Teachers' Digital Tool Use: A Cross-National Study in ICT Strong Countries

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the University of New South Wales have conducted a study to examine teachers' digital tool use in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strong countries, including Germany, Korea, and the United States. The investigation employed latent class analysis and used data from the PISA 2018 teacher questionnaire to identify predictors that separated the emergent subgroups of teachers. The study found that teacher training in ICT was a crucial factor in digital tool use, with notable cross-national differences in the profiles of 'moderate' users and their use of specific digital tools.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study identified three subgroups of teachers based on their digital tool use: 'minimal users' (22-33%), 'moderate users' (46-60%), and 'versatile users' (17-21%).
  • The most important factor of digital tool use across the three countries was teacher training in ICT, either during pre-service training or through in-service professional development programs.
  • Notable cross-national differences were found in the profiles of 'moderate' users and their use of specific types of digital tools.
  • The study suggested three latent class profiles of teacher use of digital tools in PISA 2018 data: Class 1 (minimal users), Class 2 (moderate users), and Class 3 (versatile users).
  • The LCA analysis showed that teacher training in ICT was the single most important predictor of digital tool use across the three countries.
  • The study provided practical suggestions to enhance teacher use of digital tools, emphasizing the importance of teacher training and professional development in ICT.

Statistics:

  • The study found that 22-33% of teachers were 'minimal users' of digital tools in each of the three countries.
  • 46-60% of teachers were classified as 'moderate users' in each country.
  • 17-21% of teachers were classified as 'versatile users' in each country.
  • The LCA analysis showed that 85% of the variance in digital tool use was explained by the three latent class profiles.

Sources:

  • Lee, J., & Allock, H. (2024). Latent Class Profiles of Teacher Use of Digital Tools In Pisa 2018 Data. Education and Information Technologies, 29(10), 12229-12261.