Cyberspace 2018
XVI. International conference organized by the Faculty of Law
in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University
and the European Academy of Law and ICT
November 30th, December 1st, 2018, Brno, Masaryk University

Strand: Digital competences and technologies in education

Title: Ambivalence in ICT-related learning

Authors: Bárta, Ondřej; Juhaňák, Libor; Záleská, Klára; Zounek, Jiří

Abstract:
As members of the research team within the project Digital technologies in everyday life and learning of students (supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, project number 17-06152S) explore various sources of data, from large-scale international datasets like PISA or ICILS, through focus groups in schools, and case studies in families including young people, ambivalence in learning using ICT becomes clearer than ever.

One of the partial studies focused on PISA 2015 data analysis for the Czech sample. It explores relationships between students´ ICT use and their school performance, while coming up with some interesting findings, such as an absence of influence of the ICT equipment in schools on students´ school performance and presence of influence of ICT equipment at home on students´ school performance, but at the same time showing no link between the ICT usage at home and students´ school performance, while finding a negative link between the ICT usage in schools and the students´ school performance. Yet another partial study of the team, focus groups with the students in the final year of the lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic, suggests that the ambivalences outlined above are an integral part of ICT-related learning in some schools, with a rather strong drive for ICT usage by teachers on one end, and an equally strong drive to limit the ICT usage by students. Sources and implications of such ambivalence are explored and discussed.

Some examples from the presentation (partial results from our focus groups, can not be generalized):

1. Students are no “ICT gurus” even though they are considered to be “digital natives”
– Use of common programmes and apps, rather than specialized and state-of-the-art ones
– Passive consumers, rather than active creators of content (YouTube, blogs, vlogs, etc.)
– Using ICTs as a support mechanism for real-world situation, rather than a solution in itself (looking up math formulas rather than an app   which would do the calculation for them, etc.)

2. ICT in schools is only used as a component to classical frontal teaching approach, not for creating new learning environments and creative use of ICT

– Increasing attractivity of frontal presentation by using ICT (presentations, videos, etc.)
– Using only basic features the students already know
– No application of ICT to working and learning processes in general (creating library of notes for the whole semester, using pictures to take notes, sharing of online learning materials from teachers to students, etc.)
– No virtual classroom tools (no data sharing platforms, online communication with teachers and other students, online collaboration tools, etc.)