The purpose of the study is to examine the moderating effect of age on gender differences in teachers’ self-efficacy for using information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching as well as possible variables underlying this effect. Following Bandura’s conceptualisation of self-efficacy, we defined teachers' self-efficacy as their confidence in performing specific tasks that require the integration of ICT into the teaching practice. The study was conducted via an online questionnaire on a sample of 6613 elementary and upper secondary school teachers in Croatia. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis was applied. The findings indicate minor gender differences in self-efficacy for using ICT that are more prominent among older teachers and practically non-existent among younger teachers. These effects remain statistically significant after controlling for the type of school where the teacher works, perceived technical and professional support for using ICT in school, and frequency of use of computer programmes in teaching. The interaction effect ceases to be statistically significant after the introduction of length of computer use in teaching and/or attitudes towards computers in the model, indicating that these two variables have a role in low self-efficacy for using ICT among older female teachers. A similar level of self-efficacy for using ICT among young male and female teachers is an encouraging finding which could hopefully be followed by gender equality in other aspects of ICT use. The findings suggest that strategies for enhancing ICT self-efficacy should be particularly targeted at older female teachers. This study contributes to a better understanding of the underresearched topic of gender differences in teacher’s ICT self-efficacy.
Most countries attempt to catch up with technological progress and digitise their educational environment, but still there are few teachers that integrate ICT in education adequately. Several factors may hinder this process, whose exploration is important because only after learning about these barriers can efficient counteractions be taken.
One of the goals of our surveys in 2009, 2013 and 2016 realised through own-produced, online questionnaires was to disclose the disadvantages of using ICT in school from the perspective of teachers and what these teachers needed to ensure progress, that is, a more frequent and more efficient use of ICT.
According to the altogether 1260 respondents, besides a basic lack of devices, Debrecen teachers’ use of the new technologies is increasingly hindered by their fear of an attention gap exhibited by students and the related problems. This acts as a kind of cognitive barrier to using the technologies, even though teachers regard these new solutions with less and less animosity.