University of Twente Student Theses

The impact of an attitude focused on- and offline course on the attitudes of primary school teachers towards technology use and the stimulation of higher-order thinking among learners

Viegen, Paul van (2019) The impact of an attitude focused on- and offline course on the attitudes of primary school teachers towards technology use and the stimulation of higher-order thinking among learners.

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Abstract:	When teachers would change their pedagogics and didactics to ways that stimulate learners to use higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in addition to lower-order thinking skills (LOTS), this would lead to a better memorization and deeper conceptual understanding of content. Technology can support teachers in this by offering the ability to create powerful learning environments with it. As research shows that teachers’ attitudes influence behaviour, focussing on the improvement of attitudes in teacher training seems a promising approach. This study explored the effects of an on-and offline attitude focused training course on the attitudes of teachers towards the use of technology in classroom and the stimulation of HOTS among learners. A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design, combined with qualitative post-training reflections, is used. The participating teachers worked at 6 primary schools in the Netherlands. While teachers in the control condition (n = 12) only received the pre-and post-tests, the teachers in the experimental condition (n = 14) received the course in addition. This study provides input for the development of effective attitude focused teacher training programs, explorative evidence for the effectiveness of a relatively short on- and offline training for improving teachers’ attitudes and points out directions for future research. Although the sample size in the study was small and not all statistical assumptions were met, the quantitative and qualitative results combined, indicate that regarding technology the teachers’ anxiety towards in-classroom use can be decreased, the perceived self-efficacy and ease of use can be increased and regarding HOTS the perceived self-efficacy can be increased by the on-and offline training course of this study.
Item Type:	Essay (Master)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	81 education, teaching
Programme:	Educational Science and Technology MSc (60023)
Keywords:	Technology, Higher-order thinking skills, Attitude, Primary education, Teachers
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/78655
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