Students' critical thinking skills, attitudes to ICT and perceptions of ICT classroom learning environments under the ICT schools pilot project in Thailand

Abstract

This portfolio of research aimed to examine the integration of Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) into computer-based classroom learning environments in Thailand. The study was exploratory, investigating to what extent schools in the Thai ICT schools pilot project had classroom learning environments which were related to two student outcomes ( critical thinking skills and attitudes to ICT ) ; and to what extent the classroom learning environments were associated with certain teacher characteristics. The portfolio is presented in three parts. Part 1 reviewed the research literature related to the importance of ICT in education ; the ICT classroom learning environments ; student attitudes to ICT ; students' critical thinking skills ; and the role of the teacher in the ICT classroom. From this review, a theoretical research model was developed, based on teacher characteristics, student characteristics and student perceptions of ICT classroom learning environments as predictors of the two student outcomes. Four specific research propositions were formulated from the model to guide the investigation. Part 2 of the research portfolio reports the quantitative investigation of the ICT schools pilot project in Thailand. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from 150 students in eight of the ICT pilot project schools in relation to students' background characteristics, their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom learning environments, students' critical thinking skills and attitudes to ICT. In addition, questionnaire data on teachers' background characteristics were collected from 16 teachers involved in the project. The associations among the teacher, student and classroom environment predictor variables in relation to the two student outcomes were analysed using SPSS and HLM software programs. The results, discussed in relation to the four research propositions, generally supported the research model. A complementary qualitative investigation of the Thai ICT schools pilot project is reported in part 3 of the portfolio. This involved an analysis of school based documents, which had been collected officially in the course of the project, in order to identify school level outcomes. In addition, 30 students and five teachers from 10 schools in the ICT pilot project were interviewed to ascertain their views on the advantages, the limitations and the future of the project. The interview transcripts, translated into English, were analysed thematically. The researcher was also able to observe ICT integrated into various subject lessons in 22 classrooms, from each of the schools in the ICT project, and to evaluate them according to Bloom's Taxonomy of learning outcomes. The qualitative results provided important insights into the quantitative study in Part 2. In the conclusion to the portfolio, the results of the quantitative and qualitative studies are synthesised in a discussion of the four research propositions. Importantly, the findings led directly to useful recommendations on how computer-based learning environments can be improved. The findings of this study have major implications for the role of teachers in ICT classrooms and for school management in providing the necessary equipment and support.