Evaluation of the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education based on the Principle of Equality

Abstract

In this study, the evaluations of school administrators and teachers regarding the use of ICT in education on the basis of equality of conditions and equality of opportunity, which are the sub-dimensions of the principle of equality, are discussed. In the study, parallel mixed-methods approach, in which qualitative and quantitative data are used together, is adopted. The qualitative part of the research process was designed as phenomenological study, and the quantitative part as correlational survey. The study group of the qualitative part consists of 12 school administrators working in Edirne, Turkey. The qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews were analyzed by descriptive analysis. The study group of the quantitative part of the study consists of 411 teachers working in the Central District of Edirne, Turkey. To collection of quantitative data, "Equality Scale for ICT Use in Education" and "Personal Information Form" were used. One-way ANOVA, t-tes and descriptive statistics were used to analysis data. According to the qualitative findings of thestudy, school administrators evaluated that even though an effort was made to establish equality in the use of ICT in education, it was not sufficient and therefore the use of ICT in an educational environment was not realized. It was observed that the total scores of Equality Scale for ICT use in Education applied to the teachers participating in the research were at an average level. The evaluations of teachers, based on gender, field of education, age, seniority, school level, and in-service training status dimensions were examined, and the results were interpreted by giving mean values of the findings with statistically significant differences according to the principle of equality of conditions in ICT use in education

A Critical View to Educational Technologies in the Context of Social Inequalities

“…In particular, the competence of teachers in this regard is of great importance in terms of utilizing the equal opportunities offered by educational technologies. Teachers' competence in using information and communication technologies should be considered as one of the main factors that will directly affect the principle of equality in terms of ensuring equality in education (Canbay & Çuhadar, 2020).…”

“…As a matter of fact, the inability of individuals to access such technologies, which causes this digital divide, can be a major obstacle in terms of equality of opportunity among individuals. Comments that these factors may have an effect on causing inequality of opportunity in the effective use of educational technologies in the process can also be seen in some literature studies (For example ;Akgül, 2019;Bourdieu, 1986;Canbay & Çuhadar, 2020;Colemon et al, 1966;Çelikkol & Avcı, 2017;Ferreira & Gignoux, 2010;Işık & Bahat, 2021;Ömür et al, 2017;Polat & Özdan, 2020;Yaşar, 2016). Therefore, within the framework of this view, the use of educational technologies in the context of social inequalities has been examined in this study.…”

“…Zeng et al (2014) commented that gender equality not only contributes to the increase of productivity of the current generation, but also contributes to the improvement of the next generation's results and will allow for improvement in education. In the literature, it has been stated that the gender factor is considered within the scope of causing inequality of opportunity in some studies (Bilgin & Erbuğ, 2021;Canbay & Çuhadar, 2020;Işık & Bahat, 2021;İnan & Demir, 2018;Polat & Özdan, 2020;Subrahmanian, 2005;Tusinska, 2020;Zeng et al, 2014).…”

“…Mercik (2015) stated that equality does not mean "providing one and the same education to everyone" in a qualitative sense, what is meant here is the provision of qualified education services that will enable each individual to reach their development potential at a level where they can achieve the life conditions they want. However, equality in education includes both equality of opportunity and the concept of equality of opportunity, which can be considered the source of inequality, and these two forms of equality cannot be considered independently of each other (Canbay & Çuhadar, 2020).…”