Experiments in Education Supported by Computer Use: Teachers' Attitudes towards Computers

The article focuses on solving problems based on innovation and technology, which are currently manifested in education. There is a range of experimental educational systems based on information technologies, mainly in the sciences. This is why the research team aimed to address the following questions: Why do teachers employ PCs to support experiments in teaching? To what extent do they use PCs? What are teachers’ motives for non-use of PCs? What are the differences between teachers of science, information science, mathematics and social science? What about primary school teachers? Do they employ PCs for experimentation to a lesser or greater extent? The answers to these questions were discovered through research conducted in 2016. The questionnaire was chosen by an explorative method involving 260 staff from 35 Czech schools as the sample. Based on the research findings, it was proven that in order to experiment in teaching, teachers employ PCs to a lesser extent. However, it is not possible to state this tendency as an unambiguous weakness. In the case of science, it is surprising that some teachers do not employ PCs despite the technological potential of computers today. The main reason for using computers for experimenting in teaching at both basic and secondary schools is higher pupil motivation.