Laptops for teachers evaluation
Directors: Alister Jones & Bronwen Cowie
Researchers: Ann Harlow, Thelma Miller, Mike Forret, Clive McGee and Bev Cooper
Project Dates: 2003 - 2006
Partnerships: Centre for Science and Technology Education Research and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER)
The Digital Horizons: Laptops for teachers evaluation study was a national survey of schools with TELA laptops.
The Laptops for Teachers Evaluation study (2003-2008) evaluated the impact of government subsidised laptops on teachers’ professional lives. The evaluation was undertaken for the Ministry of Education and used a mixed-methods of three yearly cycles of annual nationwide surveys, regional focus groups, and school-based longitudinal case studies.
The evaluation monitored the growth of teacher confidence and expertise in the use of their laptops to access and prepare teaching, learning and assessment resources and use in lesson planning and preparation. Teacher collaboration, communication and classroom use was another focus.
The project identified a range of factors that enabled and constrained teacher laptop use including the role of leadership, access to professional development and the quality of school technological infrastructure. The Ministry used the findings to shape the Laptops scheme.
The Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research (WMIER) and the Centre for Science and Technology Education Research (CSTER) collaborated with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) for part of the study.
A number of reports have been published and can be accessed on the Ministry of Education's Education Counts website: