Static and interactive summary reports of research results

This section contains the first results of the research “The impact of eTwinning on the in-service professional development of teachers in Italy” jointly carried out by INDIRE, the Italian eTwinning National Support Organization (NSO), and the University of Florence, throughout 2020. The research aims to assess the impact of the didactic and training experiences carried out within the eTwinning community on the professional development of in-service-teachers in Italy.
Firstly, an eTwinners’ competences framework was elaborated and organised into three areas: Didactics Area; Teacher Professionalism Area; School Participation Area. Secondly, the three competences areas were analysed through an empiric study carried out on a sample of teachers registered on the European platform

Static and interactive reports

The summary of the research results is available in both static and interactive versions.

The static version is addressed to all those who want to know the research results, and it can be downloaded in pdf format.
The interactive version is exclusively addressed to teachers and school personnel involved in eTwinning projects who will have the chance to interact with the research results by giving feedback based on their eTwinning experience.
Data generated from your feedback will be collected in anonymous form and used for research purposes. Please complete the interactive version only once.

Thank you for your contribution!

The research results will be presented in an extended and more thorough version in the volume published by Carocci Editore by 2021.

• The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,034 teachers who were registered on the eTwinning platform.
• 91% of the sample is made up of female teachers and 9% of male teachers.
• The sample includes in-service teachers in the various Italian regions. The regions most represented in the sample are Lazio (16%), Campania (10%), Puglia (9%) and Sicily (9%); while the least represented are Friuli-Venezia Giulia (0.9%) and Valle d’Aosta. (0.2%).
• At the time of the survey, the participants were registered on the eTwinning platform for a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 184 months (approximately 15 years). Overall, the average is 50 months, about 4 years.

• 31% of respondents during their teaching career worked in upper secondary schools, 30% in primary schools, 27% in lower secondary schools and 7% in nursery schools.
• The respondents’ teaching experience in schools varies from a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 40 years. Overall, the average is 21.18 years (S.D. = 8.9).
• 22% (no. = 227) of respondents stated that they have not taken part in any eTwinning project since joining the platform. 13.7% (no. = 142) of participants reported having participated in only one project, while 85 respondents (8.2%) said they had carried out 2 projects since their enrolment. Finally, 50.6% of the participants (no. = 523) in the survey stated that they have carried out 3 or more eTwinning projects since joining the platform. 57 participants (5.5%) did not answer the question about the number of eTwinning projects carried out.

• The research aimed to detect participants’ perception regarding the relationship between the development of specific skills relating to three different areas – Didactics, Teacher Professionalism, and School participation – and the set of experiences made within the eTwinning community, from the participation in projects, face-to-face and distance training, to peer learning with other teachers met through the platform.

• The average score of 44.21 (S.D. 9.88) – out of a maximum score of 55 – in the Teacher Professionalism area indicates that on average the respondents believe that the eTwinning experience has significantly contributed to their professional growth.
• The most recurrent specific benefits of the eTwinning experience indicated by the interviewees are 1) the constant cultivation of digital ethics in a digital platform perceived as “safe”; and 2) the effectiveness of peer training on the use of digital teaching technologies, in particular through the transnational sharing of good practices.
• In some interviews it was observed how eTwinning projects have been a stimulus to raise the awareness of school colleagues and parents regarding an ethically oriented use of digital technologies.

• The average score of 37.15 (S.D. 6.66) – out of a maximum score of 50 – found in the School participation area (see figure 2) indicates that on average the respondents believe that the eTwinning experience has helped to promote their own and others’ commitment in the school community but the positive trend detected is less marked than in the other two investigated areas.
• The most common specific benefits of the eTwinning experience indicated by the interviewees are 1) the mutual and timely support between the Partners involved in the projects; 2) the highly sustainable integration of eTwinning projects into the school curriculum; 3) the positive reception of eTwinning didactics by parents.
• A critical issue widely shared by the interviewees is the difficulty in involving colleagues of their school in eTwinning projects.
• On some occasions, from the interviews, it emerged that eTwinning projects can be easily developed not only in coherence with the school curriculum but also with the territorial context.

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

The data of this anonymous questionnaire will be used to supplement the research

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