NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1020169
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-9714
EISSN: N/A
Empowerment Patterns of Leaders in ICT and School Strengths Following the Implementation of National ICT Reform
Avidov-Ungar, Orit; Shamir-Inbal, Tamar
Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, v12 p141-158 2013
The Ministry of Education in Israel has, over the past two years, been running an education program designed to lead the implementation of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in schools. Implementation of the program is accompanied by training and support of teachers selected to be ICT leaders. The role of the ICT leader is divided to two positions: (1) the School ICT Coordinator, in charge of ICT reform at their school, and (2) the Regional ICT Advisor, in charge at the district level and operating in several schools. Participants in the current research were 226 ICT leaders from one of the districts in Israel that participated in the ICT reform. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the contribution of the ICT reform on schools' ICT leaders and schools' strengths. We also had a theoretical basis for assuming that the ICT leaders will experience personal empowerment as a result of their position and training. Thus, we set out to evaluate the personal empowerment patterns of ICT leaders and how they relate to the schools' strengths. The strengths were identified using content analysis on ICT leaders' perceptions of the schools' strengths. This analysis revealed nine fields in which the schools improved following the ICT plan: information sharing, student empowerment, dialogue, technological assimilation, teacher empowerment, management optimization, pedagogical change, bridging the gaps, and community visibility. These nine fields were categorized to three aspects of school change following ICT reform: pedagogical, technological, and organizational aspects. The personal empowerment of the ICT leaders was measured with an online questionnaire in which the ICT leaders reported their sense of learning and satisfaction as leaders of organizational change. This served as a measure of personal empowerment in the pedagogical and technological domains. The results showed that ICT leaders who reported pedagogical change at school also had significantly higher pedagogical and technological personal empowerment. We assume that these results represent a gradual model, in which the pedagogical strength is the end stage of the ICT implementation process. The findings highlight the importance of providing professional guidance for ICT leaders as messengers of innovative pedagogical perception in schools following ICT implementation. Also, they shed light in the process of ICT implementation and can help construct new ways of evaluating such processes.
Informing Science Institute. 131 Brookhill Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. Tel: 707-531-4925; Fax: 480-247-5724; e-mail: contactus@informingscience.org; Web site: http://www.informingscience.us/icarus/journals/jiteresearch
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A