A snapshot investigation into the usage of government-issued personal laptops in secondary schools across Trinidad and Tobago
Candace Georgette Briggs · 2014
A Snapshot Investigation into the Usage of Government-Issued Personal Laptops in Secondary Schools Across Trinidad and Tobago Candace Georgette Briggs This study assessed laptop usage among Form 3 students in the e-Connect and Learn (eCAL) programme, a government initiative that distributes personal laptop computers to all students entering secondary school from 2010, in schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected through a survey of 1,500 students from 32 schools, which sought to determine their in-class usage of the laptops. Responses to the questions (aligned to the goals articulated in the e-CAL policy) indicated the students’ use of the laptops, and the integration of the laptops into the curriculum, fell below expectations. The schools that consistently employed the technology on a limited but regular basis (once a week) showed high levels of usage for technology-related subjects. This finding was found to be not in alignment with the programme goal, which sought to move away from the traditional subject limitation of laptops in the classroom.