Organisational factors affecting teachers' use and perception of information & communications technology

While the learning benefits of information & communication technologies (ICTs) are widely recognised by academics and practitioners alike, the context in which teachers operate often affects the extent to which ICTs are used to achieve beneficial teaching & learning outcomes. The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore what organisational factors affected teachers' use and perception of ICTs, and the use of a new learning management system. Teaching staff across all learning areas at a secondary school responded to a survey. A subset of teachers and school system personnel also participated in interviews. Document analysis was used to place the results in the context of school-system planning. The study focused on three factors affecting the use and perception of ICTs: the characteristics and perceptions of leadership; the nature, relevance and usefulness of training; and, management approaches to IS/IT system implementation. Outcomes from the study are in the form of recommendations to assist the ongoing implementation of a learning management system and the integration of technology in learning environments. The findings of this study have implications for many learning environment that involve the implementation of technological systems.