Results - Ergebnisse
   
Conclusions
       
    The following three sections summarize the most important results obtained through the analysis of the case studies. The section entitled "Challenge for the future" shows which tasks most urgently need to be carried in the near future.
 
The beginning of ICT in schools
       
    The starting points for the ICT implementation in each secondary schools are almost the same. Those responsible wanted to both stop the decrease in enrollment and increase the level of student performance. The implementation of an ICT emphasis is being carried out haphazardly and does not following a systematic, carefully developed plan (exception: Vienna). In fact, the implementation of any kind of emphasis depends on the skills and the motivation of certain teachers. All of the schools investigated had a couple of teachers who were interested and well trained in ICT and very engaged. If there were no teachers with these abilities and attitudes, the school did not start the ICT implementation. At the beginning, the other teachers adopted a wait and see policy. The working atmosphere at the school played an important role during this stage of development. If the working atmosphere was positive and trusting, then even teachers with little or no ICT knowledge would find it easier to acquire computer skills and integrate ICT into their preparation and teaching. If the working atmosphere was bad, these teachers were not motivated to learn ICT skills. The result was a sharp division among teachers. Another distinct characteristic of the beginning of an ICT implementation is the acquisition and organization of all the hardware and software. This was carried out by the principal of each school and financed by the municipality and sometimes private sponsors (e.g. interested companies in the vicinity). However, the installation of the ICT network was carried out by the ICT-oriented teachers themselves, who displayed an unusual amount of enthusiasm and willingness to invest many unpaid hours in their spare time. One exception: in Vienna schools, the ICT installation was done by the "call center" of the local school administration.
 
The status quo
       
    Hardware and software problems are an almost daily occurrence in some schools (e.g. Vienna). The hardware and software support is insufficient and often disorganized. In most schools, the IT specialists repair the defective hardware themselves. Only in Vienna schools is the support organized by a higher authority, but the waiting time for the support is often very long.
    A further result of this unsatisfactory situation is that all IT specialists at the five schools are completely overworked.
    The success of students' ICT work depends on whether or not they have a PC and Internet access at home. Having or not having a PC is a question of social stratifica-tion.
    Most of the teachers are willing to participate in ICT further education. At present, the problem in each federal province is that although the number of special ICT trainings has increased each year, it still can not satisfy the demand. A second problem is that the PI offers more elementary than advanced ICT trainings, which the IT specialists urgently need to maintain and support the network.
    Hardware and software problems are an almost daily occurrence in some schools (e.g. Vienna). The hardware and software support is insufficient and often disorganized. In most schools, the IT specialists repair the defective hardware themselves. Only in Vienna schools is the support organized by a higher authority, but the waiting time for the support is often very long.
 
Hypothesis 1
       
    Technology is a strong catalyst for educational reform, especially when the World Wide Web is involved. The rival hypothesis is that where true reform is found, technology serves only as an additional resource and not as a catalyst, and that the forces that drove the reform also drove the application of technology to specific educational problems.

The ICT implementation has changed things in the schools investigated, but no great educational reform has taken place in Austria. At present, it is possible to identify three positive results brought about by the ICT emphasis in the selected schools:
1. an increase in student enrollment
2. more students with high abilities attend the ICT emphasis
3. increased reflection on some processes, e.g. teaching, organizing of schedules, etc.
 
The great educational reform, however, failed to address basic conditions (legislative and administrative).

 
Hypothesis 2
       
    The diffusion of the reform (and therefore of ICT) followed the traditional diffusion pattern for reforms and innovations as outlined by Rogers (1995). The rival hypothesis is that technology functions differently from traditional innovations and reforms and that different diffusion patterns therefore occur.

The ICT implementation was always started by a small team of teachers who were interested in ICT. The ICT emphasis spread throughout the school (Kinkplatz) but often involved only a minority of teachers. This development depends on three factors:

the working atmosphere in general
the demographic composition of the teaching staff (e.g. age, gender) and
the readiness of teachers to try something new

 
Hypothesis 3
       
    Successful implementation of ICT depends mostly upon the technological infrastructure and student ICT competence rather than upon staff competence in the integration of ICT into instruction. The rival hypothesis is that teachers mediate such applications when they are successful, and that their academic value relates positively to teacher competence.

In the long term, it is important that the technological infrastructure really work; other-wise the teachers and IT specialists involved will be frustrated, and no meaningful plan-ning is possible (e.g. planning of lessons, hardware and software updates, manpower planning, etc.). Furthermore, it is important for at least a couple of members of the teaching staff to be extraordinarily engaged and have very good ICT skills so they can support their colleagues. In fact, the rival hypothesis more accurately shows the status of ICT implementation. The more familiar and comfortable teachers are with using ICT, the more they will use it for their teaching preparation and for their actual teaching.

 
Hypothesis 4
       
    Gaps in performance between high and low income students will be enlarged rather than diminished where all students have equal access to ICT. The rival hypothesis is that equal access to ICT will lead to high poverty students closing the gap with low poverty students.

The problem, according to a majority of teachers, is that ICT widens the gap between students who have a PC and Internet access at home and those who don't. Students with a computer at home have better skills as a result of more practice. It would be a great challenge for the schools to introduce measures to close this gap.

 
Hypothesis 5
       
    Successful implementation of ICT will lead to the same or higher academic standards in spite of the low quality of many ICT materials. Academic standards are a function of teacher and school expectations and not of the standards of textbooks, ICT materials, and the like. The alternative hypothesis is that ICT use will lead to a lowering of academic standards as students spend more time on marginally beneficial searches and in browsing poor quality Web and courseware content.

This hypothesis is answered indirectly, because the interviews didn't contain the necessary data. The analysis of the data collected indicates that ICT does not lead to higher or lower academic standards but that it does improve the form and appearance of work students and teachers present.

 
Challenges for the future
       
    It is important for all teachers to get basic ICT-training, in subjects, in which ICT is didactically meaningful, but without the current pressure from the school administration, which quite obviously creates resistance and frustration.
 
It is important that all IT specialists have the opportunity to attend special IT courses for their needs (high level ICT training)
 
There must be a guarantee of reliable hardware and software support as well as a plan for replacing outdated equipment.
 
There must be better compensation for ICT support. At present, all the IT specialists invest a great deal time in keeping the system working and are completely overworked.
 
The ICT emphasis should achieve the same status that music or sports have in special secondary schools. At present, ICT-based schools in Austria do not enjoy the same advantages as schools based on another main emphasis.

 
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