Clasificación de los Métodos de Tratamientos de Aguas Residuales

During the last twenty years, ICT has become a remarkable feature of different modern

and developing societies around the globe due to massive socio-economical and socio-

government, where huge amounts of effort and funds are spent to introduce and spread

new technologies in societies through governmental, non-governmental and private

sector organisations. Kuwait, as a developing country, for example, reflected on the

action plan of the World Summit of Information Society (WSIS) and elaborated a

national strategy for preparing for an Information Society in 2004 in collaboration with Singapore. In addition to Kuwait‟s efforts relating to e-government since the Kuwait

liberation in1991, the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) was

established in 2006 to follow and observe e-government and e-culture development at all

social levels in order to set up a comprehensive information society according to

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. (ESCWA), (ESCWA, 2007).

ICT implementation in education is one of the most important issues to which

governments of different developing countries, including Kuwait, are paying great

attention during the period of introducing ICT to e-government in order to develop e-

culture societies. Studies examining ICT implementation in developed countries have

researched this issue for many years; moreover, some studies in both developed and

developing countries are taking place now. Many of these studies focus on conditions

and barriers against ICT implementation and some of them question the idea of the role

of ICT implementation in facilitating and developing learning outcomes. The fact that

ICT implementation should take place in school in order to be investigated and

evaluated gave confidence to many governments to prepare for ICT implementation in

education. This encouraged different governments to commence a variety of practical

actions, including the establishment of strategic plans, educational reforms and a very

high ceiling of financial support.

Despite the importance of investigating the role of ICT in raising learning and teaching standards and students‟ attainment, this research will not address this significant aspect

to two essential reasons. The first is the availability of many wide scale related studies in

countries that have already implemented ICT in education and where ICT

implementation is in the evaluation stage after a reasonable period of implementation;

for example, ImpaCT2 1999-2002(Harrison et al., 2003) and the ICT Test Bed Project

2002-2006 (Becta, 2007). The second is the fundamental lack of research into barriers

against ICT implementation in the Kuwaiti educational environment. These types of

studies are vital to support the Kuwaiti government and the MoE in executing their

current plans towards ICT implementation. This support could be offered by this study

through a broad investigation to identify different strategic, social, political and pedagogical barriers hampering the government‟s plans to achieve its announced goals

released in 2002 and 2003. During the last eight years, many ICT implementation

projects have been postponed several times in favour of new deadlines after announcing

different technical, logistical and pedagogical reasons which indicate that the MoE is

facing problematic circumstances related to its initial plans.

The fact that these indications of difficulties facing the MoE in executing ICT

implementation plans exist questions whether ICT will be implemented in a way that

will support learning and teaching processes. Even if the MoE can overcome the barriers

and difficulties against ICT implementation, will it reap the benefits of developed countries‟ experiences in this field or just continue the trial and error strategies followed

during the last decade (Al Rasheedi, 2010)? This study will not attempt to see into the

future and will focus on identifying barriers obstructing ICT implementation; moreover,

it will try to identify factors that support the useful implementation of technology in our

schools. Those barriers have even defeated the £2.2 billion spent in 2007/2008 on

education, which means the average annual cost per student in Kuwaiti government

schools has exceeded £6,500 per year. This means it is necessary to place the plans of

sociocultural and socio-political factors, under investigation in order to achieve a better

understanding of factors blocking the progression of ICT implementation in our

secondary schools.

This research does not focus on classes in secondary schools because ICT

implementation in classes in primary and intermediate schools is in a better situation, but

due to essential purposes related to the readiness of students and teachers and MoE plans

for ICT implementation. Students at an age above 14 years old in Kuwaiti society are

more prepared to use ICT than students at earlier ages, as teenagers started using

computers and the Internet from home and public Internet cafés in different places

around Kuwait a few years ago (Wheeler, 2003; ESCWA, 2005). In addition, the MoE is

focusing its plans for ICT implementation on the secondary stage more than other

educational stages for the same reason. At the time of writing, the MoE (2008) pledged

that all secondary students would receive laptops before other students at other

educational stages once the project of laptop distribution had taken place in 2009 or

2010. In other words, students in secondary schools, according to their ICT literacy and

MoE plans, are supposed to be able to implement ICT more effectively than students at

other educational stages; therefore, the barriers facing them should be fewer than the

barriers facing students at other educational stages. This choice could minimise the

variables that could affect ICT implementation and will focus the investigation onto

direct barriers that impede the progress of the MoE‟s plans for ICT implementation.

The reasons behind selecting English language classes in particular to be the focus of

this study are similar to the reasons for selecting the secondary stage students in order to

minimise the obstructing variables that could constrain ICT implementation. Bearing in

mind that most of the learning and teaching materials available on the Internet are

accessing those materials. In addition, the Internet is rich in materials related to English

language learning and teaching, which gives learners and teachers of English language

more scope regarding ICT implementation compared with Islamic Studies or the Arabic

language or any other subject. This choice of research sample will help this study to

minimise factors like language difficulties and the readiness of students and teachers to

implement ICT and will focus on basic difficulties related to other factors. Nevertheless,

this study will also investigate students‟ and teachers‟ general readiness for ICT

implementation and will not solely rely on the fact that they have a better chance to use

ICT due to language ability.

This research alone cannot be expected to provide a final solution in relation to barriers

facing ICT implementation in the educational system in Kuwait. Nevertheless, outcomes

from investigating the broad direct factors influencing ICT implementation will

hopefully provide a novel interpretation that could be useful for teachers, decision

makers and further research. Highlighting different areas related to ICT implementation

in the context of this study could be a supportive tool to help teachers, schools principals

and decision makers to have a broad understanding of this issue. This understanding of

ICT implementation, formulated from a global literature review, led to dealing with ICT

implementation as an integrated long-term change process that includes strategic

planning, infrastructure, curriculum, students, teachers, and other related social, cultural

and political factors. Therefore, this research addresses a wide spectrum of elements

starting with the participation of students and teachers through to questionnaires and

interviews and a deep analysis of different documents related to ICT implementation.

These instruments were supported by final interviews with key teachers, educators,