International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology
(IJEDICT), 2013, Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp. 112-125
ICT in Education: A Critical Literature Review and Its Implications
Jo Shan Fu
National Institute of Education, Singapore
ABSTRACT
This review summarizes the relevant research on the use of information
and communication
technology (ICT) in education. Specifically, it reviews studies that have touched upon the merits
of ICT integration in schools, barriers or challenges encountered in the use of ICT,
factors
influencing successful ICT integration, in-service and pre-service teachers’ attitudes, perceptions,
and confidence in using ICT as well as the importance of school culture in the use of ICT. This
review discusses gaps in the literature and the directions that future studies may take to address
these gaps.
Keywords: ICT; Technology Integration; Barriers and Solutions of ICT use; Teachers’ attitudes
and beliefs on ICT use
INTRODUCTION
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) includes computers, the Internet, and
electronic delivery
systems such as radios, televisions, and projectors among others, and is
widely used in today’s education field. Kent and Facer (2004)
indicated that school is an
important environment in which students participate in a wide range of computer activities, while
the home serves as a complementary site for regular engagement in a narrower set of computer
activities. Increasingly, ICT is being applied successfully in instruction, learning, and assessment.
ICT is considered a powerful tool for educational change and reform. A number of previous
studies have shown that an appropriate use of ICT can raise educational quality and connect
learning to real-life situations (Lowther, et al. 2008; Weert and Tatnall 2005). As Weert and
Tatnall (2005) have pointed out, learning is an ongoing lifelong activity
where learners change
their expectations by seeking knowledge, which departs from traditional approaches. As time
goes by, they will have to expect and be willing to seek out new sources of knowledge. Skills in
using ICT will be an indispensable prerequisite for these learners.
ICT tends to expand access to education.
Through ICT, learning can occur any time and
anywhere. Online course materials, for example, can be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Teleconferencing classrooms allow both learner and teacher to interact simultaneously
with ease and convenience. Based on ICT, learning and teaching no longer depend exclusively
on printed materials. Multiple resources
are abundant on the Internet, and knowledge can be
acquired through video clips, audio sounds, visual presentation and so on. Current research has
indicated that ICT assists in transforming a teaching environment into a learner-centered one
(Castro Sánchez and Alemán 2011). Since learners are actively
involved in the learning
processes in ICT classrooms, they are authorized by the teacher to make decisions, plans, and
so forth (Lu, Hou and Huang 2010). ICT therefore provides both learners and instructors with
more educational affordances and possibilities. More specific benefits of using ICT in education
are described below.
