The Primary Education Teacher about ICT and Special Educational Needs. A Study in the Spanish Context

One of the main challenges of international organizations, specialized in educational issues, is the measurement and diagnostic of teachers’ digital competences, both in primary and secondary education. Within this context, and with the aim of looking at one of these theoretical premises, this study aimed to identify the degree of training and technological knowledge of primary school teachers in Spain with respect to the use of ICT with individuals with disabilities (functional diversity). A descriptive ex post-facto research method was used, where the sample comprised 777 teachers. An ad-hoc questionnaire was used as the data-collection instrument. The results revealed the low skill levels of the teachers with respect to the use of ICT with students with disabilities, where the level of training of the teaching staff was determined by personal (gender, age), professional (teaching experience) or educational (qualifications) variables. Among the conclusions, we highlight that teachers highly believe that ICT are useful resources for the training of people with disabilities. However, their technical management and educational use of the ICT, computers and the Internet had an effect on the knowledge they mentioned having on the use of the ICT with individuals with disabilities. This knowledge was not sufficient, according to the teaching staff. Also, the female teachers were perceived as having more knowledge than the male teachers.

accessibility, disability, educational inclusion, information and communication technologies

• José María Fernández Batanero
• University of Seville

• http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4097-5382

• José María Fernández Batanero es profesor de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Sevilla. Director de la Red Educativa Latinoamericana de Tecnología de la Información y Comunicación y Discapacidad (ReLaTICyD). Docente con seis diplomas a la «Excelencia Docente Universitaria» e Insignia de Oro de la ciudad de Sevilla. Ha realizado estancias de investigación en más de una decena de universidades europeas y latinoamericanas.  

Fernández Batanero, José M. (2019). The Primary Education Teacher about ICT and Special Educational Needs. A Study in the Spanish Context. En León-Urrutia, M., Vázquez Cano, E., Fair, N., López Meneses, E. (coords.) Trends and Good Practices in Research and Teaching. A Spanish-English Collaboration. Barcelona: Octaedro. https://doi.org/xxxxxxx-16184-04

​