Detailed Qualitative Study

This aims to address the different views from students, teachers and parents on the current teaching and learning approaches using technology in class by conducting teacher focus group interviews, student focus group interviews and parent focus group interviews. There will be two student focus groups consisting of 5-7 students from each school for ten schools (Total sample: 20 focus groups).

Five teachers will be interviewed from each school (total of ten schools) in each focus group interview, so a total sample of 50 teachers (of different age, experience, and position level) will be identified.

Two representatives from each school’s parent committee will be interviewed in a focus group (Total sample: 3 focus groups consisting 10 schools).

Each teacher, student, or parent focus group interviews will be between 50-90 minutes in length. The interviews will be recorded and the software, NVivo, will be used for analysis. An informed consent form will be given and signed by each participant before they are interviewed and the participant can inform/contact the research team should they want to drop out of the research at anytime.

Sample questions to be asked in the teacher focus group interviews include:
1. What is your current practice in using technology in your course? Specifically what kind of program do you use? Any web 2.0 application?
2. How effective are these learning tools towards student learning?
3. What is restricting you from further developing your course with ICT?
4. If you are not using any ICT tools, why is that the case? What is preventing you from not using?
5. Is there any school policy or strategies related to ICT?
6. What kind of support is available to ICT?

Sample questions to be asked in the student focus group interviews include:
1. What kind of elearning tools are used by your teachers in school?
2. Do you think they are helpful/effective and why?
3. Is there any restrictions on you from using ICT in your study?
4. Do you prefer to learn with or without ICT and why?

Sample questions to be asked in the parent focus group interviews include:
1. Do you consider the current deployment of ICT tools in your child’s school is adequate? Why and why not?
2. Is there any restriction from your child to enhance their learning experience through ICT?
3. What do you think the teacher/school should further improve on teaching with ICT?
4. Do you prefer teaching with ICT or the traditional way? And why?