The Effect of Gender and Professional Development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Science Teachers’ Use of Classroom Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of gender and perceived professional development in ICT skills on science teachers’ use of traditional and alternative classroom practices. The data was obtained from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Specifically, this research was focused on Turkish science teachers (n=308). The data was analyzed through Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The findings indicated that female teachers use traditional classroom practices significantly much more than male teachers. Moreover, science teachers who no need any professional development in ICT skills had significantly higher mean score on alternative classroom practices than science teachers who high need for professional development in ICT skills. The implications based on the findings were discussed.