Information and communication technology (ICT) in the early years of education

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an important factor in the education field, especially for pupils with special educational needs. The aim of this research is to understand how ICT is perceived to affect the learning capability of primary age pupils, including those with special educational needs. The specific objectives are to: (i) Investigate the literature about the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and pupils with special educational needs; (ii) Identify some of the factors that affect the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for assisting pupils’ learning (reading and writing) ability in three case studies school; (iii) Investigate the current use of ICT resources in three schools and the roles played by teachers and parents in these schools to help pupils learn in both classroom and home environments; (iv) Assess the perceived impact of ICT on pupils’ learning through observation and interviews in the case study schools; (v) Communicate examples of best practice, for both teachers and parents, on more effective way of using ICT to improve pupils’ learning. The research has been carried out in three schools one of which is a special school for pupils with special educational needs. Data have been collected in three ways. Firstly, direct observation has been carried out in the classroom; secondly, interviews have been carried out with teachers; and finally a survey of 175 parents was carried out by questionnaire. The key finding drawn from this research indicate that ICT is perceived to have a positive impact on pupils’ learning regardless of their educational needs. The study also identified that ICT is perceived to improve the quality of teaching and ICT use by primary age children. A second issue raised the shortage of teacher training for ICT, especially staff development, and finally, teachers and parents needed time to become skilled with the new technologies before attempting to teach with them. The study presents examples of best practice to distinguish between how teachers and parents might improve their support for pupils using ICT. These include the need for teachers to match learning needs, style and curricula and for parents to understand how their pupils learn and the nature of any learning problem.