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ABSTRACT
The possible
values attributed to the use of information technology as a
teaching and learning tool are well documented in the
literature. That information technology can enhance the
learning outcomes of all students, but particularly students
with special needs, is a relatively new phenomenon of the
1990s. Nevertheless, the use of information technology has
been embraced by some yet shunned by others.
Little research
has occurred in Australia with the aim of evaluating the
impact of the use of information technology as a teaching
and learning tool. Even less research has been done to
investigate the use of information technology with students
with special needs in South Australian schools. Hence, this
research study compared the use of information technology as
a teaching and learning tool in a Mainstream and a Special
School. Four key issues were identified as involved in the
use of information technology as a teaching and learning
tool: computer resources, curriculum issues, resource
management concerns and attitudes toward information
technology. Twelve questions relating to the key issues were
investigated in a case study that aimed to discover whether
there was a difference between Mainstream and Special School
environments regarding the use of information technology as
a teaching and learning tool.
The study was
conducted in one Mainstream and one Special School in
Adelaide. Two Principals, 7 teachers and 43 students
participated in the research that comprised questionnaires
administered to all subjects, observations of student
participants using information technology, and assessing how
these two schools measured student learning outcomes in
terms of information technology skills. Although the
findings clearly show there were differences in how teachers
from these two schools use information technology as a
teaching and learning tool in their respective environments,
these results only apply to these two schools and cannot be
generalised. However, the findings suggest that further
investigation of each key issue, across a number of
settings, is warranted to provide a broader insight into
current practices with regard to the use of information
technology as a teaching and learning tool, with students
with special needs, in Mainstream and Special School
environments.
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Abstract
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