Attitudes of Students and Parents towards ICT with Regard to the Experience of Using the iPad in Classroom

Abstract

The interactive information and communication technologies (ICT) have been introduced to many classrooms lately. Therefore, it is important to examine whether the expectations of students and their parents regarding technology implementation are fulfilled. The aim of the present study was to compare attitudes towards ICT in general towards the use of tablet computers in education, regarding the decision to use iPad and the experience of using iPad in the classroom. An attitudes questionnaire was administred in four groups of students and their parents. In the 5th grade, one group has just decided to use iPad in classroom, and one group decided not to use it. In the 7th and 8th grade one group has had two years of experience in using iPad in classroom, while the other group had no experience. The results showed that students and parents who chose to use iPad had more positive attitudes towards tablet use in teaching and learning, and perceived less negative effects of ICT use than students and parents who have not been using iPad. However, a difference between parents ’ attitudes was found in the 5th grade, but not in the 7th and 8th grades. The parents of older students who have been using iPad for several years have less positive attitudes towards tablet use than parents of the 5th grade students who just decided to use it. Our findings point to a complex interplay between social norms and experience in educational settings that could be explained within several theoretical frameworks relating to technology acceptance (e.g. TAM2, Venkatesh & Davis, 2000). Keywords: attitudes, ICT, tablet computer, elementary school, students, parents