=1.44,p <.001)effectiveatdevelopingtheirICTcompetence.

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Table 3Descriptive Statistics and Reliability Coefficient for Tic and is for Starting Teachers (n=105)Subscale Numberofitems Mean SD αPerceivedICTcompetences 8 3.82 .74 .88PerceivedcompetenceinintegratingICTintolessons 13 2.85 .74 .89Attitudes towards ICT 21 3.82 .64 .94Anxiety concerning ICT usages in teaching practices 7 2.54 .89 .81Barriersrelatedtotheteacher-trainingprograms,humanandphysicalconditions

10 3.59 .67 .85

Prior experience concerning ICT training 3 3.37 1.44 .97PerceptionsconcerningICT-relatedcourses 3 3.53 .90 .87Pedagogical knowledge 12 3.33 .98 .94Integration of ICT into teaching practice 12 3.10 .72 .87

Integration of ICT into the Teaching Practices of Starting Teachers (RQ2)The results show that the starting teachers use ICT in their teaching practices to a

moderateextent(M=3.10;SD=.72,p < .001). The results indicate that the starting teachersheavilyusesearchenginestolookforinformationontheInternet(M=4.26;SD=1.02,p <.001),creatinginstructionalmaterials(M=3.72;SD=.94,p < .001), evaluatinginformationontheInternetintermsofsocial,legalandethicalissues(M=3.67;SD=.97,p <.001),andcreatinglessonplansusingICT(M=3.27;SD=.96,p < .001), respectively.Theydonotfrequentlyuseanoverheadprojector(OHP)topresentsubjectmatter(M=2.20;SD=1.22, p <.001),simulatedtasksforexperiment(M=2.50;SD= 1.15, p <.001),simulatedtasksfordiscovery(M=2.53;SD=1.20,p < .001) and simulatedtasksforexperience(M=2.57;SD=1.14,p <.001),respectively.Itisseenthattheydonotusesimulationandanimationprogramsintheirteachingpracticesextensively.

Table 4Starting Teachers’ Use of ICT in Teaching Practices

Competences Least%

Less%

Moderate%

More %

Most % Mean SD

Usingsearchengines(e.g.,Google,Yahoo,etc.)tolookforinformationontheInternet

3.8 2.9 10.5 28.6 54.3 4.26 1.02

EvaluatinginformationontheInternetintermsofsocial, legal and ethical issues

3.8 5.7 28.6 42.9 19 3.67 .97

Creatinginstructionalmaterials(e.g.,handouts,tests,etc.) using ICT

1.9 6.7 30.5 39 21.9 3.72 .94

Creating lesson plans using ICT 1.9 19 40 27.6 11.4 3.27 .96UsinganOHPtopresentsubjectmatter 39 23.8 20 12.4 4.8 2.20 1.22Usingdata-showprojectorstopresentsubjectmatter 9.5 22.9 31.4 20 16.2 3.10 1.20Usingpresentationprograms(e.g.,PowerPoint,etc.)to present subjects

11.4 13.3 34.3 25.7 15.2 3.20 1.19

Preparingvisualeffectstoenhancelearningconceptsthrough ICT

7.6 14.3 36.2 29.5 12.4 3.24 1.09

Preparing sound effects to enhance learning concepts through ICT

15.2 17.1 37.1 23.8 6.7 2.89 1.13

Usingsimulatedtasksforexperiment 24.8 23.8 32.4 14.3 4.8 2.50 1.15Usingsimulatedtasksfordiscovery 25.7 22.9 29.5 16.2 5.7 2.53 1.20Usingsimulatedtasksforexperience 21.9 24.8 32.4 16.2 4.8 2.57 1.14

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The Relationship between the Predicting Variables and Integration of ICT into Teaching Practices (RQ3)HierarchicalmultipleregressionwasimplementedtotesttowhatdegreetheICT-

related variables predict the starting teachers’ integration of ICT into their classactivities.TheindependentvariableswereexaminedintermsofModelA,BandC.InModelA,thecategoricalvariablessuchasgender,subjectanduniversityvariableswere tested toexaminewhether thesevariableshavea significant impacton theirintegrationofICTintoeducation.InModelB,theteachervariables,trainingrelatedvariablesandinstitutionalvariableswereaddedtotesttowhatextenttheypredictthedependentvariable.ThevariablesinModelAandModelBwerecollectedinModelC to test to what extent they predict the integration of ICT into teaching practices. TheresultsaredisplayedinTable5.ThevariablesinModelAdonotsignificantlypredict thedependentvariable (R2 = .01)andgender isnegativelyassociatedwiththe integrationofICT(β=-.08, t =-.89; p =.37).UnlikeModelA, thevariablesinModel B appear to account for 51% of the integration of ICT into education.Besides,“perceivedcompetenceinICTintegration”(β=.42,t = 4.75, p < .001)and pedagogicalknowledge(β=.29,t = 3.10, p <.001)variablessignificantlypredicttheintegrationofICTintoteachingpractices.TheresultsindicatedthatthevariablesinModelCexplain52%ofthedependentvariable.Itwasalsoconfirmedthatgender,subjectanduniversityvariablesdonothaveamajorimpactonteachers’integrationofICTintegrationintotheirlessons.ItwasseenthatjustperceivedcompetenceinICTintegration(β=.43,t = 4.81, p <.001)andpedagogicalknowledge(β=.29,t = 3.06, p <.001)haveapredictivevalueforthedependentvariable.

Table 5The ANOVA Results and Standardized Regression Coefficients (Β) and Significances of the Independent Variables With Regard To “Integration of ICT into Teaching Practices”

Model A ModelB Model CFSig. F Sig. F Sig.

ANOVA results .46.70 12.66 .001* 9.34 .001*Β T P Β T P B T P

Gender -.08 -.89 .37 - - - -.58 -.77 .43Subject .06 .59 .55 - - - .033 .42 .67University .05 .51 .61 - - - .086 1.17 .24PerceivedICTcompetence - - - .16 1.56 .12 .16 1.58 .11PerceivedcompetenceinICTintegration - - - .42 4.75 .001* .436 4.81 .001*Attitudes towards technology - - - .10 1.03 .30 .08 .75 .45Computeranxiety - - - -.05 -.69 .48 -.06 -.76 .44External barriers to ICT use - - - .087 1.07 .28 .07 .93 .35ICT-relatedcourses - - - -.10 -1.09 .27 -.09 -.96 .33Pedagogical knowledge - - - .29 3.10 .001* .29 3.06 .001*Prior experience concerning ICT - - - .04 .61 .53 .04 .49 .62R2 “integration of ICT into teaching practices” .01 .51 .52*p < .05.

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Starting Teachers’ Perceived Conditions for ICT Integration in Education (RQ4)Infrastructure. According to the results of axial coding, “Infrastructure” was

constructedasamain themewith regard to the“conditions for ICT integration ineducation”.Thethemeconsistedofthefoursub-components“infrastructureforICTintegration”,“ICTresources”,“accesstoICT”and“investmentinICT”(Figure2).

Overcrowded ClassesInfrastructure for

ICT Integration

ICT Resources

Access To ICT

Investment In ICT

Physical Setting

Software

Hardware

ICT Labs

Computer At School

Means To Access To ICT Resources

Difficult To Access To ICT Resources

Not Difficult To Access To ICT Resources

Necessary

Not Necessary

Tablet

My Own Computer

Telephone

How It Is Conducted

Internet

Anxious For Being Misused

Figure 2. Thethemesandsub-themesforinfrastructurebasedonqualitativedataanalysis.

Thesub-components“overcrowdedclasses”and“physicalsettings”wereconnectedtothesub-theme“infrastructureforICTintegration”.About3%oftheteachersindicatedthattheirclasseswereovercrowded.Ontheotherhand,nearly20%oftheteachersinthesurveystressedoutthatthephysicalsettingoughttobereconstructedtomakeuseofICTeffectivelyintermsofaudiovisualaspects,lightingetc.Toillustrate,afemaleTurkishteacherfromUniversityF(S101)suggestedthat“Classrooms ought to be conveniently reorganized for ICT use. Classrooms ought to be spacious, lighting systems ought to be sufficient.”

The sub-theme “ICT resources” incorporates the sub-components “software”,“hardware” and “ICT labs”. While 5% of the teachers indicated that they need appropriatesoftwareprogramsintheircourses,50%ofthempointedoutthattheyneedmorehardwareresourcessuchascomputers,projectorsandsoforthtointegrateICTintotheirclassactivitiesmoreeffectively.

Thesub-theme“accesstoICTresources”dealswithwhethertheteachersconfrontanybarrierstoaccesstoICTresourcesattheirschools.Itwasunderstoodfromtheirresponsesthatahighnumberoftheparticipants(almost50%)encounteredbarriers

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to access to ICT resources at the schools as opposed to the other teachers (24%) who reached the sources without facing any barriers.

The sub-theme “investment in ICT” includes the sub-components “investmentnecessary”,“investmentnotnecessary”,“howitisconducted”and“anxiousfornotbeingused properly”.Majority of the interviewees stated that investments should bemadefortheintegrationofICTintoeducation.28%oftheintervieweesstressedoutthattheinvestmentsshouldbeconductedrationallynotjustforthesakeoftheinvestments.Toexemplify,afemalescienceteacherfromUniversityA(I4)pointedoutthat“Definitely, investment needs to be made in ICT. However, before initiating such ICT related projects, infrastructure for ICT should be set up well. For instance, there are teachers who lack of the competence to use smartboard. Although there are smartboards in the classrooms, they cannot be used effectively because of physical settings such as overcrowded classes etc.…”14%oftheintervieweesstatedthattheyareanxiousthatICTrelatedresourceswillnotbeusedproperly.Forinstance,afemalescienceteacherfromUniversityB(I2)claimedthat“The fact that tablets are distributed to students may not encourage them to lessons. Students will not use them for educational purposes…”

Integration of ICT-related Courses in Teacher Training ProgramAnother main theme titled “integration of ICT-related courses in teacher training

program”was constructed in the contextwith the “conditions for ICT integration ineducation”.Thethemeinvolvesthethreesub-components“ICTintegration”,“ComputerIandII”and“Instructionaltechnologiesandmaterialdevelopment”(seeFigure3).

Increasing ICT Course Hours

ICT Integration

Computer I & IICourses

Instructional Technologies

&Material

Development

Extending ICT Throughout The Program

More DetailedIntegration ICT Into Other

Courses

Develop ICT Plan

More Practice

Sufficient

More Emphasis On Instructional Technologies

Updating The Contents Of The Course

Updating The Contents Of The Course

More Practice

Learning How To Use Smartboards

More Practice

More Detailed

More emphasis For ICT In The Program

Training ICT For Subject Area

Insufficient

Somewhat Sufficient

Necessary

Suggestions For The Course

Sufficient

Insufficient

Somewhat Sufficient

Necessary

Suggestions For The Course

More Detailed

Figure 3. Thethemesandsub-themesforICT-relatedcoursesbasedonqualitativedataanalysis.

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Accordingtothe59teachers’validresponsesincludedintheopenendedquestionsandinterviewconcerningthesub-component“ICTintegration”,20%oftheteacherssuggestedthatthenumberofthehoursforICT-relatedcoursesbeincreased.Nearly15%oftheteachersreportedthatICT-relatedcoursesoughttobetaughtduringthewholeof the trainingprogramextensively. In this regard, a female social scienceteacher fromUniversityC(S11)demanded“ICT-related courses be taught in such a way that pre-service teachers can practice what they have learnt throughout the training program.”Almost24%oftheparticipantsemphasizedthatmoreimportanceshouldbegiven in teacher trainingprogram.To illustrate, amaleTurkish teacherfrom University B (S51) indicated “…the number of ICT-related courses or issues concerning ICT in the program should be increased…”Almost36%of theintervieweesmentionedthatICTtrainingshouldbegiventakingintoaccountpre-serviceteachers’subjectareas.Forinstance,afemalescienceteacherfromUniversityB(I2)emphasizedthat“…as my subject area is science education, more training on ICT should have been given…”Nearly 30% of the teachers stressed out that ICT shouldalsobeincorporatedintothecurriculumoftheothercoursesintheprogram.Toexemplify,amalemathematicsteacherfromUniversityD(S100)pointedoutthat“ICT-related courses should be embedded into other courses.” In this context, it is stated thatmorepracticeandmoredetailed informationshouldbeprovidedwhileembeddingICTintoothercourses.AfemalesocialscienceteacherfromUniversityC(I12) indicated that “Technology plan including long term technology visions should be developed in teacher training program.”

Thesub-themes“ComputerIandII”and“Instructionaltechnologiesandmaterialdevelopment”coursesmainlydealtwithexploringtheteachers’perceptionsforthecoursestoenablethemtoacquireICTcompetency.Dependingonthe44teachers’valid responses in the qualitative data, almost 16% of the teachers perceived the“ComputerIandII”sufficientwhereas77%oftheteachersfoundtheminsufficient.To illustrate, a female science teacher from University D (S73) indicated that““ComputerIandII”coursescould be satisfactory for basic computer knowledge. However, they did not have any contribution to integrating ICT into education.” Likewise, a female Turkish teacher from University D (S102) pointed out that“These courses did not sufficiently enable me to use ICT in my courses.” 59%oftheteachersputforwardsomesuggestionsinrelationto“ComputerIandII”tomakepre-service and in-service teachers more proficient in using ICT for educationalpurposes.Theysuggested: thecoursesshouldbegiven inmoredetail (7%); thesecoursesshouldbebasedonmorepractice(41%);thecontentsofthecoursesshouldbeupdated(11%).AfemalescienceteacherfromUniversityD(S55)saidthat“…In my opinion in these courses, we are trained with the outdated programs. The contents of the courses should be updated with the developing technologies.”In the contextwith“Instructionaltechnologiesandmaterialdevelopment”course,almost

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30%oftheteachersfoundthecoursesufficient,while59%oftheteachersperceiveditinsufficient.Forinstance,afemalesocialscienceteacherfromUniversityF(S70)emphasizedthat“This was the first course which taught me how to use a projector, power point and overhead projector while teaching…” Ontheotherhand,afemalescienceteacherfromUniversityE(S39)suggestedthat“The content of the course should have been more intensive.”About 80% of the teachers suggested a few solutionstomakethecoursemoreeffective.Thesuggestionsasfollows:thecourseshould bemore detailed (7%);more practice should put into effect in the course(41%);moreinstructionaltechnologiesshouldbeusedtodevelopmaterials(23%);usingsmartboardineducationshouldbetaught(23%).

Starting Teachers’ Perceived Factors Influencing ICT Integration (RQ5)Thetheme“startingteachers’perceivedfactorsinfluencingICTintegration”explored

thefactorsinfluencingtheintegrationofICTintoeducationwithregardtostaffissueandteacherrelatedvariables.Thethemeincludesseveralsub-themes(seeFigure4).

Thequalitativedataconfirmthestudy’sresearchmodelofICTintegrationindicatingthat starting teachers’ attitude towards ICT is high; their anxiety for ICT is low; their prior experience concerning ICT use is positive; they perceive that pedagogicalknowledgeiscrucialforteacherstouseICTintheirteachingpracticeseffectively;theysignificantlyencounterexternalbarriersforintegrationofICTintoeducation.

ThequalitativedatagivesadditionalinformationwithregardstoICTintegrationintoeducation.Outof27teachers’validresponsesinthequalitativedata,about26%oftheteacherspointedoutthatacademicmembershavetobecompetentusersoftechnologyintheircourses.56%oftheteachersemphasizedthatteachers,particularlymoreexperiencedones,needtoattendtoin-servicetrainingprogramstoincreaseandupdatetheirknowledgeconcerningtheirICTskills.Furthermore,11%oftheteachersstressedthatteachershavetobecompetent inusing ICT ineducation.On theotherhand, they facebarriers forintegrationofICTbecauseofexamsandintensiveteachingprogramsinadditiontolackofexperienceandskills in theusageof ICT, lackof ICTresourcesandovercrowdedclasses.Outof47teachers’validresponsestoopenendedquestionsandinterviewsdata,4%oftheteachersstressedoutthattheydonothavetimetoallocateusingtechnologyintheirclassesduetointensiveteachingprograms.Forinstance,afemaleTurkishteacherfromUniversityD(S102)saidthat“I cannot find time due to heavy curriculum.”28% oftheintervieweesemphasizedthattheentranceexamfortheuppersecondaryschoolpreventthemfromutilizingtechnologyintheirclasseseffectively.Toillustrate,afemalescienceteacherfromUniversityA(I4)citedthat“…there is an exam students need to prepare for. The exam could limit teachers’ use of ICT in their classes.”Anothermalescience teacher fromUniversityD(I3) indicated that“We focus on solving questions because of competitions among schools rather than teaching subjects in detail…”

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Available Personnel

Academic Members’ Being More Competent In ICT

Awareness Concernig The Importance of

ICT

ICT Competence For The ICT

Competence

ICT Competence & Pedagogical Knowledge

Barriers In Integration ICT

Attitude To ICT

Prior Experience Concerning ICT

Use

Role Of ICT In Teacing &

Learning Process

Interest To Develop ICT

Skils & Knowledge

Through ICT Teachrs’

Responsibilities

ICT Anxiety

Through ICTTeachers’

Role

Technical Support

Teachers’ Being More Competent In ICT

Administrators’ Attitude

Encouraging using ICT

Teachers’ Attendance To In-service Training Program

Increasing Motivation To Use ICT

Just ICT Competence

Pedagogical Knowledge Necessary As Well

Being Aware Of Using ICT

Overcoming The Prejudice Against ICT

Pedagogical Knowledge Absolutely Necessary

Pedagogical Knowledge Not Necessary

Pedagogical Knowledge Prerequisite

Lack Of Experience

Lack Of ICT Skills

Lack Of ICT Resources

Difficulty In Learning ICT

Intensive Teaching Program

Overcrowded Classes

Exams

Visually

Saving Time

Permanent Learning

Effective

Increase Motivation To Join Lesson

Multiple Intelligence

Easy Access To Information

Necessary

Useful

Using ICT In Every Area Of Life

Facilitate Teaching

Change To Some Extent

Change Definitely

Facilitate

Positive Effect

Not Actively Involvement In Lesson

Being Misused

Giving More Importance To ICT

Not Permanent Learning

No Need to Search

Work Oriented

Certainly

To Some Extent

Obligation

Increase

Decrease

Facilitate

Increase

Facilitate

Decrease

Figure 4.The themes and sub-themes for starting teachers’ factors influencing ICT integration based onqualitativedataanalysis.

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The Perceived Impact of ICT on Starting Teachers’ Teaching Practices (RQ6)Thetheme“theperceivedimpactofICTonstartingteachers’teachingpractices”

involvedthesub-components“presentation”,“basiclevel”and“facilitatingteaching”(See Figure 5). Out of the 14 interviewed teachers, seven teachers reported thattheyutilize technologyfordemonstrativepurposes in theirclasses.Besides,seventeachersindicatedthattheyintegratetechnologyintotheirclasseswithabasiclevel.Forinstance,afemaleTurkishteacherfromUniversityD(I8)statedthat“Prior to lesson, I search on the Internet, find lesson documents, print out, copy and bring them to my class.”4 teachers indicated that they facilitate their teaching practices throughICT.Toillustrate,amaleTurkishteacherfromUniversityB(I7)expressedthat “I created an account for my students on the Internet. There they ask questions with regard to lessons, share videos they like. Recently, my students have learnt to use camera during one of our experiments in the science laboratory. We watched together what we did in the experiment through the projector in our class.”

Impact Of ICT On Starting Teachers’ Teachnig

Practices

Presentation

Basic Level

Facilitate Teaching

Figure 5.Thethemesandsub-themesfortheperceivedimpactofICTonstartingteachers’teachingpracticesbasedonqualitativedataanalysis.

DiscussionBothquantitativeandqualitativeresearchwasusedinthisresearchtoaddresssix

researchquestions.Whilethequantitativepartfocusedoninvestigatingthevariablespredicting the integration of starting teachers in lower secondary schools in Turkey, thequalitativepartdwelledonidentifyingtheirperceptionsinrelationtotheuseofICTineducation.Thefindingsarediscussedinthefollowingsixaspects.

Key Variables of Starting Teachers for ICT IntegrationThestudyindicatedthatstartingteachersarecompetenttousebasicskills(e.g.,

presentationskills,wordprocessors,etc.).Yet, theyarenotnecessarilycompetenttouseintegratedICTskills(e.g.,usingsimulatedtaskstodiscover,experimentandexperience,etc.).ThesefindingsaresupportedbyAslan and Zhu (2017). The authors indicatedthatTurkishpre-serviceteachersarecompetenttousebasicICTskillsasopposedtointegratedICTskills.Thequalitativepartofthisstudyemphasizesthatteachersmostlydealtwith thebasicICTskills rather than integratedICTskills intheirteachertrainingprograms.ThisisalsosupportedbySchaffer and Richardson

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(2004) indicated that teaching about technology rather than teaching with technology isemphasizedinteacherpreparationinmostcolleges.

Thestudyshowedthatstartingteachers’attitudestowardstechnologyarepositive.Their anxiety level for ICTusage in their teachingpractices is low.These resultsdemonstratethatteachersare,ingeneralsense,infavorofintegratingICTintheirinstructions. However, both the quantitative and qualitative results of the studyindicate that they facesignificantexternalbarriers for ICT integration.This resultis confirmed byGoktas,Gedik, andBaydas (2013) indicating that the significantbarriersprimaryschoolteachersfaceintheirintegrationofICTasof2011arelackofhardware,lackofsoftwareandlimitationsofthehardware.Thefindingssuggestthatnecessaryfinancialresourcesshouldbeallocatedtocopewiththesebarriers.

Startingteachers’perceptionsforICT-relatedcoursesaremoderatelyeffective,whichissupportedthroughthequalitativeanalysisofthestudy.Likewise,theyperceivetheeffectivenessofpedagogicalcoursesandpriorexperienceconcerningICTtrainingatsecondaryeducationtobemoderatelyeffectiveatdevelopingtheirICTcompetence.

Starting Teachers’ Integration of ICT into EducationThis study explored starting teachers’ integration of ICT into their instructions. It

indicatedthattheyuseICTineducationtoamoderateextent.TheymostlyusebasicICTskills(e.g.,usingsearchenginestolookforinformationontheInternet,creatinginstructionalmaterials,evaluatinginformationontheInternetintermsofsocial,legalandethicalissuesetc.)ratherthanutilizingintegratedICTskills(e.g.,usingsimulatedtaskstoexperiment,discoverandexperienceetc.)Thefindingisalsoinparallelwiththe related literature (e.g., Aslan&Zhu,2015;Tezci,2009;Usluel&Aşkar,2015). UsluelandAşkar(2015,p.34)pointoutthatteachershavemadeuseofICTintheirlives,preparedandutilizeditmostlyforadministrativepurposes(e.g.,unitandlessonplans, studymaterials,officialwriting, students’notesand reportsetc.).However,theyhavenotusedICTforinstructionalpurposes.AccordingtoAlmerich,Orellana,Suárez-Rodríguez,andDíaz-García(2016)teachersmastertechnologicalresourcestoalimitedextentandnotthatcompetentwithadvancedoptions.TheycanusebasiccomputerapplicationsandICT.Theirknowledgeinthemultimediaapplicationsandpresentationsismoderatelybasic.Forinstance,teachers’useofinteractiveboardinclassroomsismostlylimitedwiththedemonstrativepurposes(Pamuk,Çakır,Ergun,Yılmaz,&Ayas,2013).Previousstudieshaveargued that theeffectivenessof theintegrationofICTininstructiondependsonitsfullandcomprehensiveuse(Baek,Jung,&Kim, 2008).Therefore, teachers shouldhave the integrated ICT skills tomakeuseofICTineducationfully.

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The Relationship between the Predicting Variables and Integration of ICT into Teaching PracticesHierarchicalmultiple regressionwas carried out to what extent the independent

variablespredictandaccountforteachers’integrationofICTintotheirinstruction.Theindependentvariablesaccountedfor52%ofthedependentvariable.Besides,“perceivedcompetenceinICTintegration”and“pedagogicalknowledge”weresignificantlyseentopredictthedependentvariable,respectively.Thefindingsshowthatteachersshouldbecompetent touse integratedICTskills toenhanceteachingandlearningprocess.Besides,theirpedagogicalknowledgeplaysanimportantroleinintegratingICTintoteaching practices, which is supported with the study by Aslan and Zhu (2017). As Limand Chai (2008)indicatedthataslongasteachersdonottransformtheirpedagogicalbeliefs,theymaynotchangethewaytheyteachwithcomputersinclassrooms.

Starting Teachers’ Perceived Conditions for ICT Integration in EducationICT infrastructure is one of the conditions for teachers to use technology in their classes

effectively.Thefinding isalsoconfirmedbyTondeur,Krug,Bill,Smulders, andZhu(2015).TheauthorsstressoutthatteachershavelittleopportunitytousethetechnologyintheirteachingpracticeswithoutadequateICTresources.Inthisregard,“MovementofEnhancingOpportunitiesandImprovingTechnology(knownasFATIH)”projectwhichaimsatprovidingtabletsandLCDInteractiveBoardinall42.000schooland570.000classes in the pre-school education, the primary education and secondary educationaround Turkey (http://fatihprojesi.meb.gov.tr/tr/index.php) is thought tomake it easierandmoreconvenientforteacherstoaccesstoICTresourcesatschools.

Another condition for ICT integration in education is concerned with the integration of ICT-relatedcoursesintheteachertrainingprograms.Thestudyindicatesthatimprovementsshould be conducted in ICT-related courses tomake teachersmore competent in ICTintegration.Thestudyshowssimilaritieswiththepreviousseveralstudiesaswell(Aslan & Zhu, 2015, 2017). According to Gülbahar (2008), teacher trainingprogramsarenoteffective toprovide instructional technologiesandcomputers facilities for instructionalpurposes.Theimprovements(e.g.,increasingICTcoursehours,extendingICTthroughoutthe program, more emphasis for ICT in the program, training ICT for subject area,integrating ICT into other courses, developing ICTplan, providingmore practice anddetailedinformationinICT-relatedcourses,updatingthecontentsofICT-relatedcourses,andlearninghowtousesmartboardsineducation)shouldbemadeinteachertrainingprogramforteacherstointegrateICTintotheirteachingpracticeseffectively.

Starting Teachers’ Perceived Factors Influencing ICT Integration ThequalitativedataprovidescomplementaryfindingswithregardtoICTintegrations

in addition to confirming the researchmodel of the study.The study indicated that

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academicmembershavetobecompetentusersoftechnologyineducation,whichissupported by Aslan and Zhu (2015).TheauthorsstressthattheircompetencyinICTinfluenceshowtheydesign,planandteachtheircourses.Inthisregard,theirmodelingplaysanimportantroleforteachershowtouseICTforinstructionalpurposes.Anotherfinding is that teachers should be involved in professional development programsto increase and update their ICT skills. In this regard, continuous professional developmentactivitiesinvolvinginstructionalICTusecanhelpteachersincreasetheirknowledge regarding teaching-learning methods, learning communities, e-learningand e-interaction (Akbulut, Odabaşı, & Kuzu, 2011). Önal (2014) indicates in his PhDdissertationthatteachersarereluctanttoattendthoseprofessionaldevelopmentprogramsduetothefactthattrainingsarenotprovidedbycompetenttrainersinICT.Asincaseforacademicmembers’beingcompetentinICT,trainershavetobecompetentinthisissuetoenableteacherstojointheprograms.

SometeachershavestressedoutthattheydonothaveICTskillsandexperience.Thisfindingalsosupportsthefactthatteachertrainingprogramsarenotsoeffectivetofacilitateteacherstointegratetechnologyintoeducation.Besides,itindicatedthatprofessional development courses are necessary to develop and integrate their ICTskillsintoeducation.ThestudyyieldedaninterestingpointshowingthatsometeacherscannotintegrateICTintotheircourseseffectivelybecauseoftheheavycurriculumtheyshouldcoverandtheexamstheyshouldpreparestudentsforuppersecondaryschools.This point is also supported by Kaleli-Yilmaz (2015, p. 145) revealing that “busycurriculum schedule, insufficient course time interval and examination system” areimportantfactorsforteachers’integrationofICT.Theauthorsuggestedthat“…itcanbeusefuleithertoreducethesubjectsinthecurriculumorbyhavingadditionalcoursesfor technologicassistedmathematicslessons.”Inthiscontext,LimandChai(2008) foundout that the curriculumbasedon stipulated schedules toprepare students forexaminationsisthemainbarrierforteacherstoengageinmoreconstructiveteaching.Theauthorssuggested thatchanges inassessmentsystemshave tobeaddressedforteacherstoshifttheirteachingpracticesfromtraditionalapproachtoconstructiveone.

The Perceived Impact of ICT on Starting Teachers’ Teaching PracticesThestudyindicatedthatteachersmostlyuseICTintheircoursesfordemonstrative

purposes rather than facilitating teaching and learning, which shows parallel with the literature (e.g., Aslan & Zhu, 2015, 2017). As Baeketal.(2008)suggested that teacher educationprogramsmustraiseteachers’awarenesstothefactthattechnologyisusedtoenhanceteachingandlearningnotonlyfordemonstrativepurposes.Forthatreason,itisnecessaryforthemtohaveintegratedskillstofacilitatetheirteachingpractices.

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Limitations and ImplicationsThisstudyislimitedto119startingteacherswhoareatmostthreeyearexperienced

in teachingTurkish, Social Sciences, Science and ElementaryMathematics in lowersecondaryschools.Togaindeeperunderstandingofthefactorsinfluencingteachers’useofICTforinstructionalpurposesinfuturestudies,populationsizescouldbeextendedto teachers, administrators and students in K-12,the variety of subject domains andthenumberof theuniversitiescouldbe increased. In this respect,hierarchical clustersampling method rather than a stratified two-stage probability sampling could beimplementedowingtotheheterogeneousnatureofthepopulationintheTurkishcontext.Infuturestudies,multi-levelanalysisinquantitativedatacouldbeconductedtoidentifywhetherthedataare“nested”inteachertrainingfacultiesattheinstitutionallevel(Aslan, 2016).Besides,startingteachers’perceptionsfortheuseofICTineducationshouldbetriangulatedwiththeacademicmembersineducationfacultiesaswell.

ConclusionThisstudymadeacontributionbyinvestigatingthefactorsinfluencingtheintegration

of ICT of starting teachers in lower secondary schools in the Turkish context. Of the variables,perceivedcompetenceinICTintegrationandpedagogicalknowledgewereidentifiedtobesignificantpredictorsforstartingteachers’integrationofICTintotheirteachingpractices.TeachersneedtobecompetentinintegratedICTskillstofacilitateteachingandlearning.Theresultsshowedthatitisimportantforstartingteacherstoacquireandapply integrated ICTskills in their subjectcoursesextensively togetherwith transforming their teaching beliefs regarding the use of ICT for instructionalpurposes inpedagogicalcoursesduring teacher trainingprograms.In thisway, theycouldbemoreefficientusersofICTatschools.PrecautionssuchasinvestmentinICTinfrastructureshouldbetakentomaketeachersaccesstoICTresourcesatschoolstouseICTintheirteachingseffectively.Besides,changesarenecessaryincurriculumandassessmentsystemtoenableteacherstofacilitateteachingwithICT.

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Documents

Starting Teachers’ Integration of ICT into Their Teaching