Teacher Gender and ICT

Abstract

The beliefs and attitudes of teachers towards information and communications technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning are central to the successful implementation of new technologies. While teachers are encouraged to integrate ICT into their teaching, there is evidence that the effectiveness of this integration depends to a large extent on teachers’ preparedness to do so, which is directly related to their confidence and knowledge in using ICT, as well as their beliefs about the value of ICT in education. Female teachers using technology effectively provide a role model for young women at school, however previous studies have shown that female teachers are less likely to be using computers personally than their male counterparts. The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2013 teacher questionnaire provides a rich resource of data on teacher characteristics in relation to computer and information literacy and technology by gender. Analyses of female and male teachers’ experiences, dispositions, and uses of ICT indicate that any differences are small and inconsistent across countries. Female and male teachers in secondary school do not appear to differ greatly in the extent of their pedagogical use of ICT.