by Gerald Knezek and Rhonda Christensen

Project Goals

1.  Assess trends in teacher and student attitudes toward information technology across several nations of the world.
2.  Derive trans-national similarities and differences in these trends.
3.  Provide pilot test data and instruments for Phase III of the Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES). This study is scheduled to use comprehensive, systematic sampling to enable ascertaining similarities and differences in attitudes among nations.

Plan of Operation

  1. Baseline data will be gathered in the USA from teachers and students in each of the years 1996-2001 (mostly Texas, Florida, and Louisiana sites have provided data to date).
  2. Participants in other nations will gather data at their site(s) during at least three of the 5 years listed, so that within-nation trend lines can be drawn.
  3. Each participant will post status reports and findings on their local web site.
  4. Participants are encouraged to produce papers (in small groups) on their own and with neighboring nations and/or comparable sites by level.
  5. Each site will make local data available to participants from other nations for comparative analyses, upon request.
  6. Participants will interlink web sites and will attempt to present a joint annual report each year (beginning in 1999) at some mutually agreeable conference such as AERA or SITE.
  7. Project participants will plan to present a joint project summary report at WCCE '2001 in Copenhagen.

Possible Categories of Participation

  1. Data collection from (some level of) K-12 teachers.
  2. Data collection from (some level of) K-12 teachers and their students.
  3. Data collection from college/university instructors.
  4. Data collection from preservice teachers (undergraduate university students).
  5. Combinations of 1-4.

Recommended Instruments

Name Description Recommended Use
CAQ Computer Attitude Questionnaire middle and high school
FAIT Faculty Attitudes Toward Information Technology college faculty
TAC Teachers Attitudes Toward Computers teachers of children
TAT Teachers' Attitudes Toward Information Technology teachers of children
YCCI Young Children's Computer Inventory primary aged children

For K-12 Teachers:

  • 16 factor (199 item) TAC or
  • 7 Factor (105 item) TAC or
  • 12 Factor combined Form A TAC and short form of TAT

For K-12 Students:

  • 5-point CAQ for secondary students.
  • 4-point CAQ for grades 4-8.
  • 3-point YCCI for grades K-3.

For College/University Faculty:

  • FAIT (5 of 7 factors from TAC) or combined short form of TAC/TAT.

For Preservice Teachers: 

  • 16 Factor (198 item) TAC with 8 Factor TAT or combined short form of TAC/TAT.

Possible Levels of Participation

  1. Single site within one nation.
  2. Multiple sites but restricted to one or two categories.
  3. State-wide or nation-wide study restricted to one or two categories.
  4. Comprehensive nation-wide study at all levels (not being attempted to my knowledge).

Requested Administration Timetable

  1. April or May of each year for trans-national comparisons.
  2. Same month each year at local site.
  3. Any other times are welcome, for assessing pre-post changes, etc.

Funding

There is currently no external funding (UNESCO, NSF, JSPS, etc.) for this project as a whole. Each country is responsible for its own funding sources. The Texas Center for Educational Technology has committed to publishing the project's final report. Additional participants from other US states, as well as other nations, are welcome. Contact gknezek@tenet.edu for further information.


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Last Updated: March 24, 2003