Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Compiled by the Research Programme on Human Resources Development, Human Sciences Research Council Published by HSRC Press Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.hsrcpress.ac.za © 2005 Human Sciences Research Council First published 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN 0-7969-2040-0 Cover by Flame Design Production by comPress Technical editing by Karin Pampallis Printed by … Distributed in Africa by Blue Weaver Marketing and Distribution, P.O. Box 30370, Tokai, Cape Town, 7966, South Africa. Tel +27 +21-701-4477 Fax: +27 +21-701-7302 email: booksales@hsrc.ac.za Distributed worldwide, except Africa, by Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610, USA. www.ipgbook.com To order, call toll-free: 1-800-888-4741 All other enquiries, Tel: +1 +312-337-0747 Fax: +1 +312-337-5985 email: Frontdesk@ipgbook.com Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Contents List of tables and figures v Preface ix Executive Summary xi List of Abbreviations xix 1. Introduction 1 1.1 The Information Age 1 1.2 Africa, the Information Society and globalisation 1 1.3 ICT curriculum policy and employment 3 1.4 ICT in education in South Africa 5 1.5 The South African policy context 8 1.6 ICT in South African schools 12 1.7 Introducing SITES 15 1.8 Structure of the report 17 2. Background to SITES 19 2.1 Background to the project 19 2.2 Development of the study 20 2.3 Conceptual framework 20 2.4 Indicators 22 2.5 Design and sampling 25 2.6 Instruments 30 2.7 Communication by the Web 31 3. ICT infrastructure 33 3.1 Introduction 33 3.2 Hardware in schools 33 3.3 Software in schools 45 3.4 Schools’ investments in hardware and software 52 3.5 Conclusion 54 4. Curriculum and pedagogy 55 4.1 Introduction 55 4.2 Pedagogical practice paradigm 57 4.3 ICT-related instructional objectives 59 4.4 ICT-related learning outcome expectations and learning opportunities 64 4.5 Conclusion 71 5. Staff development in ICT at schools 73 5.1 Introduction 73 5.2 Qualifications of teachers 73 5.3 Policies concerning staff development 73 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za 5.4 Methods of transferring ICT-related knowledge 77 5.5 Availability of ICT training courses 78 5.6 Self-ratings of technology co-ordinators 80 5.7 Conclusion 82 6. Policies and usage of ICT in schools 83 6.1 Introduction 83 6.2 School principals’ attitudes and beliefs about ICT 83 6.3 Explicit school policies 85 6.4 Monitoring student progress and school administration using ICT 90 6.5 Problems realising ICT goals 93 6.6 Summary and reflections 94 7. Successful practices with ICT 97 7.1 General overview 97 7.2 Coding 97 7.3 Analysis of South African examples of their ‘most satisfying experience with technology’ 100 7.4 Examples of the ‘most satisfying experience with technology’ in South African schools 102 7.5 Towards cross-national case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using technology 105 8. Conclusion 107 8.1 Introduction 107 8.2 Summary of findings 107 8.3 The way forward in South Africa 109 References 111 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Tables Table 1.1: Countries participating in SITES Module 1 16 Table 2.1: Education in the Industrial Society and in the Information Society 21 Table 2.2: Estimated percentage of students at ICT-using schools, definitions of target grades and grade ranges, sample sizes, and response rate per educational level, by country 27 Table 2.3: South African Schools in SITES Module 1 sample, by former education department 29 Table 2.4: South African schools in SITES Module 1 sample, by province 29 Table 2.5: Study topics with summaries of questionnaire content 30 Table 3.1: Student:computer ratios, lower and upper secondary education 34 Table 3.2: Average percentage of computers equipped with various processor types and operating systems in SITES schools in South Africa 36 Table 3.3: Computers not in use, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 39 Table 3.4: Available peripherals, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 40 Table 3.5: Existing or planned access to the Internet and e-mail for instructional purposes, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 42 Table 3.6: Types of content available on schools’ homepages, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 44 Table 3.7: Obstacles to achieving the school’s ICT objectives, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 45 Table 3.8: Availability of particular types of software, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 48 Table 3.9: Availability of software for school subjects, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 51 Table 3.10: Software obstacles to achieving the school’s ICT-related objectives, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 52 Table 4.1: Instructional objectives that were considered to be very important by principals, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 61 Table 4.2: Expected acquisition of ICT-related skills by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in lower secondary education 62 Table 4.3: Expected acquisition of ICT-related skills by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in upper secondary education 63 Table 4.4: Specific ICT applications used by a typical student by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 65 Table 4.5: Use of e-mail/Internet for specific activities, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 67 Table 4.6: Principals’ perceptions that instructional activities had been realised ‘a lot’ with the assistance of ICT, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 67 Table 5.1: Goals regarding the training of teachers and their realisation, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 74 List of tables and figures v ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Table 5.2: The transfer of ICT knowledge among teachers, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education 77 Table 6.1: Average values and standard errors of principals’ attitudes towards ICT, percentage of students in lower secondary education 83 Table 6.2: Average values and standard errors of principals’ attitudes towards ICT, percentage of students in upper secondary education 84 Table 6.3: Policy regarding the use of computers for educational purposes by students, percentage of students in lower secondary education 86 Table 6.4: Policy regarding the use of computers for educational purposes by students, percentage of students in upper secondary education 86 Table 6.5: Existence and realisation of common vision on the use of computers and the Internet, percentage of students in lower secondary education 87 Table 6.6: Existence and realisation of common vision on the use of computers and the Internet, percentage of students in upper secondary education 88 Table 6.7: Existence of measures to regulate computer-related activities, percentage of students in lower secondary education 89 Table 6.8: Existence of measures to regulate computer-related activities, percentage of students in upper secondary education 90 Table 6.9: Computer usage to track student data, percentage of students in lower secondary education 91 Table 6.10: Computer usage to track student data, percentage of students in upper secondary education 91 Table 6.11: Computer usage for administrative activities, percentage of students in lower secondary education 92 Table 6.12: Computer usage for administrative activities, percentage of students in upper secondary education 93 Table 6.13: Obstacles in realising the schools’ ICT-related objectives, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 93 Table 7.1: Computer-related student learning activities, lower and upper secondary education 100 Table 7.2: Most satisfying experiences with computer-related technology, lower and upper secondary education 101 Table 7.3: Most satisfying examples of curriculum domains, lower and upper secondary education 101 Table 7.4: Most satisfying examples of the impact of ICT-based learning activities, lower and upper secondary education 102 Figures Figure 1.1: Schools with electricity, 1996 and 2000 13 Figure 1.2: Schools without telecommunications facilities, 1996 and 2000 14 Figure 2.1: Main conceptual framework for SITES Module 1 22 Figure 3.1: Availability of multimedia computers, lower secondary education 35 Figure 3.2: Availability of multimedia computers, upper secondary education 35 Figure 3.3: Computers accessible at the grade range connected to a local network, average percentages in lower and upper secondary education 37 Figure 3.4: Schools having access to the Internet for instructional purposes, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 41 vi ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Figure 3.5: Schools using e-mail/Internet for instructional purposes at the grade range and having a homepage, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 42 Figure 3.6: Types of information on the homepage averaged across countries, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 43 Figure 3.7: Availability of types of software for use at the grade range, lower secondary education 47 Figure 3.8: Availability of types of software for use at the grade range, upper secondary education 47 Figure 3.9: Software coverage of school subjects for use at the grade range, lower secondary education 50 Figure 3.10: Software coverage of school subjects for use at the grade range, upper secondary education 50 Figure 3.11: Average expenditure in the last two school years for hardware and software items, lower secondary education 53 Figure 3.12: Average expenditure in the last two school years for hardware and software items, upper secondary education 53 Figure 3.13: Average expenditure on hardware across countries by level of student:computer ratio, lower secondary education 54 Figure 4.1: Organisational levels of educational systems 55 Figure 4.2: Framework for curriculum and ICT indicators 56 Figure 4.3: Emerging and traditionally important pedagogical practices paradigm, lower secondary education 58 Figure 4.4: Emerging and traditionally important pedagogical practices paradigm, upper secondary education 59 Figure 4.5: Indicators for emerging ICT-related opportunities, lower secondary education 69 Figure 4.6: Indicators for emerging ICT-related opportunities, upper secondary education 69 Figure 4.7: Indicators for traditionally important ICT-related opportunities, lower secondary education 70 Figure 4.8: Indicators for traditionally important ICT-related opportunities, upper secondary education 71 Figure 5.1: Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range take basic ICT courses, percentage of students in lower secondary education 75 Figure 5.2: Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range take basic ICT courses, percentage of students in upper secondary education 76 Figure 5.3: Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range update their ICT knowledge regularly, percentage of students in lower secondary education 76 Figure 5.4: Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range update their ICT knowledge regularly, percentage of students in upper secondary education 77 Figure 5.5: Available in-house and external courses from a list of 12, average percentage in lower secondary education 79 Figure 5.6: Available in-house and external courses from a list of 12, average percentage in upper secondary education 79 vii ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za ICT in South African Secondary Schools Figure 5.7: Average values of self-ratings from technology co-ordinators regarding the adequacy of preparation for supporting general and pedagogical ICT-related activities, lower secondary education 81 Figure 5.8: Average values of self-ratings from technology co-ordinators regarding the adequacy of preparation for supporting general and pedagogical ICT-related activities, upper secondary education 81 Figure 7.1: Example of coding 99 viii ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za The last time an international evaluation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) was in the early 1990s (Pelgrum, Janssen, Reinen & Plomp 1993). Since then there has been a dramatic expansion of ICT around the world, with the advent of new and faster technologies. Therefore, by the late 1990s it seemed appropriate to the initiators of the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) to re-evaluate the status of ICT in education. This project was run on a comparatively small budget both internationally and nationally, as well as on a tight timeframe. It offers an overview of the status quo in ICT across 27 countries. This is the first time that South Africa has participated in this kind of study with regard to ICT in education; the comparison of South African data to that of other countries provides the reader with some interesting insights. The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) joined the IEA in 1994. Since joining, the HSRC’s Group Education participated in two international projects, namely the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and now the Second Information Technology in Education Study. The HSRC paid the national costs of the study as well as funding the international participation costs. The study was funded internationally by the Japanese government, the Norwegian government and the Dutch Science Foundation. Many people contributed to the project both internationally and nationally. It is appropriate to acknowledge the role and support of the international co-ordinating centre under the leadership of Dr Hans Pelgrum, who supported the South African team throughout the project. Secondly, I wish to acknowledge my colleagues on the project, in particular team members Mrs Nkhensani Mnisi, Mrs Mmamajoro Shilubane and Mrs Elsie Venter. I would also like to thank Dr Hans Pelgrum for his assistance during the compilation of the report and with the South African data, Prof Tjeerd Plomp for his comments on drafts of this report, and Karin Pampallis for her editorial skills. Finally, thanks to Ledile Kabuzie who contributed to Section 2.5.4 on the South African sampling strategy. Sarah J Howie ix ©HSRC 2005 Preface Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za Free download from www.hsrc p ress.ac.za [...]... understanding of computer hardware and the terminology associated with technology, telecommunications, and networking; and • An understanding of the range, source and uses of quality instructional technologies related to one’s own subject area and grade level – this requires also a knowledge of available resources and of the current trends in the use of educational technologies Meeting the ICT and communications... account of the ways in which the new information and communication technologies differentially and unevenly affect societies and economies across the globe Although much attention has been given to ICT in schools in Europe, North America and Asia, little is known about its current and potential influence in the education trajectory of developing countries The need to develop information economy competencies... Centres of Excellence and the Soweto Technology Project, to mention only two Recently, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, the Information Systems, Electronics, and Telecommunications Technologies (ISETT) Sector Education and Training Authority and the State Information Technology Agency launched a youth internship programme aimed at building skills-capacity in the information technology... this forum, Cogburn and Adeya identify the importance of ‘international harmonisation of policy and regulatory frameworks’ (1999: 9) on policy issues relevant to the development of the Information Economy and electronic commerce, which include communications infrastructural development, content development and regulation, technical standard and inter-operability, and education and employment The United... capabilities, and 66 Degrees East, which offers training and support services to communication technologies and distance learning The Thousand Schools Project is another Telkom-sponsored initiative to introduce and support ICT in 1 000 schools around the country The National Research Foundation (NRF) is responsible for operating the UNINET, a computer-based information highway linking universities, technikons and. .. science and technology system with regard to new knowledge and new technologies In pursuit of this idea, the DACST believes that: ‘the knowledge, technologies, products and processes produced must be converted into increased wealth, by industry and business, and into an improved quality of life for all members of society’ (1996: 12) Through the Universal Service Agency, there is a focus on community information. .. information management, self-regulated learning and working, and research capability in combination with communication skills and teamwork are highly prized in global and local labour markets Through the use of ICT, the learning of these skills can be accelerated and sharpened 3 ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools There have also been important changes in curriculum emphasis Pelgrum and. .. who guide learners to independent and selfregulated learning, which involves engaging actively and collaboratively on researchbased real-world problems and tasks Such an approach to teaching and learning is seen as appropriate to inform national education and training strategies and the supply of adequately trained human resources both in the information societies and in developing countries that seek... terrestrial and satellite3 tele-communications; • CD-ROM; • Computer-based education; • Expert systems; • Geographic information systems; • Packet radio (radio with modem, antenna and computer); • Compact disc-interactive; • Tele-CD-interactive; • CD-recording and CD-erasable; • Wireless communications; • New generation PABX; • IT/Lightsat satellites; and • Mobile telephony 3 Ziv-Tal (in Potgieter &... House of Representatives HSRC Human Sciences Research Council ICC International Co-ordinating Centre ICT Information and Communication Technology IEA International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement ISETT Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies IT Information Technology LAN Local area network LCD Liquid-crystal display LSEN Learners with Special Education . evaluating the status of information and communication technologies in schools in relation to the instructional activities of teachers and/ or students. Funding. focused on information processing, production or communication, combined with word processing, technology for seeking information and facilitating communication.