Information and communication technology (ICT): Effects of gender and training among Kuwait teachers

ICT integration into classroom teaching and learning practices depends on teachers' attitude toward ICT and the extent of their training in the technology. Early research suggests that males have more positive attitudes toward ICT and have more knowledge and skills about technology than females. Contemporary research, however, suggests that females have more or less equivalent positive attitudes as they receive more and more knowledge and training about the ICT.;The present study used a two way-factorial MANOVA design to examine effect of gender and ICT training on Kuwait public high school teachers' attitudes toward ICT and their use of ICT in their classroom practices. The instrument used to collect the data was a questionnaire prepared by the researcher. In addition to the descriptive and the inferential analyses, the study applied a qualitative analysis to analyze teachers' responses to the open-ended questions.;Results indicated that teachers' attitude toward ICT was slightly positive with male teachers' mean attitude was slightly higher than female teachers' and teachers' mean attitude with ICT training was higher than those without training. Teachers were found to use ICT for educational purposes moderately with female teachers used slightly less ICT. In analyzing the interaction between independent variables (gender and ICT training) on dependent variables (teachers' attitudes and ICT use), the findings suggested that training played an important role in affecting the male teachers' attitudes toward ICT, but had even a greater effect on female teachers' ICT use.