Confidentially of participants

The survey was not completed online because of inadequate accessibility to internet connectivity in the schools and homes in Trinidad and Tobago. Completed surveys were collected from the Principals and were given an alpha-numeric code for future identification. Data from the participants who did not wish to participate in the interview were identified by code and stored securely for analysis. Interview recordings were transcribed and de-identified. An alpha-numeric code was assigned individual responses from the interview and were quoted in presenting the findings of the study in Chapter 4.

The survey data were stored electronically at the University of Tasmania’s cloud data storage. All survey data were also kept in electronic files via a password-protected computer as a ‘back-up’ and was de-identified. Digital audio recordings and transcripts were kept in electronic files accessed via a password-protected computer. All electronic files were de-identified. At the end of five years, all files (electronic) which were stored in the University of Tasmania cloud data storage will be deleted with my permission or my supervisors’ permission. Electronic files will also be deleted from the password- protected computer hard-drives, and electronic “rubbish bins” will be emptied during that same period.

3.6 School Type

The researcher’s experience of working as a secondary school teacher in Trinidad and Tobago from 1975 to 1999 informed the purposeful selection of

educational institutions for the study. Two categories were selected. The first included the two campuses which provided teacher education at the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the second included 14 secondary schools. Candidates at the universities

are referred to as pre-service teachers whereas teachers employed at secondary schools are referred to as in-service teachers in this study. School type included government or denominational schools. Enrolment of students (11 to 18 years of age) at these

institutions consisted of either male or female students only, or a combination of both male and female students (co-educational). Secondary schools offered either a five-year curriculum or a seven-year curriculum. Location included rural, semi-rural, urban, and semi-urban. Schools selected were representative of all the secondary schools in the country. The selection of the two categories (University and secondary schools) were important variables to make comparison between pre-service and in-service teachers’ confidence to integrate ICT in their teaching and student learning. In addition, the selection of pre-service teachers enabled comparison of technological pedagogical content knowledge scores on a national and international platform. Attributes of school type, years for curriculum offered, and the location of the 12 secondary schools selected from four of the eight educational districts of Trinidad and Tobago are presented in Table 4.

Table 4.

Overview of School type Educational

district

Schools School type Location Curriculum

Victoria School 1 Single Gender Denominational Urban 7 years

School 2 Single Gender Denominational Semi- rural

7 years

School 3 Single Gender Denominational Semi- rural

5 years

School 4 Coeducational Government Rural 5 years

School 5 Coeducational Government Semi- urban

5 years

South Eastern

School 6 Coeducational Denominational Urban 7 years

School 7 Coeducational Government Rural 7 years

School 8 Coeducational Government Semi- rural

7 years

School 9 Coeducational Government Rural 5 years

Caroni School 10 Single gender Denominational Urban 7 years

School 11 Coeducational Government Semi- urban

5 years

Tobago School 12 Coeducational Government Semi-

urban

7 years

3.7 Attributes of Participants

Among a total of 567 teachers from the 12 secondary schools, 173 in-service teachers gave their informed consent to participate in the survey. This provided a response rate of 31%. Among the pre-service teachers from the universities, 53 of them

gave their informed consent to participate in the survey. Unfortunately, information related to the total number of final year students at the two campuses of the universities was unavailable at the time of the study; some students attended both campuses.

The participant pool which accepted the invitation to participate in the semi- structured interview sessions, comprised 15 pre-service teachers, 21 in-service teachers, three school supervisors, five ICT technicians, and the Director of the eConnect and Learn program. The demographic data provided information which contributed to the attributes of the participants.

3.7.1 Pre-service teachers.

Pre-service teachers were in their final year studying for an undergraduate degree and were preparing to commence their initial teaching career in September, 2014. Three years of coursework had already been completed in areas such as Foundations of Education, Psychology of Learning and Human Development, Educational Technology, as well as specialisation in an instructional content area

(English, Maths, Science, or social studies). Pre-service teachers had already completed two months out of three months (320 hours) of teaching practicum (learning experience) in various secondary schools. This cohort formed a convenient sample that was

representative of pre-service teachers in Trinidad and Tobago.

3.7.2 In-service teachers.

In-service teachers from the 12 secondary schools had varying career stages. They were employed with an undergraduate degree with or without teacher education certification. This is the norm in Trinidad and Tobago since the education system lacks legislation to ensure all teachers are adequately certified with teacher education to be employed in schools. In some cases, teachers were also qualified with a Master degree.

Teaching experience for in-service teachers ranged from one year to more than 15 years in either government or denominational secondary schools. In-service teachers were responsible to deliver instructions in one or two subject areas for each class, which contained approximately 20 to 25 students. The cohort of in-service teachers formed a convenient sample which was representative of in-service teachers in Trinidad and Tobago.

3.7.3 School supervisors.

Three school supervisors participated in this study. Formerly they were Principals in either secondary or primary schools. Prior to this they were classroom teachers with over 20 years of teaching experience. At the time of the study they were currently responsible for organising professional development for Principals and teachers through program proposals, training seminars, and workshops. In addition, they were responsible for supervisory and administrative jobs, and were accountable for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the eConnect and Learn policies and procedures in their school district (MOE, 2010a). Their portfolio also included

organising teacher professional development in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. Together with all of this, they monitored ICT integration lessons during workshops. This cohort formed a convenient sample representative of school supervisors in the eight educational districts.

3.7.4 ICT technicians.

One ICT technician was employed in each secondary school with an average population of 650 students. Each technician had several roles, such as responsibility to oversee the smooth implementation of the eConnect and Learn program in his/her school; to ensure there is proper communication with the Information Technology

department in terms of the laptops and desktop computers in the school; to maintain the WiFi system; and to repair broken laptop computers after the one-year warranty

expired. In addition to this, each ICT technician was also assigned to at least five primary schools where he/she was responsible for technical matters concerning

computers in the schools’ laboratories. Students at the primary level were not provided with free personalised laptop computers. This cohort of ICT technicians formed a convenient sample representative of all ICT technicians in the eight educational districts.