When barriers are not an issue: Tracing the relationship between hindering factors and technology use in secondary schools across Europe

Abstract

Many researchers have investigated how barriers to technology integration affect the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. However, the results have varied across educational contexts and countries. Large-scale assessment studies have described barriers only on a descriptive level instead of analyzing the effects of barriers on actual indicators of technology integration, such as technology use. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of barriers on technology use through the lens of the “will, skill, tool” model (WST model) in different European countries while taking the countries’ technological development level into account. A regression analysis showed that barriers had only a minor impact on the frequency of technology use in the classroom in the large majority of countries. In accordance with theoretical expectations, we found country-specific patterns, with a higher negative impact of technological barriers in less technologically developed countries and teacher-belief related barriers prevalent in developed countries. These findings may help policy makers identify needed interventions in different contexts.