Factors Influencing the Use of ICT in Greek Primary Education

Despite the efforts made to upgrade hardware and software, in primary education in the Greek educational system, the use of ICT in classes is particularly low-level. In this study, we analyze the role of accessibility to ICT school infrastructure and the teachers’ characteristics concerning their skills and attitudes in order to explain the use of ICT in education. We use data from teachers in Greek primary education. The sample consists of 284 teachers (92 male and 192 female) who teach in various elementary schools across the Greek region. Analysis was performed using Oneway ANOVA and Pearson correlations. The main results show that the availability of digital media, school hardware and Internet connection infrastructure, teacher training in ICT and their pedagogical background seriously influence the use of ICT in the classroom. In particular, media accessibility is seen as the dominant factor for ICT implementation in Primary Education. Based on the findings, recommendations are made in order to guide Greek education policy administrators to encourage the use of ICT in classrooms.

"Primary education in the Greek educational system is characterized by the lack of infrastructure or the use of obsolete technology. Based on this fact, inaccessibility is a dominant factor that affects the use of ICT negatively during the educational process (Neofotistos & Karavakou 2018, p.82) "the results show a positive relationship between the use of ICT in the classroom and the characteristics of teachers and their attitudes towards computers"(Neofotistos & Karavakou 2018, p.82) "Teachers’ views on accessibility in relation to their age and educational background are of particular interest. Younger teachers feel more excluded by their older colleagues as regards their accessibility to the digital infrastructure of the school"(Neofotistos & Karavakou 2018, p.83) "The same effect is also observed for teachers with fewer years of service. Their access to digital media is smaller than that of their colleagues with more years of service"(Neofotistos & Karavakou 2018, p.83) "Variables associated with demographic characteristics such as gender, specialization and pedagogical training of teachers do not have a significant statistical relationship with the use of ICT"(Neofotistos & Karavakou 2018, p.83)