NEGLECTED AND MISALIGNED: A STUDY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS, BELIEFS AND PRACTICES TOWARDS PRIMARY ICT

Abstract

The present study attempts to explore aspects of teachers’ personal practical knowledge by investigating computer science teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and practices towards Primary ICT just before a curriculum transition period and the replacement of the former program of studies with a “Computer Science” curriculum. For the needs of this investigation, an exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 computer science teachers, while 157 were surveyed by means of a questionnaire developed from the analysis of qualitative data. The findings of the study indicated that there is a misalignment between the policy rationale towards ICT, teachers’ understanding of ICT and the implementation of ICT in the primary classroom. Due to teachers’ lack of professional-pedagogical knowledge, contextual factors and policy decisions, which consistently neglect teachers’ needs and personal practical knowledge, CS teachers have developed their own ways of theorizing, conceptualizing and practicing education in ICT. These findings are discussed within the light of the corresponding literature and suggest that structural and curricular transformations in digital education are condemned to carry within them the seeds of their own dismissal when they are not ingrained in the reality of classroom practice and on teachers’ practical knowledge, which entails their involvement in the design and formulation of any intended changes.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0007/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>