What is an ecological approach and how can it assist in understanding ICT take-up?

This paper argues that ecological frameworks offer a powerful way of explaining the take-up of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. Past research has focused on teachers and their willingness and readiness to use ICT but this has not satisfactorily explained the use (or non-use) of ICT. Gaps in this research can be addressed by an ecological approach which shifts attention from the teacher to the context in which ICT is expected to be used. Such an approach, following Bronfenbrenner and others, looks at the relationship of individuals to the system in which they act, a relationship which is seen as interdependent. An ecological perspective explains how take-up of ICT is influenced by the degree to which different levels of a system, eg, micro, meso, exo and macro levels, are aligned. It is recommended that researchers and policy makers should pay greater attention to context when advocating the use of ICT.

shortDOI: 10/ggf5gb