Satisfaction with Digitalization in Schools
According to the study "A Look into the Classroom" by the University of Linz, most students find digital media a useful addition to lessons. These are well utilized by the teaching staff. The approximately 21,400 children surveyed wish for a broader use of the devices in more subjects. Currently, digital media are mainly used in IT, languages, mathematics, and natural sciences.
Digitalization in Schools: How Lessons Are Changing
According to the survey, the lessons themselves are positively changing through the use of digital devices: Students report being (rather) more motivated and do not see any negative impacts on concentration or noise levels in the classroom. Most claim to know how to learn well with the devices and see an actual benefit in them. Many particularly use word processing and presentation programs and can (rather) handle them well.
The study also shows a "very positive" balance among the more than 2,500 teachers surveyed: Only a few plan their lessons entirely without digital media, and the majority find their students' devices good. According to the survey, educators use digital media in a quarter to half of their lessons, mainly to convey content or during exercises and tasks. Teachers see various advantages for learning through the use of digital media and strive to adapt the use to the learning goal. However, they remain neutral on whether this improves students' performance. According to their self-assessment, more than two-thirds also have sufficient technical and didactic skills in this area.
Digitalization Brings a High Demand for Further Training
According to the current TALIS study by the OECD, Austria's teachers are still comparatively uncertain compared to their colleagues in the EU and the 54 OECD countries and regions examined, even though the numbers have improved significantly since the last edition in 2018. Still, 31 percent of teachers at middle schools and lower secondary AHS do not feel well-prepared by their training for the use of digital resources and tools in lessons, with another 38 percent feeling only "somewhat" prepared (EU average: 21 and 33 percent, respectively). Even among young teachers who completed their studies no more than five years ago, only 43 percent feel digitally competent.
Accordingly, Austria's teachers also use digital media comparatively rarely for individualized learning paths, planning students' learning progress, collaboration among students, assessing learning progress, or lesson planning. Younger teachers and those who feel well-prepared for digital teaching methods through their training or have attended relevant training in the past year are more active in this area. Overall, more than half of the teachers in TALIS wish for additional training and further education opportunities for the use of digital media and technical skills.
Good Grades for Technical Equipment
In comparison, domestic educators are also relatively skeptical about digital media. Three-quarters believe that it can increase interest in learning. But only half expect that students will solve tasks more efficiently together or learn skills to plan and control their work (EU and OECD average: three-quarters). And only four out of ten assume that digital media can improve performance (EU and OECD average: six out of ten). Regarding potential dangers, domestic teachers do not stand out internationally. Distraction, less communication between children, and presenting internet material as one's own work are seen as challenges by teachers everywhere. Only 45 percent in Austria fear that intensive use could negatively affect students' well-being, which is comparatively few. Austria's teachers give good grades for technical equipment in TALIS: Only four percent say that the quality of teaching suffers due to problems with technical equipment (EU: 10, OECD: 15).
(APA/Red)
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