R ESEARCH Using ICT in Schools: Addressing Teacher Workload issues PricewaterhouseCoopers Research Report RR595 Research Report No 595 Using ICT in Schools: Addressing Teacher Workload issues PricewaterhouseCoopers The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills. © PricewaterhouseCoopers 2004 ISBN 1 84478 341 3 Contents Section Page Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................1 1 Executive Summary......................................................................................................2 2 Introduction................................................................................................................10 3 Background: teacher workload and ICT policy............................................................15 Part A: ICT use in addressing workload, efficiency and quality.........................................23 4 Workload, efficiency and quality: defining the terms...................................................24 5 ICT and teacher efficiency..........................................................................................26 6 Using ICT to work differently with support staff.........................................................51 7 Using time saved: the effect of ICT on quality.............................................................61 Part B: Factors leading to effective use of ICT to address workload issues.........................72 8 A summary of what is effective use of ICT to address workload..................................77 9 The role of management and ICT strategy...................................................................81 10 Effective ICT deployment...........................................................................................88 11 The role of ICT technical support..............................................................................102 12 The role of ICT training............................................................................................106 13 Conclusions..............................................................................................................112 Appendix 1 Case studies.................................................................................................120 Appendix 2 Quantitative analysis paper...........................................................................137 Annex 1 to Appendix 2: Multivariate analysis – identifying the most significant variables in explaining workload, quality and pupil standards.............................................................159 Annex 2 to Appendix 2: Identifying statistically significant sample sizes.........................161 Annex 3 to Appendix 2: Bivariate analysis results...........................................................162 Acknowledgements We are very grateful to all the schools that have taken part in both the survey and the fieldwork visits, whose responses have been anonymised to preserve confidentiality. We would also like to express our thanks to the ICT and Teacher Workload Study Steering Group members and other organisations and individuals that have contributed to our work. Authors: 1.1 Leanne Bailey, Chris Day, Thomas Day, Andrew Griffin, Peter Howlett, Michael Kane, Chris Kirk, Neil McCullough, Barry McKiernan, Tom McMullen, Kirsty Perfect, Elizabeth Ramsey, Rachel Wood. 1 1 Executive Summary Abstract This study investigated the use of ICT to address teacher workload. It found that ICT does help to address workload for some teachers, especially those who are confident in using it. Key benefits for teachers include better management, storage, and maintenance of work. Saved time is typically ‘reinvested’ in other tasks principally related to teaching, such as lesson preparation, which teachers perceive has resulted in higher quality teaching and learning. However, in some cases, teachers feel ICT increases their workload, with some tasks taking longer to complete. This can often be traced to one or more of: a lack confidence or lack of ICT skills, an ICT strategy that lacks a focus on addressing workload, ineffective networks or a lack of appropriate training or technical support. In some cases it also reflects a school at an earlier stage of an ICT strategy, where an up front investment of time is needed before workload issues are addressed. To reduce teacher workloads in more schools in future, ICT strategies will need to include specific workload aims – although this should not be at the expense of continuing to find ways in which ICT can raise quality and pupil performance. In addition, there will need to be improvements in ICT strategic planning in which strategic aims, hardware, software, connectivity, technical support and staff training and development, and support to overcome cultural barriers, are planned for in a cohesive way. Progress will be better if schools can harness growing confidence in ICT use by realising further benefits from better sharing, management, access to and storage of teaching resources. We also found that, whilst ICT has enabled the transfer of some tasks to support staff, this is a relatively undeveloped area with significant potential yet to be tapped. 1.1 In September 2003 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to undertake a review to gain an understanding of: • The ways in which ICT is being used effectively in schools by headteachers, teachers, support staff and pupils to reduce and/or refocus teacher workloads • Effective leadership and management strategies for deployment of ICT among teachers and support staff within schools, including training and support structures • The extent to which the effective use of ICT can address teacher workloads • The experience and perceptions of the schools workforce towards the use of ICT in addressing teacher workloads. 2 1.2 This report is based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 280 headteachers, as well as fieldwork in 20 schools that included interviews with 20 headteachers, 62 teachers and 51 support staff and a further survey of 393 school staff. These 20 fieldwork schools were selected on the basis of their good practice in ICT, and were identified from a mix of sources, including a review of the Specialist Schools Trust and Beacon Schools sites, the Becta ICT teaching awards, and the PwC Teacher Workload Study. The views and experiences of staff at these schools are not intended to be representative of schools in general but are an indication of the experience at a sample of schools that are believed to have successfully deployed ICT. 1.3 The combination of a nationally representative survey of headteachers, alongside detailed fieldwork visits, was designed to provide a high level, nationally representative perspective, alongside a detailed, school and staff level perspective which explored views of different types of staff, and allowed for more detailed discussion of processes and behaviors. Findings ICT and teacher efficiency 1.4 The majority of headteachers (74%) and teachers in the fieldwork schools (64%) felt that ICT had enabled them to become more efficient. 1.5 Whilst teachers found it difficult to quantify the exact amount of time saved (or lost) by using ICT for specific tasks, some teachers reported small timesavings from the use of ICT across a range of teaching tasks including ‘recording of pupil progress’, ‘reporting of pupil progress’ and ‘lesson resources planning’. However, some teachers also reported that particular tasks actually took longer using ICT. Good leadership, appropriate training and technical support and effective networks and connectivity were the factors that supported ICT in addressing workload. A lack confidence or lack of ICT skills, an ICT strategy that lacked a focus on addressing workload, ineffective networks or a lack of appropriate training or technical support tended to be factors where ICT was failing to generate workload benefits. 1.6 We also asked headteachers and teachers for their perceptions of how ICT was being used to address workload. • Overall, views amongst teachers in the fieldwork schools were positive, especially for activities such as ‘reporting of pupil progress’, ‘lesson resource preparation’ and ‘lesson planning’. However, teachers at secondary schools were less positive about the benefit of using ICT to address workload compared to staff at primary schools. This may be a consequence of the complexities and scale of use of ICT use in secondary schools. • The perceptions of headteachers at both the fieldwork schools and across the nationally representative survey of the benefit of ICT for teacher workload were positive particularly when it came to school and staff management tasks and administrative tasks. 3 1.7 Levels of confidence in ICT use amongst staff in the fieldwork schools were strong, with 84% being quite confident, confident or very confident. This appears to be in line with the figures recorded in the annual DfES ICT in schools survey1. Levels of confidence amongst those teachers who felt ICT had helped to reduce their workload were higher than those who did not. 1.8 Looking ahead, 65% of teachers in the fieldwork schools felt that ICT would improve their overall effectiveness in the next 12 months (broadly the same proportion as those who perceive benefits now). However, only 33% felt ICT would help to reduce workload over the same period; 32% felt that ICT would increase workload and 35% felt it would have no impact. Headteachers in the national sample were similarly optimistic that ICT would improve their own effectiveness over the coming year. 63% felt this would be the case, whilst 12% felt that it would reduce their effectiveness and 25% felt there would be no effect. The headteachers in the sample were more optimistic than the teachers in the fieldwork schools about future workload benefits for teachers, with 46% stating that using ICT would reduce teacher workload in the next twelve months. 1.9 From a statistical analysis of teachers’ survey responses in the fieldwork schools, we found teachers were most likely to perceive ICT had reduced their workload when2: • They were consulted on their ICT needs • The school planned strategically for procuring ICT infrastructure and content • They had sole access to a desktop computer in school • They had the use of e-mail • They perceived that ICT allowed or could allow support staff to undertake administration and clerical tasks • They had the use of school ICT networks. 1.10 Whilst caution must be taken when interpreting these results as they are based on those teachers who responded from fieldwork schools, pre-selected on the basis of being effective in the use of ICT, they indicate some of the underlying characteristics of teachers who have seen positive benefits from ICT in addressing teacher workload. In particular, they point to strategic issues around consultation, procurement, access, connectivity and the transfer of tasks to support staff. 1 Ref: DfES Research and Statistics: Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2004 (provisional). This found that the percentage of teachers who are confident in using ICT in teaching their subject was 85% for primary schools, 81% for secondary schools and 86% for special schools. The first release can be found on http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000480/index.shtml. 2 The factors listed were statistically significant to a 95% confidence level. 4 1.11 Schools were at various levels of maturity in terms of implementing ICT, and where schools were ‘advanced’, teachers reported greater efficiencies. In addition, some staff described an implementation ‘dip’ for some new uses of ICT, with an initial tendency towards increased workload followed by later reductions. 1.12 We also found that the more teaching experience a teacher has, the less likely they were to feel that ICT had a positive effect on addressing their workload. As experience is often related to age, this may in fact be related to the age of the teacher. Other research has shown that older teachers are less likely to be confident and competent in the use of ICT3. Using ICT to work differently with support staff 1.13 Views were very positive amongst support staff on the benefit of ICT for their own roles within schools. 81% of those who responded at the 20 fieldwork schools felt that ICT had aided them in their role in the school. Only 9% said that it had not (the remainder were unsure). This may be due to the nature of the tasks they carried out in their role. 1.14 Perceptions amongst support staff of the impact of ICT use by support staff on teacher efficiency were generally positive. Around half of support staff (51%) felt that their use of ICT had generally enabled teachers to be more efficient, while only 14% said it had not (the remainder were unsure). ICT was felt to play a major part in allowing support staff to undertake tasks previously carried out by teachers when it came to lesson resource planning and preparation, recording assessment and attendance and a number of administrative tasks such as inputting/submitting data, and contacting parents and external organisations. 1.15 A significant proportion of support staff felt that further ICT deployment could allow them to take on more tasks from teachers. The areas where there was most potential were helping in the classroom, supporting lesson planning, preparation and assessment and administration tasks. Of the 27% who felt that further ICT deployment could not allow them to take on more tasks the vast majority (60%) felt that this was because the tasks that they perform do not necessitate the need for ICT use. Using time saved: the effect of ICT on quality 1.16 12% of teachers and 19% of headteachers reported that they used the time saved by ICT to create a shorter working day/ week. 1.17 The most common use of time saved was additional non-contact time for preparation and planning with 31% of teachers and 40% of headteachers reporting using any time saved in this manner. Whilst this did not therefore translate into reduced working time, staff identified gains in the quality of their teaching as a result of ICT. They suggested that ICT had enabled them to spend less time on delivering existing tasks to the current standard, and to either perform new tasks, or to perform existing tasks to a higher standard. 3 Ref: http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/barriers.pdf 5 Factors leading to effective use of ICT to address workload The role of management and ICT strategy 1.18 There was clear evidence of some strategic and operational shortfalls in ICT deployment in schools that present challenges for the potential for ICT to have greater effect in addressing workload. Firstly we found that, whilst the vast majority of schools which responded to the survey stated that they plan strategically for procurement, access and training for ICT, this is principally focused on improving teaching and learning and pupil attainment, with workload reduction considered a secondary, or even an incidental, outcome. 1.19 Secondly, we found that, despite the survey results above, few schools appear in practice to take a holistic approach to ICT strategy and plan across training, technical support and networks. Perhaps as a result of this, 61% of teachers and 60% of headteachers who responded to the survey had experienced problems in relation to the use of ICT, including hardware or software failure, inadequate training or inadequate technical support. 1.20 We undertook a statistical analysis of the survey data to attempt to identify those factors that were most significant when it came to addressing workload. During our fieldwork it was evident that the focus of schools’ ICT strategies was on improving the quality of teachers’ work and improving pupil performance. Given this, we undertook a regression analysis of the survey data set against measures of quality and pupil performance as well as teacher workload. We found 12 factors that were significantly related to positive outcomes for workload, quality and pupil performance. It was then possible to ‘score’ schools’ ICT strategies depending on the number of these 12 factors they had in place. Depending on their score, schools’ ICT strategies were categorised as either ‘emergent’, ‘established’ or ‘advanced’ in terms of achieving three aims for using ICT: addressing teacher workload; raising the quality of teachers’ work; and raising pupil attainment. Based on this analysis we found a number of significant maturity characteristics: • Almost 70% of headteachers in schools with an advanced strategy had received ICT training within the last 6 months, while only 43% of headteachers in established schools and 29% of headteachers in emergent schools had received training in the same time period • Confidence levels amongst headteachers, teachers and support staff in using ICT are substantially higher in schools categorised with a established or advanced ICT strategy • Participation on the NCSL ‘Strategic Leadership of ICT’ course was higher amongst those headteachers whose school had an advanced ICT strategy4 • The remodelling and redeployment of the school workforce as a result of ICT deployment was higher in those schools with an advanced ICT strategy5 4 Average participation in our sample was 10.9%; participation for headteachers with an advanced strategy was 38% 6 • Where headteachers had been in their position for 16 or more years, schools were more likely to have emergent ICT strategies than schools where headteachers had been in position fewer than 16 years • Whilst all schools tended to plan ICT strategically in relation to the areas specified in the survey6, schools with an emergent profile tended to plan for fewer of these areas compared to established or advanced schools • Fewer than 40% of headteachers in schools with an emergent ICT strategy had been consulted on their ICT training needs, while over 60% of headteachers in those schools with advanced strategies had been consulted. Effective ICT deployment 1.21 Turning now to deployment and access, the research evidence suggested that the teachers in the fieldwork schools had good access to a range of ICT hardware devices and software tools, in particular laptops and desktops, the Internet, Intranet and e-mail. Out of a list of technologies, the Internet, laptops and desktops were cited as being most effective in addressing workload. More teachers said the Internet had significantly reduced workload than any other ICT tool. Views were mixed however and a number of teachers felt that desktops, laptops, and e-mail had increased their workload. 1.22 There was evidence from the fieldwork visits that these schools were making strides towards more integrated and robust connectivity both within school and between school and outside agencies. However, there was also clear evidence that some schools are currently working with curriculum and management networks that are not integrated and have issues around reliability and speed. This mirrors the lack of focus of ICT strategies in schools on workload issues. 1.23 This presents an important challenge as the teachers were very clear about the potential benefits to workload of reliable and effective networks. One theme that came through very strongly in the interviews with teachers was the benefit that ICT has had on their ability to manage and organise their work. In particular, teachers were benefiting from access to shared working areas and the ability to share resources with colleagues. However, there was evidence that this benefit was being undermined where connectivity was unreliable. 5 Headteachers were asked, “Has the introduction of ICT related strategies resulted in any remodelling or redeployment of the school workforce?” 6 The areas were: ‘Procuring ICT infrastructure and software content’, ‘ICT training’, ‘ICT access’, ‘methods of addressing teacher workload issues’ and ‘embedding ICT in teaching and learning methods’. 7