Using the Internet in teaching: the views of practitioners (A survey of the views of secondary school teachers in Sheffield, UK)

A questionnaire was generated from the results of a series of interviews at The City School one of the 27 state secondary schools in Sheffield. In October 2002, it was sent out to 499 Heads of Department at the remaining 26 state secondary schools. Responses were received from 188 teachers, ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old. The purpose of the questionnaire was to gain information about teachers’ views of the Internet and its usefulness as an educational tool. Nearly 85% of teachers acquired their Internet skills informally (self-taught, learned from friends/colleagues, etc), rather than on a taught course. Despite this, most of the respondents were confident of their ability to use the Internet, with the most confident users being young teachers of technical subjects. However, there was a widespread perception (particularly amongst women teachers) that students are more competent users of the Internet than are teachers. Older teachers were more likely to feel under pressure to use the Internet than their younger colleagues. Only about a third of teachers agreed with the statement “I often use the Internet with classes.” Responses varied significantly according to school and subject. There was strong support, however, for the suggestion that the Internet is a valuable source of learning and teaching materials.