Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability?

Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 288 Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? Dr. José María Fernández Batanero [email protected] University of Seville, Spain Dr. Pedro Román Graván [email protected] University of Seville, Spain Dra. Carmen Siles Rojas [email protected] University of Seville, Spain Abstract In this work, we present the results of a study that had as an objective to understand the perception of key informants (directors, heads of studies and ICT coordinators from education centers, as well as well as directors and technology managers from teacher’s training centers), on the levels of technological training and knowledge possessed by the Primary Education teachers from the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, with respect to the use of ICT with students with disabilities. For the methodology, a qualitative research design was used. The information was obtained from an analysis of 68 interviews conducted to professional from the education sector in Catalonia. The results obtained showed that the professionals perceived a low level of training and knowledge of the teachers with respect to the use of ICT with people with disabilities. The findings showed the need to design and implement didactic training that empowers the teachers. Keywords Information and communication technologies; functional diversity; disability; teacher’s training; accessibility Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 289 I. Introduction The new technological challenges faced by current education practices have created a teacher’s profile that is very different from the past. These novelties in the education sphere have opened new research topics, such as the inclusion of ICT in the classroom and their contribution to the development of new learning contexts that take into account the individual differences of the student body. This technological inclusion goes through a set of variables: legislative, organizational, economic, etc., and indispensably, through the conception and the degree of training and mastery possessed by the teachers on these resources (Shin, 2015). This teacher’s training should be focused on granting the teachers with knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for the use of ICT, as a resource that brings together the processes of teaching-learning to all the students, including those who have special educational needs. For this reason, the present study is considered relevant, as, on the one hand, the volume of research works that deal with the teacher’s training on ICT applied to disability is very scarce. And on the other hand, it is related to social aspects, where the processes of social discrimination and exclusion are highly worrisome for the families, education centers, town halls and other institutions that have an impact on the citizen’s training and education. Also, it offers the direct opinion of the professional workers who are responsible for the training in Catalonia (Spain). This will enable an improvement in teachers' training and professional development. a. Theoretical foundations In today’s society, ICT have provoked a transformation in the manner in which the school system should integrate these tools in order to improve the processes of teaching and learning. Despite this, their addition continues being a challenge, as their maximum pedagogic potential has yet to be reached. An example of this is the training model offered by different institutions, as well as the use given to these technologies by the teaching staff. In this line, the twenty-first century teachers must face a multitude of tasks during their professional practice related to planning, intervention, communication or updating (Carrera & Coiduras, 2012); and they must be competent in using technology in all of these areas. Teachers face the challenge of demanding skills not only for the use of computer tools, but also for teaching about how to use them practically. In addition, they must have enough competence to provide the pedagogical use of these devices to enhance student learning in all disciplines (Güne & Bahçivan, 2018). Thus, both initial and ongoing training is shaped as a key element, hence the involvement of different educational institutions nationally. In the case of the Catalan context, the Education Department of the Catalonian Government has been proposing, under different approaches, a rubric to guide the process for assessing the digital teaching competence of pre-service and inservice teachers. There have been several studies that highlight the need to develop and promote investigations in this area (Esteve, 2015). In the Spanish case, the latest studies point to the fact that teachers have certain mastery on the technical aspects, but they do not use technology in the classroom, as this requires skills that are more pedagogic than instrumental in nature (Tello & Cascales, 2015). In the catalonian context, many studies have shown how important teacher training is for the integration of ICT into teaching practices (Esteve, 2015; Gisbert, González & Esteve, 2016). In the international arena, the volume of production of research works related to the integration of technology into the classroom are abundant (Hu & Yelland, 2017; Hatlevik, 2017), as well as works that recognize the benefits provided by ICT to students with special education needs (Turner- Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 290 Cmuchal & Aitken, 2016; Alper & Goggin, 2017; Hollier, 2017). Nevertheless, one of the problems that needs addressing, so that ICT can reach all of the students, including those who have a disability, is the training of the teachers. Research on the efficacy of teacher’s training and ICT show that the type of training offered (courses, seminars, etc.), besides being scarce, does not result in changes in the teaching activity (Hu & Yelland, 2017). This inappropriate use of ICT by the teachers in the classroom is exacerbated if we take into account the barriers that block the training of the teachers. There are diverse research studies that bring to light factors that impede the implementation of ICT in school centers, highlighting those that refer to extrinsic barriers (lack of time, resources and funding for the training) and the intrinsic barriers (attributed to the teacher’s attitude) (González & De Pablos, 2015; Villalba, González-Rivera & Díaz-Pulido, 2017). However, if we discuss ICT competencies needed for their use with people with disabilities, we can verify the low volume of existing works, although they also highlight they lack of training and knowledge possessed by the teachers with respect to the types of technologies that can be used with this collective, the possibilities they offer, and the function for which they can be used for (Tello & Cascales, 2015; Morales & Llorente Cejudo, 2016; Fernández Batanero & Rodríguez Martín, 2017). This aspect has negative repercussions for the use of ICT, impeding the accessibility of the information and the enhancing of the people’s abilities, and in the case of people with disabilities, helping to alleviate their difficulties or reducing them to a minimum (Orozco, Tejedor & Calvo, 2017). Definitely, technologies can be useful for learning in an inclusive education setting. Authors such as Forian (2004) argue that ICT have the potential to be an effective leveller for people with disabilities. This idea has important implications for these students, since technology assists in creating the conditions for equal learning opportunities, as well as facilitating access to the curriculum. II. Purpose and research question The main objective of this study was to understand the perception of key informants (directors, heads of studies, and ICT coordinators from educational centers, as well as directors and technology managers from teacher’s training centers), on the degree of training and technological knowledge possessed by the teachers of Primary Education from the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, with respect to the use of ICT with students with disabilities. More specifically, the research questions which will be used to answer this objective are: RQ1: Are Primary Education teachers from the Community of Catalonia sufficiently prepared and aware for the use and application of ICT with people with disabilities? RQ2: Does the province and type of education center condition the level of competency of the teachers for the use of ICT with students with disabilities? RQ3: What factor shinder the promotion and development of teaching experiences on the use of ICT with students with disabilities? Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 291 III. Method Given the nature of the objectives set, a qualitative methodology was used, underpinned by an interpretative paradigm perspective, and from an ontology and epistemology that are clearly naturalistic. More specifically, the interpretative approach was based on the method of Grounded Theory, proposed by Glaser & Strauss (1967). a. Participants In this research, 68 professional workers from the education sector participated. The selection of the elements was conducted according to natural group units, which in our case were comprised by provinces and types of center. Therefore, the object of the study were public (PbC), private (PC) and semi-private centers (SPC), as well as teaching training centers (TTC from here on), located in the 4 provinces from the Community of Catalonia. Province TTC PbC SPC PC Tarragona 17% (Fr10) 66% (Fr48) 17% (Fr10) 0% Girona 25% 33.3% 33.3% 33.3% Barcelona 25% (Fr17) 25% (Fr17) 0% 50% (Fr34) Lerida 25% (Fr17) 50% (Fr34) 25% (Fr17) 0% Total 17.6%(Fr 11) 41.2%(Fr28) 23.6%(Fr18) 17.6%(Fr11) Table 1. Distribution of provinces and type of center. The distribution of the participants was the following: from the total sample, 35% corresponded to directors from educational centers, 35% referred to heads of study, 12% were ICT coordinators, 6% were directors from teacher training centers, and 12% were technology consultants from teacher training centers. Lastly, 29% of the informants were men and 71% were women. b. Instruments The technique used for the gathering of data was the semi-structured interview. In order to validate it, the expert judgement strategy was utilized through the use of the Delphi method. This was conducted through a document annexed to the interview, with a series of open-ended questions, and which was given to eight specialists selected in a double process: first of all people were selected with the following criteria: have professional experience in the educational use of ICT, have experience in Special Education, have experience in the use of ICT for people with disabilities, teach ICT applied to education or in special education, or work in an institution related to special education. Secondly, the coefficient of expert competence was applied for its definitive selection, a coefficient that is calculated "from the opinion shown by the expert regarding his level of knowledge about the research problem, as well as the sources that allow him to argue the established criterion... The coefficient is obtained by applying the following formula: K = ½ (Kc + Ka)" (Cabero & Barroso, 2013: 29). c. Procedure Interviews were conducted during the first three months of 2018, by telephone and scheduled appointment. All interviews were recorded in audio with the interviewee's authorization. The average duration was about 20 minutes. The interview script contained questions such as: What benefits do you think Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide to people with disabilities? Why? Do you consider that primary school teachers are aware and qualified to help students with specific disabilities (visual, hearing, motor or cognitive ...) to use technical support Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 292 and ICT applications? Are training experiences being carried out in schools to apply ICT to students with disabilities? After the process of transcribing the interviews, a reduction of data and its relevant codification was carried out with the help of the software Atlas.ti (version 6.2), based on a system of categories derived from the dimensions of the interview script and the analysis process itself. We need to point out that we have made limited use of the software, focusing only on the coding and retrieval functions of the texts. We must say that the elaboration of the categories and the decision to take the answers of the interviewees as correct or incorrect have been submitted to criteria of concordance and reliability. This means that the analysis carried out, both for the process of constructing the category system (concordance between code writers) and the moment in which the code writers have used this category system (reliability), resulted in an excellent kappas coefficient above 0.75 (Fleiss, 1981). Interview Kappa Agreement (%) Disagreement (%) 1 .96 98.71 1.29 3 .92 98.74 1.26 5 .97 99.38 0.62 7 .96 98.56 1.44 9 .95 98.73 1.27 11 .98 99.35 0.65 13 .95 98.03 1.97 Table 2. Cohen’s Kappa index for unpaired interview. The categories selected for the study revolved around: socio-demographic aspects (type of center, province, professional position in the center [position], gender and time at present position); concept of functional diversity; concept of disability; ICT benefits for people with disability; awareness and preparation of the teachers; development of training experiences; promotion of the training; barriers to the development of training plans; priority for training (Table 3). Categories and definition Sub-categories Examples Functional diversity concept: Differences in a person's functioning to carrying out daily activities (moving around, reading, catching, speaking, interacting, etc.) in a different manner from the general population (Independent Living Forum, 2005). Interviewees' knowledge of the functional diversity concept. Right answer: "Functional diversity is an alternative term to disability. It is more inclusive (ENTRE.19)." Wrong answer: " These are the different ways we have to access ICT or the whole knowledge (ENTRE.16)". Disability concept: a broad term that includes deficiencies, activity limitations, and participatory restrictions (World Health Interviewees' knowledge of disability concept. Right answer: "Students with special educational needs (ENTRE.056)." Wrong answer: "Students who due to some factors do not achieve the minimum standards established by the Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 293 Organization (WHO), 2001). curricula (ENTRE.155)". ICT benefits for people with disabilities: Improvement experienced by a person thanks to something that is done to him or her or something that is given to him or her. - Accessibility “Allows them to access education” (INTER.026) - Autonomy “Favors personal autonomy when solving everyday problems and procedures” (INTER.69). - Communication and expression. “[…] Be able to communicate and be able to communicate with them, so they can express themselves and so that they can see everything they can do with other resources” (INTER.034). - Facilitates learning “Facilitate individual work respecting the student’s rhythm” (INTER.050). - Integration “I think it is a way out that makes them become more integrated, and helps them with inclusion” (INTER.032). - Motivation “Stimulate motivation and self-esteem when giving them successes that were difficult to obtain before” (INTER.17). Teacher’s awareness and preparation: Awareness: Perception of the interviewees on the question of if the primary education teachers are aware of the importance of attending training activities. Preparation: Teacher’s level of training. - Awareness and preparation “Aware yes, very much so and especially the primary education teachers, but the world of New Technologies changes so often that we become obsolete in no time” (INTER.045). - Aware yes, prepared no “I think aware yes, but prepared no. There are many teachers who have to be trained and they have to upgrade/ themselves on the use of new technologies” (INTER.33). - Neither aware nor prepared “From my point of view, the teachers lack awareness, but training overall” (INTER.20). Development of training experiences: Training activities prepared and developed in the Primary Education schools. Development or not of training experiences in the Primary Education schools. “Yes, we have a work group on New Technologies, and we have a special education work group. Each time there is a new tool related with ICT and attention to diversity, an exchange of information is conducted between the two work groups” (INTER.029). “No, because the training is solicited according to the improvement proposals by the co-workers at the school, then, as a director, I take charge in managing what they ask for” (INTER.011). Barriers for the development of training plans: Obstacle that impedes or makes difficult the creation of training activities. - Teacher’s attitude “The barriers are, fundamentally, of personal character. From those teachers that are not implicated, or are not in agreement” (INTER.066). - Quality of “The training of the professionals within Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 294 training official training networks is deficient in that it is scarce and far removed from the school reality” (INTER.11). - Geographical distance “Maybe one of the problems is that we are far (in distance) from the training centers” (INTER.13). - Economicsrelated “The economic one, the institutional support, which can be a sure bet for the new technologies so that the teachers have physical good” (INTER.066). - Scarce training offering “There is a great demand, but little supply for these types of resources. The teachers do so through private courses” (INTER.39). - Scarcity of students with disabilities “Is that there are not many students, or simply that the disabilities can be very dissimilar, so that teaching a course that is focused on one disability brings in a small number of students” (INTER.23). - Lack of time “The training has to be done in our own time, so that in many occasions, the areas or facets that we have to train on are too many” (INTER.052). Table 3. Categorical system. IV. Results Next, the conceptual network which shows the list of categories with their corresponding subcategories obtained after the analysis, are shown. Also, the relationship between categories is observed. Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 295 Figure. 1. Conceptual network, relationship between categories and sub-categories Relying on the empirical basis of the perception of the key informants, the results obtained were: a. Functional diversity and concept of disability In first place, it is important to point out that most of those interviewed (78%) were unaware about the concept of functional diversity. Also, it is striking to verify that, as shown in table 3, the difficulty in defining the term was general for all the Catalonian provinces and all the education centers. For both variables, the percentage of incorrect answers surpassed 65%, and it even reached 85.7% of wrong answers in the case of the Preschool and Primary Education Centers (PbC). In spite of this, when analyzing the variable “position”, it should be highlighted that only ICT consultants from the Teacher training centers (TTC) surpassed 50% of correct answers related to the concept of functional diversity. Lastly, from the total number of participants, only 33% of the women answered correctly. Regarding the participants, the counsellors of Teacher Training Centers present the greatest challenge to establish the functional diversity term (15%), while the Heads of Studies present the greatest knowledge. As for the results referring to the concept of disability, the results obtained showed that the key informants did possess knowledge and were able to define the term disability (71%), independently of the variables “province” and “type of center”. Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 296 b. ICT benefits for people with disabilities Despite those interviewed not having specific training in regards to the student’s disability, it should be mentioned that the participants recognized, in a precise manner, the benefits provided by these technological tools to these students. Although the possible benefits are all related, we would like to point out that the most frequently cited are those that refer to "facilitating learning" and "accessibility" for all students. The high percentage of appearance of the sub-categories “accessibility” and “facilitates learning” was shared by all interviewees: “The technologies are very useful because they allow the children to be able to do things that they could not due otherwise” (INTER.12). Likewise, the importance of the “integration” of the students with disabilities thanks to the use of ICT tools was underlined. "It is well known that ICT can be a powerful way to integrate students. Not only to those with special educational needs due to disability, but also for other reasons". (INTER. 34) c. Teacher’s awareness and preparation The previously-mentioned results brought to light, even more so, the need for a greater and more specific training on disabled students and ICT in general. In fact, when those interviewed were asked if they considered the Primary Education teachers to be sufficiently prepared and aware to work with disabled students, 53% of the key informants recognized that they were aware, but not prepared. The reasons that re-enforce this scarce level of preparation are related to aspects such as: the teacher’s age; the fast updating/changing of technological tools; lack of interest by the teacher; obsolete means and resources and subject-matter that is only related with specialized teachers (therapeutic pedagogy or hearing and language): “At the general level, I don’t think we are prepared. Also, we work at a center where the teachers are 45 years old on average, and the initial training we received was more focused on knowledge than in the different ways to tend to diversity, meaning, to make sure they become aware of it” (INTER.43). “ICT evolve quickly, and the teachers must be motivated for using them for adaptive aims. For this, there are specific teaching staff that are specialized in special education. Nevertheless, the new generations already have an advanced phase on the use of ICT, and I sense that the initial training of the teachers is directed to their development, or it should be (INTER.20). In the analysis of the category “awareness and preparation of the teachers”, the results obtained as a function of the provinces varied considerably. While in the province of Girona 67% of the informants recognized that the Primary Education teachers were aware and prepared to work with disabled students by using ICT, in the province of Barcelona 75% of the participants attested that the primary school teachers were aware but not prepared. In the provinces of Tarragona and Lerida, the scale was balanced between those who were aware, but not prepared, and those who were neither aware nor prepared (50%). As for the relation of the type of education center, as shown in figure 2, the centers that obtained a higher percentage of awareness and preparation on the use of ICT with disabled students, were the Are primary education teachers from Catalonia (Spain) trained on ICT and disability? J.M. Fernández Batanero, P. Román Graván & C. Siles Rojas Digital Education Review - Number 37, June 2020- http://greav.ub.edu/der/ 303 Orozco, G. H., Tejedor, F. J., & Calvo, M. I. (2017). 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