The 9 th International Scientific Conference elearning and software for Education Bucharest, April 25-26, / X

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1 The 9 th International Scientific Conference elearning and software for Education Bucharest, April 25-26, / X ABILITY TO USE TECHNICAL AUDIO-VISUAL MEANS AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) A FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT IN TEACHERS DIDACTIC TRAINING Laura ERB NESCU Department of Teachers Training - Polytechnic University of Bucharest No 313, Splaiul Independentei Street, Bucharest, , Romania lauraeserbanescue@yahoo.com Abstract: This article presents several findings of a quantitative research conducted during related to the degree of acquiring competences in using technical audio-visual means and ICT by the graduates of psycho-pedagogical university studies during the training for a teaching career. These competences are included in this specific case under the competences required by the subject Didactics of speciality. The questionnaires designed and applied in this research particularly aimed to identify the main information about the current training system in universities. As concerns the topic of this article, the questionnaires also included items related to the competences in using technical audio-visual means and ICT. Out of the total number of respondents, 1,200 are students, 1,200 debutant teachers and 200 university teaching professionals. The sample groups comprised respondents selected from all areas of the country. Starting from the general competences needed for a teaching career, respondents were requested to assess in what weight the graduates of the psycho-pedagogical university studies have acquired competences during the training for a teaching career in the framework of the subject Didactics of speciality. The ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT has been included within the instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences. From the data presented and analyzed, there are at least two elements to bear in mind. On one hand, it is noticed that in case of instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences, which include ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT, the acquiring degree is at an average level, with slight differences in case of the three types of respondents. On the other hand, the intensity of the efforts made to acquire instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences is low, which may be an advantage in developing teachers abilities to use technical means in didactic field. Keywords: teaching career, competence, instrumental and application of knowledge I. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This article aims at presenting several findings of a quantitative research conducted during the period within POSDRU/87/1.3/S/63709 project Quality, innovation, communication in the lifelong training of the didactics teaching professionals from higher education related to the degree of acquiring competences in using technical audio-visual means and ICT by the graduates of psycho-pedagogical university studies during the training for a teaching career. [2] These competences are included in this specific case under the competences required by the subject Didactics of speciality. As concerns the necessary competences for a teaching career, their definition and classification belongs to the specialists in education, being adapted after Jäenecke, B., 2007 [1]. Defining and classifying the necessary competences for a teaching career has also been used in other similar research studies on the analysis of the initial training system for Romanian teachers. [3] 177

2 It should be mentioned that this research has also been based on desk reviews of the studies and analyses in the field of teachers training conducted in Romania in the past years. [4] 1.1 Methodological aspects The questionnaires designed and applied in this research particularly aimed at identifying the main information about the current training system in universities. As concerns the topic of this article, the questionnaires also included items related to the competences in using technical audio-visual means and ICT. Similar questionnaires were designed and applied to three categories of respondents. [2] 1.2 Sample group Out of the total number of respondents, 1,200 are students and 1,200 debutant teachers, these two categories representing the two representative sample groups for the beneficiaries of the training system interviewed based on questionnaires. The third sample group of the university teaching professionals includes 200 respondents. Two sample groups, the one of didactics teaching professionals and the one of students consisted of respondents selected from 20 universities with accredited departments for teachers training (DTT). The third sample group of debutant teachers included teachers selected from schools from all the areas of the country. [2] II. FINDINGS In the framework of this research, the assessment had in view both the general competences needed for a teaching career as objectives of the university training programmes for future teachers, and the competences acquired during the didactics of speciality course competences related to the specificities of the taught subject, respectively the subjects taught in pre-school, primary and secondary education. 2.1 Research topic Starting from the general competences needed for a teaching career as main objective of the training module - respondents were requested to assess in what weight the graduates of the psychopedagogical university studies acquired competences during the training for a teaching career in the framework of the subject Didactics of speciality. For the effectiveness of the replies, it was requested to focus their answers to the recently completed university year of study. The curricular diversity of the subjects required to establish common benchmarks for training that would facilitate curricular adaptation of the teaching performance to the specificities of the taught subject. The necessary competences to be acquired in the framework of the subject Didactics of speciality have been grouped as it comes out from Table 1 on main categories, these categories representing the common element of the indicators. [2] Table 1 Competences acquired during the subject Didactics of speciality Category D01 Competences acquired during the subject Didactics of speciality Knowledge and understanding D01-1 knowledge and understanding of the specificities of the subject D01-2 knowledge and understanding the way of applying the didactic principles in teaching the subject D01-3 knowledge and understanding the specific notions for the taught subject D01-4 knowledge and understanding the way of communicating and establishing relations with students D01-5 knowledge and understanding the ways of knowing better the student from the point of view of the subject D01-6 knowledge and understanding the core active and interactive teaching-learning methods specific to 178

3 the subject D01-7 knowledge and understanding the structure of the evaluation process and evaluation techniques D01-8 knowledge and understanding the curricular documents (curriculum, syllabus, handbooks) D02 Explanation and interpretation D02-1 explanation and interpretation of ideas, projects, processes, phenomena specific to the subject D02-2 explanation and exemplification of the educational objectives and their functions D02-3 explanation and interpretation of the theoretical and practical content of the subject D02-4 planning, conducting and evaluation of practical activities carried out by students in the framework of the subject D02-5 explanation and interpretation of the didactic principles D02-6 understanding the modalities to achieve the didactic approach D02-7 making connections between the analytical programmes and students intellectual abilities D03 Instrumental and application of knowledge in practice D03-1 capacity to connect the concepts of the subject D03-2 elaboration of the teaching documents, lesson plans and half-year/yearly planning D03-3 elaboration of work and evaluation forms D03-4 classification of the teaching methods according to different criteria D03-5 capacity to design activities for students counselling D03-6 ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT D04 Attitudinal D01-1 capacity to make a correct evaluation of students by reducing and/or eliminating subjectivity D01-2 promoting relations focused on democratic values and principles in the training strategies and daily teaching practice D01-3 participation in individual professional development through pedagogical practice D01-4 showing a responsible and positive attitude towards the teaching profession D01-5 promoting cooperation relations with other institutions D01-6 building up motivation to study the subject as a relevant field for social and professional life D01-7 developing the capacity to self-assess in a fair manner individual activities carried out as well as those carried by peers From the analysis of Table 1 it comes out that within the instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences has also been included the ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT. As concerns the competences acquired in the framework of the subject Didactics of speciality, the questionnaire did not request only to assess the level of the acquired competences during the training programme. Additionally, it has also been proceeded to an assessment by the respondents of the needed efforts to acquire these competences. The two objectives have been evaluated both on the basis of the average scores resulted from consolidation of the results of the assessment on a scale from 1 to 5, and on the basis of the satisfaction indices. The second line of action allows assessing distribution of opinions as positions on the evaluation scale, values concentrated much more to the middle of the scale or to extremities. [2] 2.2 Findings As a result of applying the questionnaires to the three categories of respondents as concerns acquiring instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences targeted by the Didactics of speciality, the results obtained are presented in Table

4 Table 2 Acquiring instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences targeted by Didactics of speciality (average on a scale from 1 to 5) Category Degree of acquiring competences Efforts necessary to acquire competences Average scores t test Average scores t test Didactics teaching professionals Teachers Students Didactics Teachers Students (D) (T) (S) teaching (T) (S) professionals DT DS (D) DT DS D D D D D D D Two methods were used in case of this assessment objective: determining the average scores and the satisfaction indices. In case of the first, values within the interval 3-4 are recorded, very close to the average level. Intensity of opinions is pointed out by the satisfaction indices, providing information about the ratio between the favourable and unfavourable opinions. It has also to be mentioned that statistical comparison of results was employed based on the t test for comparing two averages. Thus, didactics teaching professionals opinions have been compared with those of the teachers (DT column), as well as didactics teaching professionals opinions with students opinions (DS column). [2] As concerns the degree of acquiring the competence D03-6 (ability to use technical audiovisual means and ICT), it comes out the score is slightly over the average in case of didactics teaching professionals: compared to and in case of students it is: compared to In case of debutant teachers in pre-school, primary and secondary education, the score is slightly under the average: compared to Referring to the necessary efforts to acquire competence D03-6 (ability to use technical audiovisual means and ICT), it is noticed that the score is under the average in the case of the three categories of respondents. As concerns statistical comparison of results on the basis of t test to compare the two averages, it comes out that in case of the degree of acquiring the competences, didactics teaching professionals and teachers opinions (DT column) are almost similar with didactics teaching professionals and students opinions (DS column): 1.31 compared to In case of the efforts necessary to acquire competences, the results are different: 1.41 compared to Analysing Figure 1, it comes out that in case of instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences (D03), which include the ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT, the acquiring degree is at an average level, with slight differences in case of the three types of respondents. The efforts made to acquire this type of competences is assessed in a different way by the respondents: didactics teaching professionals consider that more efforts are needed in acquiring the instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences than students and debutant teachers consider that are needed. 180

5 Figure 1 Degree of acquiring competences/efforts made to acquire competences in the framework of the subject Didactics of speciality Figure 2 provides information related to the satisfaction or intensity indicators. The differences between trainers and beneficiaries opinions are easily noticed. A general remark refers to the different message of the two figures. If satisfaction grows with the favourable assessment of the acquired competences, the weight of the favourable opinions being higher than of the unfavourable ones, then the intensity of the efforts should be seen in a reversed ratio, respectively the higher values indicate higher weights of the variants related to the efforts made, so it can be stated that the lower values indicate more optimistic situations (lower intensity of efforts). Thus, the situation on each of the four categories indicates favourable values for didactics teaching professionals in case of the degree of acquiring competences. As concerns the efforts made, for didactics teaching professionals the values of the intensity indicators are higher than in case of the beneficiaries for all four categories of competences. [2] (1) Figure 2 Assessment of the degree of satisfaction and intensity of the learning effort (2) Instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences are assessed in a similar way at category level, both results of the comparison test (t=0.10 and t=1.86) being lower than the table value although at the level of the six represented competences only two are assessed likewise: D03-1, D03-6. As concerns the necessary efforts to acquire competences, didactics teaching professionals require more efforts than students and debutant teachers in case of competence D03-6. However, it can be noticed that, although the degree of satisfaction regarding acquiring the competence D03-6 is situated at an average level, the efforts made to acquire the competence D03-6 is the lowest compared to all the other competences. 181

6 III. Conclusions From the data presented and analyzed, there are at least two elements to bear in mind. On one hand, it is noticed that in case of instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences, which include ability to use technical audio-visual means and ICT, the acquiring degree is at an average level, with slight differences in case of the three types of respondents. Although the average level may be acceptable in many situations, in case of the initial training of future teachers, acquiring instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences should be at a high level. On the other hand, the intensity of the efforts made to acquire instrumental and application of knowledge in practice competences is low. It is well-known the fact that most youth have skills to use technical means in different situations. This background can support trainers efforts to determine students to be more interested in developing their skills to use technical means in the didactic field, considering that ICT has become a major factor in the nowadays society and it is an inevitable aspect of the daily life particularly for children and youth. It is important that trainers, students who learn to become teachers and, last but not least, to become responsible for elaboration and enforcement of educational policies to be aware of the growing impact of the new technologies, of the fact that nowadays society depends more and more on information and communication technology, that the new technologies may be used in a creative way in education and can have a major contribution to the training and development of the competences needed for a good social and professional integration. Acknowledgements I would like to thank to my colleague Cornelia Novak, Researcher, Institute of Educational Sciences, who contributed in conducting a complex research on initial training of future teachers within the project POSDRU/87/1.3/S/63709 Quality, innovation, communication in the lifelong training system for didactics teaching professionals from higher education. References [1] Jäenecke, B. (2007). Competences of the high-school teachers and principals from rural areas in Romania and other European Union member states comparative analysis, document elaborated in the framework of the project PHARE EuropeAid /121446/D/SV/RO: Technical Assistance to support the National Centre for Staff Training in Pre-University Education, p [2] Project POSDRU/87/1.3/S/63709 Quality, innovation, communication in the lifelong training system for didactics teaching professionals from higher education [3] erb nescu, L. (2011). Initial training diagnosis and perspectives for teaching career system, Bucharest, Printech Publishing House. pp [4] erb nescu, L. (2011). Training of the teaching professionals benchmarks for career management, Bucharest, Printech Publishing House. pp