The current use of ICT by novice female teachers in Saudi primary schools and their perceived training needs

Abstract

The overall focus of this study is ICT in primary schools in Saudi Arabia, in particular the use made of ICT by novice female primary school teachers. This represents the first phase of a study that aims to discover whether a tailored training program might help teachers to widen and improve their use of ICT, and thus to improve their students' results. A questionnaire and semi- structured interviews were used in this phase to collect data. The findings revealed that the participants do suffer from a great gap in their knowledge and in even the basic technical and pedagogical skills of using technology in teaching. It was also found that their current use of technology is very low. The reasons behind this could include lack of access to technology, lack of training, and lack of time. The paper also presents some features of the participants' desired training program.