Subject Matter as a Factor in Educational Computing by Teachers in International Settings

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of subjects of teaching and teaching experience on confidence in computing among teachers when using common computer software applications. The participants were 236 teachers working in five Lebanese schools known to use computers in various educational tasks. The results showed that teachers had significantly different levels of confidence in using computer applications across the subjects of teaching. Also it was found that teachers with more years of teaching have significantly lower level of confidence. As other factors such as computer training, frequency of using computers outside the classroom, and teaching experience might interfere in building up educational computing confidence, these variables were controlled for in the analysis.