Diffusion of ICT related problems among students: the teachers’ experience

The dissemination of ICT among youth is leading to the rise of new sets of problems in the classrooms in all levels of schools. More and more teachers are faced with new challenges related to the misuses of the powerful technologies that their students bring into the classroom. The present research studies the experiences that school teachers have with ICT-related problems among their pupils. METHOD. An anonymous questionnaire was created and submitted online to an Italian national sample of 1,034 primary, middle and secondary school teachers. The participation was anonymous and voluntary. RESULTS. Half of the respondents affirmed having witnessed some problems related to ICTs among students, ranging from cyberbullying to excessive use to sexting or dangerous behaviours, such as real life meetings with unknown adults met previously online. In most cases the school was directly involved in the solution to the problems, while only a few situations required the intervention of the police. The interviewees strongly supported the idea that schools could and should play a critical role in the ICT education of students. DISCUSSION. This data strongly suggests that teachers of all levels of school, both from metropolitan and rural areas, are already handling a wide range of issues related to the dissemination of ICTs. The problems start early in primary school, but seem to boom in middle school. This leads to important conclusions, most of all that educational and prevention programs should start in the first years of school. The teaching staff, provided with the required and requested support and training, show a positive attitude towards the idea of taking on a more active role in the education of their students in safe and correct ICT use.