Internet Use in a Senior High School: A Case Study

Abstract

This research project examined the use of the Internet at the senior high school level. The main focus was on the current status of integrating the Internet into administrative management, teaching and learning. The teachers and students at Luodong Senior High School in Taiwan were selected as the participants in this study. The teachers, all of whom use the Internet for their professional activities, were selected from four disciplines: English, Mathematics, Biology and Earth Sciences. This research project employs the case study method to investigate high school teachers' and students' Internet skill needs and the impact of gaining these skills on their learning and teaching patterns and proficiency. The data collection methods included two surveys (the Teachers' Professional Use questionnaire and the Student Computer Use questionnaire), class observations, interviews, tests and computer protocols. The survey data showed that after the researchers intervened (a) more teachers and students knew how to access the Internet for instructional or learning purposes; (b) more teachers reported that they needed assistance in designing a web-based database and instructional strategies for their Internet use; and (c) fewer students reported that they needed assistance for Internet access, graphing and information searching.