Cetic.br publishes qualitative study on technology usage in Brazilian public schools

Conducted over four years, the education and technology survey inaugurates the series “Sectoral Studies”

For four years, the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), monitored the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in 12 public schools across the country. Based on observations by researchers and interviews with principals, teachers, students, and other school community actors, the study presents unprecedented results regarding the implementation of educational policies, the ways ICT are used in school management, in pedagogical practices, and even the changes in the institutions' routine resulting from these technologies.

The result of this survey was documented in the book “Education and Technologies in Brazil: a longitudinal case study on the use of Information and Communication Technologies in 12 public schools”, which inaugurates the “Sectoral Studies” series of NIC.br and is available for free download. This is the first publication in the collection dedicated to discussing emerging themes about the interface between ICT and society. The qualitative study on ICT in education emerged in 2010, alongside the quantitative survey conducted through the annual ICT Education, launched annually since then.

“It is a longitudinal and contextualized perspective, through which we have the opportunity to delve deeper into the information revealed by the quantitative survey. Instead of a snapshot of the moment, the study provides a film of what happens in the school environment concerning the use of technology,” explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br. “In this sense, the concrete experience of the twelve investigated schools serves as a reference for considering situations experienced in other educational establishments across the country and for improving public policies in the sector,” he adds. Regional diversity guided the selection of the states from which schools would be chosen: Paraná (South region), São Paulo (Southeast region), and Pernambuco (Northeast region).

Analyzed Data

Divided into three chapters, the book details the condition of ICT infrastructure in schools, the forms of usage and appropriation of these technologies for school management and the performance of pedagogical activities, as well as the skills and training of managers, teachers, and students. The study points out, among the results, that the lack of quality internet connection and device maintenance is still one of the obstacles to be overcome for the effective implementation of ICT in schools, a challenge closely linked to adapting schools to the characteristics of government programs.

Another issue pertains to the use of mobile devices, which is altering the dynamics of educational institutions. “We have technology at will, equipment at will, in all schools. But the equipment is no longer in a locked room; it's in the student's pocket, inside the student's phone. You have calculators for everyone, camcorders, cameras for everyone, dictionaries, encyclopedias, translators, schedulers, game programs that you can use pedagogically. You have the entire universe there in the student's pocket,” opines a physics teacher for the 1st and 3rd year of High School, in an interview with researchers.

With the intention of expanding access to mobile devices, various schools received provisions of tablets and notebooks due to the transition to computer-centric informatization policies (1:1 model). Despite this, the use of cell phones is still restricted in many schools, which also limit access to Wi-Fi networks.

Skills and Training

According to the presented results, principals, coordinators, and teachers possess highly heterogeneous levels of knowledge about ICT. The perception of the actors within the school community indicates that the use of technologies does not significantly alter the teaching-learning process and does not promote the expected impacts on students' cognitive process of acquiring knowledge, being primarily used as support for already existing school processes.

In a significant portion of schools, ICT are still more perceived as aids in administrative processes rather than as part of pedagogical projects. Even when integrated into pedagogical activities, they are treated either instrumentally—as knowledge that could boost students' performance in official evaluations and prepare them for professional activities—or illustratively, to support the presentation of content, replacing or complementing the blackboard and textbooks.

The survey also reveals important advances: schools where students gather to produce a knowledge exchange platform; teachers seeking training for understanding the need to improve or innovate the methodologies used; principals, coordinators, and teachers coming together to reflect on how technologies can aid in students' learning are among the observed cases.

About Cetic.br

The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, providing periodic analyses and information on the network's development in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About NIC.br – Brazilian Network Information Center

NIC.br – Brazilian Network Information Center (https://www.nic.br/) is a non-profit civil entity implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. NIC.br's permanent activities include coordinating the registration of domain names—Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and addressing security incidents in Brazil—CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching networking and operations technologies—Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators about information and communication technologies—Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), fostering and driving the evolution of the Web in Brazil—Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br/), and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multilateralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model praised internationally, in which all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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