Half of teachers cannot access edtech, a new report from the National Literacy Trust (NLT) suggests.
The NLT study investigated teachers’ attitudes towards using edtech in literacy classes.
The report concluded the main barrier to using edtech was ‘more resource than attitude-related’ but did note that 56% of teachers believe ‘non-technology-based teaching was better than or just as good as technology-based methods’.
Teachers did strongly support using edtech to support literacy learning. Almost nine in 10 thought edtech had the ability to engage pupils in reading and writing, particularly ‘reluctant readers’ and boys.
Almost nine in 10 teachers surveyed thought edtech had the ability to engage pupils in reading and writing, particularly ‘reluctant readers’ and boys.
Teachers blamed the lack of access on a shortage of hardware, software and wifi, and financial constraints. Almost a quarter of teachers also said they had no training in how to use technology to support literacy learning.
Results varied across primary and secondary settings, with primary teachers four times as likely to say that had access to iPads as secondary teachers. 23 per cent of respondents say they use technology to support literacy classes on a daily basis but a similar number said they ‘rarely or never use technology for this purpose’.
The report’s author, Irene Picton, acknowledged “enthusiasm for bringing technology into the school setting has been tempered by inconsistent findings in studies of technology on education outcomes”, but blamed “ineffective or inefficient use of technology” for the inconclusive results.
The study was based on 219 responses from educators based in 166 UK schools.
The full report can be downloaded from the National Literacy Trust’s website here.