The Impact of the National Program to Integrate ICT in Teaching in Pre-Service Teacher Training
This study examines the impact of the Israeli National Program on pre-service teachers’ skills in the integration of ICT in teaching and discusses the influential factors of successful implementation of practices in the field.
In the current Information Age, many countries relate to education as an im-portant factor for national growth. Teacher education plays a significant role in coping with the challenge of educating a new generation of school students to compete in a technology-driven society. In 2011, the Israel Ministry of Education initiated the National Program for transforming teacher education colleges to meet the demands of the 21st century.
The study focuses on two research questions: (1) What was the impact of the National Program on pre-service teacher training concerning the integration of ICT in their teaching? (2) What are the predictors of the pre-service teachers’ practice of ICT integration in teaching? It is a quantitative study, based on data collected in two rounds two years apart that compares several indices of pre-service teachers’ preparation to teach with ICT.
The findings offer insights regarding influential factors of successful integration of ICT in education.
Analyses showed a significant increase in most of the indices of teacher training according to the National Program, in particular in the number of ICT-based lessons that pre-service teachers taught in their teaching practice at schools. Predictors of ICT integration in teaching were modeling by faculty members and school mentor teachers, the number of ICT-based lessons taught by pre-service teachers, and pre-requisite conditions at schools and colleges.
The current challenge is to promote innovative ICT-based teaching methods among teacher educators, school teacher mentors, and pre-service teachers.
The findings underscore the importance of modelling by the school mentors as well as pre-requisite conditions at schools.
Being acquainted with the most influential factors of successful integration of ICT in teaching by pre-service teachers can improve teacher education as well as the education system in educating future generations.
More research is needed to learn about the dissemination of innovative models of ICT integration in teaching by pre-service teachers and their educators.
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