Studying practicing Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers' attitudes, knowledge and reported practices regarding computer integration into the curriculum

• Main Author: Mohammad, Muna
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2011
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30957

This study aimed to investigate the attitudes, knowledge and reported practices of Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers regarding computer use in the classroom. The study was completed using a mixed methods research design whereby both quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed in two phases. In the first phase of the study, a sample of 174 practicing kindergarten teachers in Kuwait, obtained from 16 kindergarten schools, completed a questionnaire. In particular, these participants volunteered to complete a questionnaire that measured their attitudes, knowledge and practices regarding the use of computers in their classroom. In the second phase, in-depth semistructured interviews with six kindergarten teachers were conducted to investigate those teachers' in depth perceptions and personal experiences with computers in their classrooms. Results from the questionnaires in the first phase of this study indicated that the majority of the participating teachers reported relatively positive attitudes and were knowledgeable regarding computer use in the curriculum. Contrary to what was proposed, however, the following independent variables were not statistically significant predictors of either teachers' attitudes or knowledge regarding the use of computers in their classroom: age, number of years of teaching experience, level of education, type of computer training, and ways of using computers. A significant relationship was found between computer attitudes and having access to a home computer. No significant relationship was found between teacher's knowledge and having access to a home computer. Although the majority had a positive attitude toward and were knowledgeable about the use of computers, interview data analysis in the second phase of this study showed that kindergarten teachers struggled to integrate computers into the curriculum and that they rarely used them in their lessons even though they perceived computer implementation to be beneficial to both teachers and children. The analysis revealed that teachers need more computer training, with other factors, to best integrate computers into the curriculum. The findings are discussed in terms of recommendations for practical applications and future research. === Education, Faculty of === Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of === Graduate