Challenging assumptions about relationships between mathematics pedagogy and ICT integration: surveying teachers in English secondary schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates associations between mathematics pedagogy and teachers’ integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). As an early adopter of presentation-oriented hardware and software in mathematics classrooms, England represents a critical case for investigating associations between mathematics pedagogy and teachers’ integration of ICT into classroom practice. This paper reports the results of a survey of English secondary mathematics teachers’ use of ICT (n\u2009=\u2009183). Using Rasch analysis to construct a measure of mathematics pedagogy, a consistent trend is found between frequent use of “teacher-centred” software and a more “student-centred” orientation. The analysis also suggests that some “teacher-centred” practices involving ICT may instead be construed as “dominant” practices. Taken together with case-study evidence of teachers’ ICT integration from research on technology in education, these findings challenge assumptions about relationships between mathematics pedagogy and ICT integration prevalent in the mathematics education literature.