The study was commissioned by the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department (SOEID) between October 1997 and April 1998.

The aims were

1. to investigate teachers' needs for knowledge and skills in relation to the effective use of ICT;

2. to suggest ways of enhancing future design and delivery of self- and staff-development in order to increase and improve the level of ICT use in Scottish schools.

The study was in two parts. A survey was conducted of primary and secondary teachers, head teachers and education authorities to provide basic data on the current levels of ICT use in schools, teachers' experience of ICT training to date, and their perceptions of their ICT knowledge and skills needs. This was followed by an interview phase to add depth and understanding to the issues. A number of scenario interviews (see 2.3.1, page 9) were conducted with teachers to provide a more in-depth understanding of the issues and the contextual factors which influence teachers' responses to ICT and ICT training. A sample of education authority representatives were interviewed to expand on issues raised in the survey. Interviews were also held with technicians and librarians in secondary schools in order to gain a perception of teachers' ICT skills and knowledge needs from those who are often asked to provide support and advice.

Teachers' knowledge and skills needs were examined in relation to:

It is clear that the ability to use ICT effectively goes much further than keyboard and mouse skills: the underpinning understanding of the relevance, value and impact of information as a resource is crucial (Carter & Monaco, 1987). This study therefore addresses the matter of teachers' ICT needs by setting the project in the wider context of information literacy, i.e. the ability to search for, identify and critically evaluate information content and quality; select, adapt, present and communicate information to meet particular learning needs (their own as well as those of their pupils); and to reflect critically on that process. This "information cycle" (see Figure 1 for a model adapted from Williams, 1986 ) is central to all information handling and will be important in teachers' understanding of how ICT can help them achieve their goals.

Fig 1 The Information Cylce

In order to be able to assess their own needs and to progress as professionals, teachers also need to be able to reflect on their own learning (Boud et al, 1985, Schon, 1987, Quicke, 1996). Yet research has suggested that this is a neglected area of initial teacher education (ITE), and that new teachers have difficulties in reflecting on themselves as learners and developing the metacognitive awareness and confidence which would help them to develop these skills in their own pupils (Wilson, 1997, Best, 1990). This understanding is important to the successful selection, adaptation and application of ICT in the classroom.

As well as appropriate knowledge and skills, another form of ICT "need" is the need to have skills and knowledge delivered in such a way that they remain relevant over time and in different situations. Teachers are obliged by the nature of their profession to be involved in and adapt to, a variety of settings, from the relatively 'safe' environment of the Teacher Education Institute (TEI) to a variety of schools with a variety of teaching practices and approaches, and to different roles as their career develops. These demands indicate a need for the teacher to be able to transfer and apply ICT skills in a range of settings. Their need to accept change will continue throughout their career due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum and the need to update and expand skills in order to develop professionally.

Thus, in examining the staff development needs to enable teachers to meet the demands of an information society, one of the key issues must be transferability. The development of the skills required to exploit the potential of ICT can only be regarded as successful if teachers have the ability to understand the relevance of the skills and apply them across a range of teaching and learning situations. Research in the broader context of information literacy indicates that the issue of transfer of skills can be problematic unless the skills are set in context and are taught in a way that is meaningful to the learner (Best, 1990). These findings are echoed in literature more specific to the acquisition of ICT skills (Robertson, 1996, Veen, 1993]. It is with this in mind that the research team considered it important to gather information about teachers' own perceptions of their ICT needs.

The emphasis on teachers being able to transfer skills from one situation to another is one indicator that flexibility is an important element of teaching. Teachers need to develop skills in such a way which enables them to deal with situational change, eg. from using a particular piece of software in one school, perhaps, to using a generic equivalent in another school or from working with a group of S1 pupils through to working with more senior pupils. Secondly, they need to be able to cope with role change, so that they can move flexibly from their position as users of ICT as a personal learning resource to the position of teachers using ICT resources within the context of the subjects and levels they teach. These two levels of ICT use are recognised in recent examples of the professional literature and reports (Department of Education Northern Ireland, 1997, Bell, 1997).

Flexibility is also important in developing the ethos of evidence-based practice, the key to effective professional development within a continually changing area such as the application of ICT. In order to absorb innovation into practice, teachers have to develop skills and knowledge in such a way that they can understand the relevance of the skills and apply them appropriately in their own learning contexts.

In order to inform staff development policy effectively, therefore, it was important for the research to examine teachers' needs in terms of modes of delivery of staff development, as well as in terms of the skills and knowledge content. The mode and content of future staff development needs to be assessed in relation to the working environment, the professional aspirations, and the personal goals and attitudes of teachers. Evidence from recent research indicates how important the personal 'research' experience of a teacher can be in influencing their perceptions of the value of information skills (Williams et al, 1997). It is also interesting that the same study also indicated a possible lack of evidence-based practice amongst teachers. This kind of evidence emphasises the importance of examining needs of teachers in terms of contextual and environmental factors related to staff development as well as ICT skills and knowledge.

More than 3000 teachers in 300 primary and 100 secondary schools were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. The survey was designed to provide basic information on the ways in which ICT is currently being used, how competent teachers feel themselves to be, their views on their own needs and priorities for further development, the kind of training which will help them develop further, and the factors which tend to encourage or hinder the take-up of ICT.

Follow-up scenario interviews were held with 23 secondary teachers, 13 primary school teachers. These interviews were designed to elicit in-depth feedback in a semi-natural, non-threatening, setting relating to teachers' own decision-making processes. Respondents were given the task of talking through how they would respond in particular situations, thereby highlighting not only their current knowledge but also their understanding of how that knowledge can be applied in different situations. The scenarios were designed to allow the research to take account of the concerns and challenges experienced by teachers in relation to ICT.

One of the problems of conducting surveys to identify knowledge and skills needs, is that the knowledge base of respondents will determine the extent to which they are able to identify needs - the old adage "you only know as much as you already know" can be a problem. There is always the danger that those who feel they know very little will fail to respond at all. This would appear to be the case in this survey where less than 10% of secondary teachers reported that they did not use computers at all compared with an estimated 25% in recent SOEID statistics (Scottish Office, 1998). In order to compensate, interviews were held with a number of teachers who had indicated in the survey that they did not use computers of any kind, as well as a number who were very low-level users. Interviews with "non-users" focused on their concerns about ICT, their reasons for not using ICT, their present levels of knowledge and skills, their needs and priorities for their own development, and any perceived barriers which they felt prevented them from using ICT.

Interestingly, the figures for non-use of computers in primary schools is much lower. The proportion of non-users in this study is very close to the 4% reported in SOEID statistics (Scottish Office, 1998). This does not necessarily imply that primary teachers are further ahead in terms of ICT use. The figures simply serve to illustrate the fact that this survey has not excluded those who do not use ICT.

A survey of the head teachers of the 300 primary and 100 secondary schools was undertaken with provide a broader persective on needs of teachers, as well as the ethos and policies of schools towards ICT. (See Appendix 7) The response rate of 43% primary heads and 50% secondary heads is a further indication that the overall data collection represents the views of a wide and representative spectrum of Scottish schools.

The information presented in this report is based on responses from teachers, headteachers, education authorities, technicians and librarians across Scotland; from small primary schools through to large secondary schools; across all authorities; from urban, town, rural and island schools. The responses represent views from teachers of all age ranges; teaching at all primary levels and across all secondary subjects (including Learning Support); teachers with differing lengths of teaching experience and at all levels of responsibility from teacher to head teacher.