Reasons for using or not using interactive whiteboards: Perspectives of Taiwanese elementary mathematics and science teachers

Abstract

This study examines the reasons for using or not using interactive whiteboards (IWBs) by  elementary  school  mathematics  and  science  teachers  in  Taiwan.  It  also  considers whether  there  were  any  significant  differences  in  the  reasons  according  to  teaching subjects, teacher gender, and teaching experience. The survey was developed based on an  overview  of  the  discussions  from  prior  research  related  to  the  benefits  and drawbacks in using IWBs. Percentages were high on all six reasons for using IWBs. Of the  five  reasons  for  not  using  IWBs,  budget  constraints  appeared  to  be  the  most important reason why the teachers did not use IWBs in their classroom. Male teachers using  IWBs  showed  significantly  higher  ratings  than  female  teachers  for  getting students’  attention  and  increasing  interaction.  Experienced  teachers’  ratings  were significantly  higher  than  novice  teachers  for  getting  students’  attention,  helping teachers  explain  complex  and  abstract  concepts,  and  helping  the  teaching  process.  In the  group  of  teachers  who  reported  not  using  IWBs,  male  teachers  showed significantly  higher  ratings  for  the  lack  of  time  to  design  teaching  materials,  and limited  sources  of  related  teaching  software.  Research  implications  of  this  study  are provided along with suggestions for future study.