ICTin portuguese secondary schools: from resistance to innovation

Abstract

This paper adopts an organizational approach to analyse the divergent intensity and modes of ICT implementation in 12 Portuguese secondary schools. An ambitious Technological Plan for Education generated dramatic changes in state schools during the last years. Still, data provided by headmasters, teachers and students in these schools, complemented by interviews and external evaluation reports, show that ICT resources, strategies and pedagogical uses vary greatly among schools, challenging the constitutional principle of equal opportunities. The research identified three broad categories of schools in this regard: innovative, ambivalent and traditional. Leadership, ICT coordination, school identity, inter-departmental cooperation and partnerships are pointed out as key factors explaining the high level of diversity. The article concludes with an overview of the implications for research and for public policies in this domain.