PERCEIVED USABILITY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND ACCEPTANCE OF VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS BY LOWER SECONDARY STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS

In the present research the results of 288 lower secondary schools in-service teachers, 192 undergraduate students and 211 lower secondary school students from Slovenia were analysed in terms of importance of fieldwork and the information and communication technology (ICT) as a solution for supporting or replacing fieldwork itself. The main aim of the analysis was to compare the points of view in all stages: from students to teachers. Also, comparisons with international data obtained as part of TIMSS and TALIS studies were made. The analysis showed that participants tend to acknowledge a very positive effect to this kind of learning, despite the obstacles connected therewith. A comparison of the usage of ICT at home and in the school environment, as predicted, showed that students tend to be more digitally competent than their teachers. Also, the statistically significant difference pointed out that older teachers are less favourable towards ICT in education than their younger colleagues.