Teachers’ Perspectives on Using Information and Communication Technology in the Secondary School Practice: A Case Study

Information and communication technology (ICT) is used in all spheres of life, including education. Educators are encouraged to use ICT in the classroom, and their technology is constantly improving. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that ICT has become an essential issue and a powerful tool in the educational process. The ICT is applied from the preschool to the university level, facilitating the educational process, changes, and reforms in the field, especially under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICT use causes crucial changes in education, visible in the very structure of the educational process and the roles of its stakeholders – students and teachers. The importance of specific requirements for ICT use is proved by the necessity to adapt to a changing reality in secondary education according to modern requirements, especially for elderly educators. This fact is also critical for the school administration concerning the professional development of teachers. Our study aims to explore teachers’ perspectives on using ICT in secondary school education and the relationship between teachers’ age, education, work experience and the aptitude for using ICT in teaching practice. The primary research approach is an exploratory-descriptive research based on qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting information from secondary school teachers using a survey and on-site observations. The study’s results depict that the technology used in the educational process affects the growth of teachers’ professional competence and contributes to high motivation of students, valuable results in teaching, and a substantial improvement in the quality of education. However, it causes particular challenges for teachers and the school’s administration. The research data provide possible solutions for refining the ICT use in education and offer insights into effective teaching using technology in secondary schools. © 2022, Association for Social Studies Educa. All rights reserved.

Content and Language Integrated Learning Practices in Kazakhstan Secondary Schools During COVID-19 Pandemic

A case study was initiated from the perspective of three research questions: 1) CLIL teachers’ practices at secondary schools of Aktobe during COVID-19 pandemic;2) challenges for the teachers;3) support provided for the teachers. The research methodology combined face-to-face personal interviews, and non-participant observation. Data analysis was conducted in line with Mayring’s (2020) approach to content analysis and by means of categorization into specific themes that emerge from teachers’ conceptualization of their CLIL practices. The analysis of teachers’ reflections on their experiences and challenges of using the CLIL approach during the pandemic, support provided to them and teachers’ attitudes towards the approach is presented in the paper. Research data on the secondary schools Science teachers’ CLIL practices in a remote learning setting was categorized related preparation to teaching, resources used by the teachers, students’ interaction during the lessons, and stakeholders’ attitudes and perceptions of the approach. The obtained data enables to understand Science teachers’ practices in terms of using the CLIL approach in Kazakhstani secondary schools in the period of COVID-19 pandemic, and will contribute to teacher development and preparation for successful CLIL realization in a non-traditional classroom. © 2022 by the authors;licensee CEDTECH by Bastas.