Teachers' attitudes toward the importance of information and communication technologies in schools for deaf and hard of hearing

Abstract

The development of information technologies has an important influence on all human activities. Their effect in education largely depends on capabilities, knowledge, attitudes and motivation of teachers. This paper researches attitudes of teachers of elementary and high schools for deaf and hard of hearing children toward information and communication technologies and their importance in education of pupils and teachers. Fifty elementary and high school teachers for deaf and hard of hearing children were interviewed. Frequencies, percentage and chi-square test were used in data processing. The results show that the teachers have a positive attitude toward the use of these technologies in the teaching process, both to advance the teaching process and to improve professionally and develop the knowledge of deaf and hard of hearing children. A tendency that an increase in age and years of employment leads to an increase in the number of teachers expressing doubts about the role of these technologies in raising the level of teaching was observed in elementary schools. The teachers don't believe that Internet technologies, especially www services, increase the children's knowledge.

Razvoj informacionih i komunikacionih tehnologija uticao je na sve oblasti ljudskog delovanja. Kakav će biti njihov efekat u obrazovanju u velikoj meri zavisi od sposobnosti, znanja, stavova i motivacije nastavnika. U ovom radu ispitivani su stavovi nastavnika osnovnih i srednjih škola za gluvu i nagluvu decu prema informacionim i komunikacionim tehnologijama i njihovom značaju u obrazovanju učenika i nastavnika. Anketirano je 50 nastavnika osnovnih i srednjih škola za gluve i nagluve. Pri obradi dobijenih podataka korišćene su frekvencije, procenti i hi-kvadrat test. Rezultati pokazuju da nastavnici imaju pozitivne stavove u pogledu upotrebe ovih tehnologija u nastavi, kako na unapređenje samog procesa nastave, tako i na svoj profesionalni razvoj i unapređenje znanja gluvih i nagluvih učenika. Uočena je tendencija u osnovnoj školi da se sa povećanjem godina starosti i godina radnog staža, povećava i broj nastavnika koji izražavaju sumnju oko uloge ovih tehnologija u podizanju kvaliteta nastave. Nastavnici imaju manje poverenja u Internet tehnologije, posebno u doprinos www-servisa Interneta na povećanje znanja svojih učenika.