Secondary teachers' perceptions of computer availability: a qualitative study

Abstract Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers of secondary mathematics from different English schools. This paper describes their perceptions of computer availability and the impact of those perceptions on their professional activity. Every represented school had at least one computer room with the median being two. The number of such rooms was not necessarily a function of school size. Most teachers indicated that computer rooms were available less frequently than they would have wished. The few who expressed satisfaction tended to work in departments with their own facilities, although frequently these amounted to unreliable machines cast off by the technology department as newer machines became available. Most teachers had easy access to single, stand-alone computers although these, too, tended to be superseded machines which few used. Teachers tended to express ambivalence in respect of their use of single computers. A speculative rationale for a more productive deployment of computers in schools is proposed.