ICT Integration among Visual Art Education Teachers: A Study on Malaysian Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

The declaration of the nation’s Vision 2020 to become a fully developed country has demanded a major transformation of the Malaysian education system . The robust advancement of Information and Communication T echnology (ICT) has commended its integration into the education system. However, the rapid development of ICT has caused anxiety and concerns among Malaysian teachers and thus may jeopardize the Ministry of Education’s aim of ensuring all schools will be fully ICT -mediated by the year 2015 . Visual Art Education , as a subject that places emphasis on creativity, innovation and critical thinking , has urged its teachers to utilize the full potential of ICT. The positive impacts toward integrating ICT into art classrooms have been acknowledged through previous research findings. Despite its huge potential advantages, art teachers were reported not utilizing the full potential of ICT in the art classroom. Moreover, previous research has revealed that art teachers used ICT without knowing it s necessity towards conducting successful art instruction. Further , to date, there is no published research on the integration of ICT into Visual Art Education in Malaysia. Recognizing the potential of ICT integration into art c lassroom, a survey was conducted to investigate the current ICT uptake among Malaysian Visual Art Education teachers. Specifically, this study will explore the most common types of ICT used and how it has been integrated into art classrooms. A total of 296 teachers in Selangor, a state in Malaysia, were the respondents of this study. An on -line survey was undertaken. Finding of the study have indicated that availability and ease of access affect ICT tools usage in the art classroom. In addition, a main usag e of ICT by most Malaysian Visual Art Education teachers was for researching information as compared to other ICT usage in art classroom. It is envisaged that findings derived from this study will contribute toward the understanding of the importance of IC T integration in the Visual Art Education subject area.