Teacher and Student Attitudes Towards the Use of Interactive Whiteboards in Two Australian Primary Schools: Factors Influencing Their Use

Abstract

Technology is an integral part of all our lives. As educators, we must embrace new technologies as our students grow and develop around them. Current technologies allow us to communicate, record and engage more effectively. One such technology allowing us to do this is the interactive whiteboard (IWB). IWBs are quickly being introduced into schools across the nation and worldwide and, as such, educators need to explore the implications of having them in the classroom. It is also important to explore student attitudes to IWBs. As attitudes play an important part in student interest and engagement levels, it is important to determine current attitudes towards IWB use in the classroom and explore links between background factors and attitudes. Through a mixed methods approach, the current study used questionnaires to ascertain current attitudes towards IWBs and classroom observations were used to measure student engagement and teacher approaches. Students’ attitudes towards IWBs are positive and can be positively linked to student engagement. Contrary to initial expectations, one type of IWB use was not more effective in terms of engagement than another. However, what proved to be most effective in terms of student engagement occurred when teachers alternated between teacher-centred approaches and student-centred approaches. IWBs can be used to engage students in learning and the findings of the study indicate that teachers should alternate between student-centred and teacher-centred approaches in short clumps of time, thereby facilitating student interaction and high engagement levels.