Twelve countries, including France, conducted a survey in 2018 to assess the performance of eighth graders in digital literacy as well as computational thinking. This international survey, named ICILS (International Computer and Information Litteracy Study) was organized by the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement).
In France, more than 1,400 fourth grade teachers from 122 public and private secondary schools under contract in metropolitan France and the French overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) took part in the survey.
The Department of Evaluation, Forecasting and Performance (DEPP-DVE) of the Ministry of National Education has just published a analysis note which outlines the main findings of this survey.
57% of French teachers are satisfied with the computer equipment in their schools
66% of teachers surveyed in France believe that information and communication technologies (ICT) are considered a priority in education. This is the lowest proportion among the participating countries, after Germany and Luxembourg, according to the authors of the Ministry's analysis note.In terms of digital equipment in schools, 57% of French teachers say their school has suffisufficient equipment and 53% say they are satisfied with the Internet connection: much less than in Denmark or Luxembourg.
66% report that their institution has access to suffisant digital educational resources, among the highest percentages.
Few teachers say they have enough time to prepare lessons that integrate ICT: the proportion in France (38%) is one of the highest in Europe.
The use of digital technology in the classroom for learning remains limited
53% of teachers surveyed said they use digital tools every day in their teaching, "one of the highest percentages in Europe, behind Denmark (72%)," the authors of the analysis note.In terms of usage, word processing is by far the most used of the 17 tools proposed in the questionnaire: 56% of French teachers say they have used it in most or almost every course. This is followed by presentation software (36%), digital content related to educational manuals (22%) and computerized information resources (18%).
Other tools are also used regularly during lessons, such as presentation software (by 36% of teachers) and digital content linked to teaching manuals (22%). " Regarding the use of these tools, French teachers occupy a median position among the countries participating in the survey."
The use of more specific digital learning tools is less widespread: 6% report using collaborative software or interactive digital learning resources, and only 1% use online learning platforms.
12% report somewhat limited use of digital for helping students collaborate and 13% for providing feedback on student work.
Digital training still largely oriented towards general purpose tools and subject matter content
During their initial teacher training, 35% of French teachers report having received generalized learning on the use of digital technology: slightly more than in most other participating European countries.In the context of professional training, in the two years preceding the survey, 43% of French teachers received training in general-purpose digital applications (word processing, spreadsheet, Internet use).
Less than a third of French teachers had, in the two years preceding the survey, received training in the use of digital technology to facilitate personalized student learning.
French teachers lag behind in their ability to get students to use digital tools
More than 90% of French teachers, as in other countries, use digital tools to " search for useful educational resources on the Internet ". Three quarters of French teachers feel able to "prepare lessons involving the use of ICT by students" or to "create presentations with simple animation functions ". This is slightly less than in most of the other participating countries, where the proportion is generally above 80%.Two-thirds of French teachers also feel they are able to use digital technology to " assess student learning. This is more than in Germany (49%) but less than in all other participating countries.
Less than half of French teachers say they are able to use digital technology to "collaborate with others through shared resources.
Only 19% of French teachers, however, feel able to " use an online learning platform . This is the lowest percentage among the participating countries.
French teachers among the least critical in Europe regarding the negative effects of digital use by students
Nearly eight out of ten teachers consider that the use of digital technology "increases students' interest in learning", "allows students to access better sources of information" and "allows students to work at a level appropriate to their learning needs ". These percentages are of the same order of magnitude as in other European countries.Only one in two French teachers believe that using digital technology "helps students develop problem-solving skills" (53%), and "helps students develop skills in planning and self-regulating their work " (47%).
France stands out from all other countries on one point: only 28% of French teachers agree that the use of digital technology "improves students' academic performance . This is the lowest rate among all participating countries.
"French teachers are less likely to point out the negative effects of digital technology than their counterparts in other European countries," say the authors of the report. However, 73% believe that digital technology can "encourage students to plagiarize resources available on the Internet" and 53% consider that the use of ICT "degrades the quality of students' written expressionRéférence :
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