Use of Information Technology in School-Related Activities and its Perceived Benefits Among Teachers and Students in Secondary and Primary Schools in Hong Kong

The initiative to explore the difference in digital experience and perception between teachers and students has not been novel in the field of education research. Fewer studies, however, were conducted to address the issue in the primary and secondary school setting. In our earlier attempt (Lam, Lee and Chan, 2011), we investigated the everyday usage of technology among teachers and students in schools. The present study extended the scope of the previous study such that we actually studied the eLearning experiences and the perception towards eLearning among the same groups of teachers and students. Students from Grade 2 and Grade 6 in primary schools and those from Form 2 and Form 6 in secondary schools were asked to take part in the study. Primary and secondary school teachers were also invited to complete a similar teacher-version survey. A total number of 1659 responses were collected from 4 primary and 3 secondary schools. In terms of eLearning experience, we found significant differences in the usage of complex eLearning strategies (such as communicationheavy and multimedia-heavy uses) between teachers and students in both primary and secondary schools. The results seem to suggest a need to provide relevant training to teachers especially in understanding, using and taking advantage of more complex eLearning applications. In terms of perception, despite differences in usage, both teachers and students in primary and secondary schools reported high degree of perceived usefulness of eLearning strategies. The difference between teachers and students was not big in this aspect. The findings seem to suggest that eLearning is slowly gaining support in the school sector - especially in terms of mindset, both teachers and students have positive attitudes about the use of technology in teaching and learning. The missing piece of the puzzle is how to do it and how to do it well.