ICT Teachers’ Assigned Roles and Expectations from Them*

a Yuksel GOKTAS, Ph.D., is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology. His research interests include Web 2.0, technology integration and usage, instructional design, problem-based learning, and research methods. Correspondence: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yuksel Goktas, Ataturk University, Kazim Karabekir Faculty of Education, Department of Computer Education & Instructional Technology, 25240 Erzurum/Turkey. E-mail: yukselgoktas@ atauni.edu.tr Phone: +90 242 231 4047. Abstract The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of ICT teachers’ assigned position and to determine school administrators’ and other teachers’ perceptions towards ICT teachers and these teachers’ positions, and to reveal the similar and discrepant aspects of their tertiary education and the roles (work and responsibilities) assigned to them in schools. For this purpose, a qualitative case study research design was used. The study was conducted within three phases. In the first phase, focus group interview with 2 faculty members at department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies and 6 ICT teachers, in the second phase, a pilot study encompassing an interview with 2 teachers from other branches and 1 school administrators, and finally faceto –face interviews with 33 participants, 10 of whom were school administrators, 11 of whom were ICT teachers, 12 of whom were teachers from other branches. The data obtained were analyzed using content analysis, and the findings showed that ICT teachers undertook many roles in their schools apart from the assigned positions determined by MoNE. The fundamental reason for this appeared that ICT teachers were perceived as an expert, a technical staff or a personnel who knows everything about ICT. Further, there occurred some differences and ambiguities between the education they took and the assigned roles and due to these ambiguities that even the ICT teachers could hardly define their assigned roles in schools was observed.