Starting Teacher Training—new PGCE students and computers

Abstract

This paper reports an investigation of students' experience of computers, and their feelings about computers, at the start of a one year secondary postgraduate teacher training course. The students' perceptions of their knowledge of computers and confidence when starting to learn how to use computers are also reported, along with their ratings of the importance of teachers knowing about computers. Gender differences in these areas are described, and some implications of the results of the research for teacher training are discussed.