Research Report No 3

Nisar Ali Muhammad Maroof Shah Ghulam Mustafa Khawaja Elżbieta Perzycka

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3 (Srinagar, India)

ISBN 978-83-7241-985-9

Szczecin 2014

Nisar Ali, Muhammad Maroof Shah, Ghulam Mustafa Khawaja, Elżbieta Perzycka

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3 (Srinagar, India)

Szczecin 2014

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Edit by Nisar Ali ~ Muhammad Maroof Shah ~ Ghulam Mustafa Khawaja & Elżbieta Perzycka

Reviewer prof. dr hab. Maria Czerepaniak-Walczak

This paper has been financed from funds for science in the years 2013–2015 granted for the international project co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education No. 2923/7.PR/2013/2. The project Stimulators and Inhibitors of Culture of Trust in Educational Interactions Assisted by Modern Information and Communication Technology is implemented under the 7th Framework Programme Marie Curie Action, People No. 318759, in the years 2013–2015. Project website: www.sitproject.eu

ISBN 978-83-7241-985-9 Published by:

wydawnictwo naukowe uniwersytetu szczecińskiego Wydanie I. Ark. wyd. 1,0. Ark. druk 1,6. Format B5. Nakład 100 egz.



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

contents Part I 1. Introduction and theoretical considerations ................................................ 2. Conclusion ..........................................................................................................

5 11

Part II 1. Methodology ...................................................................................................... 12 2. Reference period and sample respondents ................................................... 13 3. ICT applications in educational interactions ............................................... 14 4. Culture of trust and stakeholders ................................................................... 20 5. Culture of trust and social networking ......................................................... 23 6. Rating of trust .................................................................................................... 24 7. Summary and findings ..................................................................................... 25



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Part I 1. Introduction and Theoretical Considerations Trust, understood as “the basis for the development of capital – that is, the ability of people to trust one another in all aspects of life – starting with trust between individuals and ending on the trust of citizens to the institutional infrastructure of the state,” has been the mainstay of social interactions and vital to evolution of culture. Widely perceived to be suffering from one or the other kind of trust deficit, the concept of trust has grown to be very attractive analytical category for understanding society today and as such very important for educational purposes. It is not only vital for cooperation amongst individuals and groups but also key to social change. The discipline of the self that politics requires is not possible without its presence. Trust centric politics and culture constitute key questions of the day. The idea of working on both qualitative and quantitative determinants of the issue of trust as part of the current project has been based on our observation as insiders that Kashmir presents a special case for cross cultural or comparative analysis. In fact it has historically been presenting a state of transition from trust centric to distrust centric space although the later identity is now getting visible and is significantly linked to current conflict. Kashmir has been taken as a representative case of South Asian Model for its inclusivity of traditions, religions and cultures and especially for preserving the cultural values that South Asian region traditionally represents. The current work on the question of trust understood in our case in more ontological than sociological terms assumes great significance in an age that has well been characterized as an Age of Mistrrust. Particular interest in trust is noted not only because of the discovery of its role as an element of social capital but also because in our view it provides the missing existential dimension of modern consciousness that secularization has largely erased. Despite the fact that use of ICT is quite limited in South Asia in general the question of trust stimulators and inhibitors gets another dimension to be perspectivized from a more cultural and ontological than a sociological or epistemological angle.



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Our proposal to work on trust is based on the understanding that India may contribute at a more philosophical level to the debate. Here the problem of trust is differently posed and warrants a different response. What seems to be overlooked in standard approach to the question of trust is background cultural basis rooted ultimately in metaphysics. Empirical models can only be effective to a certain extent. We sought to explore other dimensions of the issue that are glossed over in more instrumental approach that has been the standard one. Our investigations have led us to more theoretical analysis that we think is pivotal to long term tackling of the problem. The question of identifying stimulators and inhibitors of trust can’t be fully dealt with unless we clarify elements of the background worldview that precipitated the problem of trust in the first place. Some apologists for the modern world would deny the appalling problem of universal distrust that characterizes it. There is indeed a perception that civilized world is a place of greater trust. Polite, law abiding, citizens are there and one can move without threat or fear of getting cheated. But there is hardly any trust in the broader sense of the term though there is much in the narrow legalistic sense. A world made safer by technology and police and jail and what Foucault called Panoptican and with the help of Ideological State Apparatus is not necessarily a world where trust counts. A world that can be anytime blown up by whim of any nuclear power, a world that spends billions on checking and verifying travel documents, a world where markets are so unpredictable and crises and crashes never too far, a world that is fighting dozens of small wars at the time, a world where regional, ethnic, tribal, religious identities are always finding it difficult to be recognized or respected, a world where nations, companies, banks, all are geared to increasing their pelf and power and that too mostly at the cost of other competitor or “neighbour,” a world where Capital rules and bends everything including values that people have cherished for millennia, a faceless world where people have always an anxiety about some identity such the one on social networks, a world pathologically narcissist about self image though every institution depersonalizes at the same time as there is no trust in the uniqueness of an individual who is always to be controlled, to be manipulated, a world that trusts machines and not men at every counter, a world that trusts neither sages, nor wisdom of ancients, not of primordial or archaic traditions, a world that has very little space for poets whom traditionally people trusted as interpreters of gods, a world sure about only the impending doom of cold death



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

or big crunch and that has lost all certainties including the certainty of Absolute and objectivity that defines man as a creature with intelligence, a world in which education has no use for intangible qualities such as trust, love, grace, compassion etc is not a world where trust really matters. Given the reign of Media (that we may broadly define in terms of certain packaging of signs aiming at achieving certain ideological end), given widespread distrust in the most influential media houses regarding their claim to objective representation (we read newspapers and watch channels that influential thinkers have charged with complicity with certain power interests), given our failure to clearly distinguish between the real and the virtual, the true and the counterfeit, given increasingly proliferating critiques of democratic model that implies massive alienation from governing elite and loss of faith in elected representatives meaning devoicing of vast majority of people in the so-called welfare state and given the role of multinational corporations linked to principle of mistrust of competitor/environment, given seminal critiques of technological culture or trust in technological solutions to essentially human problems from various quarters, given pervasive mistrust in the discourse of development or myth of progress though officially, everywhere, it continues to inform policies at every level, given loss of faith in any major emancipatory narrative promised by politicians, philosophers, scientists, priests, what can be done to reclaim the lost territory of the trust? Given this context we have, besides empirical questionnaire based survey, kept asking the following questions while seeking to formulate what could constitute a distinctive South Asian approach to the issue. Can trust be inculcated in schools through properly designed curriculum or only awareness regarding trust deficit and institutional origins or connections to it be generated? Is our focus on trust in business or enterpreneurship or managerial approach or interpersonal relationships such as in family, in friends or relatives? How can there be trust in a society ripped by class divisions, in an episteme where scientism reigns along with fatal subject object dichotomy, a technological culture that believes is indefensible thesis of technological solution to human problems including the problem of trust?



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

In a world that wishes to keep God/Spirit out of court or discourse what is that which would ground trust in human relationships? Do we seek to identify stimulators of trust in a world that is not ready to reconsider question of technology that is inherently inhibitor of trust between man and things/Other/World/God? Because it assumes values can be smuggled into a system that is otherwise working on separate principles that are inherently neutral to values or even sometimes anti-value. Modern project has been to squeeze not only trust but need to trust and create a system of governance and other institutions that replaces former spaces that were dependent on trust. Now, thanks to Welfare State parents don’t need to trust children and vice versa. Friends are not needed if one has credit cards and enough money in the account. Friendship is a gift and there is no space for gifts in an economy that thoroughly commodifies everything including intangibles. Because secularization implies trusting individual and political agency for solving the problems that formally other institutions solved, because technology is itself a creation of certain mistrust in Being, in the Other, in Nature, because education’s task is to fashion individuals, not communities, hired labourers for the State or Capitalist employer – given these points how do we propose to build another ontology and epistemology that a trust centric world would call for? For the purpose of the designed research we define the culture of trust as a religiously or culturally – and not simply socially – produced system of values, principles and norms of coexistence respected in a  a community and not just selected social circle, determining the character of the interaction of the person with other elements of his direct and indirect social and material environment. The elements of this system are people, norms and the content of social behaviour when empirically quantified besides the existential attitudes. The main objective of this research was to discover some elements of a culture of trust, their level and mutual cohesion in societies. Ultimate objective is educational rapprochement of cultures and preparation of professional teacher training standards in the field of media education in the atmosphere of trust towards the student, parents and information communication technology. For this purpose questionnaire based survey of attitudes indicative of level of trust towards various elements of ICT use and between individuals has been used as primary tool. Some points have been gathered by interaction with teachers and students. Our analysis has been here restricted to what questionnaires survey



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

revealed and more qualitative part of our research has been already published or sent for publication by the Project Coordinator. Different papers by all the members from Kashmir explore various dimensions of the issue of trust and should be read in conjunction with the current report as putting forth Kashmir’s distinctive contribution to various models of trust. Besides some seminars conducted in Kashmir helped to tease out certain issues and outlines of a model of trust have been evolved in a paper by Fazl Illahi that has been sent to the Project Coordinator. Besides a number of papers do explore issues related to the project through empirical studies. The papers presented in seminars are currently being reviewed and screened for publication. The data has been generated by the project participants thanks to a variety of sources: an informal conversation, an interview. Following the basic research strategy of a case study the current report serves to expose the behavior of educational entities in everyday school events. We may sum up the theoretical considerations informing the report in the following points. The traditional basis of culture of trust has been fast disappearing and currently we don’t have viable institutional structure that could embody traditional assumptions. As such our case is one of transition and erosion has occurred thanks to the fact that education has become a commodity and is treated like any other commodity in the market. The culture of trust has been dwindling universally and the individualistic and entrepreneurial mindset is represented predominantly by the preposition ‘I trust no one’ (Bill Gates) and the vibrations of the traditional belief, ‘I owe everything to the other’ are fast receding. Apparently value pedagogy and ICT seem to be quite different entities but there are points of convergence that are reflected in the responses to questions and as such India does offer a laboratory or space for experimenting with the idea of using ICT for modulating trust dynamics. One of the questions that the project sought to explore was trust in ICT couldn’t be satisfactorily engaged with as there is relatively little penetration of ICT in schools. Use of internet and websites for educational use is quite limited. This explains stock stereotypical answers to certain questions. The problem of trust gets acute due to lesser modicum of penetration of truly democratic value structure in the governance or State apparatus. However there is



Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

large scope for improving democratic and welfarist character of the State and that could better contribute to trust. In Indian context the normative question regarding use of technology continues to be relevant. In fact any talk of trust gets immediately co-opted in this discourse. The perception is that ICT has adversely effected the culture of humanizing values as it has served to bolster individualism and consumer culture that are incompatible with any trust centric value pedagogy. India’s relatively lesser reception of ICT in educational institutions could be linked to general Eastern attitude that suspects instrumental rationality seemingly opposed to the more primordial modes of Dasein’s engagement with the world. In fact Indian appropriation of technology could be in line with Heidigaerian and other approaches that advocate a more cautious and critical understanding. Whole sale importation of Western model of using technology in education and building trust in it and with it seems rather difficult proposition to be realized in near future in India. Compared to ICT use for education India has experienced explosive use of web based social networking that implicates a complex dynamic of evolving trust capital. Social networking sites have gained popularity because people have been denied spaces to interact at more personal, face to face level and seems to be a symptomatic treatment of more fundamental problem of alienation. It seems to be paradoxical that the age of ICT happens to be the age when values are most talked about but little lived. That is why perhaps we need to talk about values. If values were around we would not need to search for them. Perhaps the dominant orientation of our culture seems to be incompatible with a renunciatory ethic needed for virtues. However the essence of ICT is not necessarily incompatible with value education. Only its use has often been creating an ambience that favours disvalues. We can appropriate ICT for better facilitating value education. India’s (especially rural India’s) half hearted modernization, especially of its community spaces ( currently restricted to more rural areas) implies its appropriation of ICT is ambivalent ranging from open embrace of it in certain private schools to its almost total veto in most public sector schools especially at primary and secondary level. Modernity is institutionalization (and paradoxically it has grudge against religion precisely for the latter’s institutionalized character) of structures that eliminate need for trust. It minuses humans along with the need or prerogative to trust.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Given modern man’s conditioning against theology and metaphysics we may explore art for promoting trust. And this calls for interventions in education and ICT may be appropriated in this service. Kashmir’s metaphysics and aesthetics could be deployed to achieve this end and it has wider relevance.

2. Conclusion Elsewhere in the world formal and non-formal education is integrally linked to ICT use and the question of distrust in technology would appear relevant. In India this can’t be claimed right now. For several years in education projectors and sharing of some digital content is all that constitutes ICT use in important educational institutions. Mobile phones were very late entrants in the scene as Kashmir was not allowed to use them. Smartphones are mostly used for personal and not educational use except by a select few. ICT has of late been used mostly for preparing assignments by students. Teachers, even at University level, have not been great users of ICT. There is wide discrepancy in penetration of ICT use in educational institutions of South Asia and we find from zero to cent percent figure in different schools. Students use ICT more for social networking than for education. Level of trust in ICT seems to be quite high although scepticism in using ICT for value pedagogy too is high. As technology is yet to be introduced or used in most educational institutions, the question of trust in ICT is not relevant for them. Improvement in democratization and modernization in general and educational institutions in particular is leading to better reception of ICT. There is very low scale use of educational websites, educational tv channels in educational institutions is still highly prevalent. There need to be more sustained and detailed studies on value pedagogy involving ICT use in future. Family and friends emerge as key centres of trust.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Part II 1. Methodology As co-partner of five country partnership integrated research study the primary data was collected from selected sample study areas of Srinagar, (J&K), India with the help of structured questionnaires canvassed to sample respondents based on stratified random sampling. The sample educational institutions wherefrom the primary data was collected comprise primary level student respondents having age 6–11 years, pupil, secondary level students in the age group of 12–18 years and tertiary level students in the age group of 19–25 years as well as teachers both formal and non-formal. The data from student respondents at secondary level mostly pertain to 10th standard to 12th standard students. The sample education institutions included, 1. Islamia High School. 2. Delhi Public School. 3. Mallinson Secondary School. 4. Tyndale Bisco Secondary School. 5. Presentation Convent School. 6. Green Valley School. 7. Iqbal Memorial School. 8. Government Girls Secondary School. Kothi Bagh. 9. Iqbal Institute of Technology. 10. S.P.College. 11. Amar Singh College. 12. Government College for Women, M.A.Road. 13. Department of Distance Education, University of Kashmir. 14. Department of Computer Sciences, university of Kashmir. 15. Media Education Research Centre, University of Kashmir. 16. Selected postgraduate Departments of University of Kashmir.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

2. Reference period and sample respondents The data was collected by teachers of concerned institutions from student respondents randomly drawn in accordance with sample stratification during academic session 2013. There were 300 questionnaires canvassed at primarily level students, age 6–11 years in the sample schools and actual error-free response was found in only 200 questionnaires. Similarly 300 questionnaires were canvassed at secondary level sample educational institutions and 230 responses were found to the level of our satisfaction. The questionnaires were given to sample college and university students /teachers with proper training and the feed- back was found proper only in case on 360 as against 400 designed sample. Therefore, the present report is based on a sample data of 790 respondents of various categories as per below mentioned sample frame: Similarly the data from various categories of teachers was collected as per our sample design. Table 1. Sample design of respondent learners at various levels of education institutions S. No.

Level of learner respondents’

No. of sample student respondents’

No. of sample teacher respondents

1.

Primary level

200

10

2.

Secondary level

(6–11 year age) 230

9

3.

College/University

(12–18 year age) 360

21

(19–25age) 4.

Total

790

40

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

The ICT enabled learning process in schools in Europe is significantly at advanced stage in comparison to Asia particularly South Asia. However, the higher education all over the world tends to have uniform ICT enabled learning system. In Indian context the schools in private sector, usually English medium, have better ICT infrastructure than the government schools and these schools will have a long way

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

to go to compete schools in the western world. While cognitive objective of the SIT project is to describe, interpret and explain the characteristics of culture of trust in educational interactions, the schools in present sample area are having significant distance with counterparts in sample areas of other partner countries in the use of digital technology in learning process. The SIT partner group while in India for two months visited the below mentioned institutions in Srinagar: 1. Presentation of Convent School. 2. Tyndate Bisco Secondary School. 3. Mallinson School. 4. Sanic School, Mansbal. 5. Government Girls Secondary School, Kothi Bagh. 6. Green Valley School. 7. Iqbal Memorial School. 8. Islamia High School. 9. Delhi Public School. 10. Government College of Education. 11. Iqbal Institute of Engineering and Technology. 12. Department of Distance Education, University of Kashmir. 13. Media Education Research Centre, University of Kashmir. 14. Department of Home Sciences. 15. Department of Computer Sciences. 16. Alama Iqbal Library, University of Kashmir. 17. Education Multi Media Research Centre (EMMR), University of Kashmir. 18. Central University of Kashmir.

3. ICT applications in educational interactions Information communication technology enabled teaching-learning process at both primary and secondary level is not as much pronounced as to compare with schools in European countries. In Indian context the school education and learning process can be broadly divided in to three categorized, viz (a) schools completely under the administrative control of the government, (b) schools run and regulated by private management and missionary trusts and (c) schools run and managed under

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

both in urban periphery and far flung rural areas whether privately managed or under the state government control. ICT infrastructure is relatively better in case of category (b). While the eleventh five year plan emphasized the literacy drive and reduction in the drop-out rates, the 12th plan focused on to make quality education available, accessible and affordable at secondary level to the largest proportion of population in the age group of 14-18 years. ICT education is one of the key strategies for achieving the aforesaid objectives. The ICT at the school level was launched in the country in 2004 with the view to provide opportunities to students to develop their ICT skill as well the use of ICT to aid teaching-learning process. The scheme under reference was revised in 2010 with focus on educational outcomes rather than deployment of hardware. Among other things K-Yan, an innovative tool integrating ICT in educationa single wire computer with internet connectivity, projector, multimedia device which converts any wall in to an interactive class room supports multiple peripherals and enable interactive learning in English and other regional languages was put in place. K-Yan empowers teachers to focus on improving the learning outcomes. The scheme has impacted 10 million students across 25000 + schools and also training was given to 150000 teachers in the said technology. From the cross section observation of sample respondents, the incidence of the use of desktop and laptop is relatively less among secondary level learners in comparison to primary level and tertiary level, that is, 66 percent college and university students use desktop and laptop only among ICT gadgets while the said percentage in case of primary students is 55.The use of mobile and smart phones are more pronounced among grown up students. The pupil’s preference is for other gadgets than conventional ICT (table 2). Table 2. Percentage distribution of learners using ICT equipments at different stages of learning process according to level of education % of learners using ICT equipment in learning process Level of education

Desktop

Laptop

Tablets

Primary level Secondary level College /University level

13.50 12.17 25.00

39.50 34.49 49.70

10.50 48.40 14.40

Mobile phone/ smart phone 8.50 16.81 48.50

Others 28.00 8.40 9.10

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3



Pic. 1. Percentage distribution of learners using ICT equipments at different stages of learning process according to level of education Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

While undergoing teaching-learning in a class, the internet use and dependence varies among the students according to their level of education. Among the students at various stages of learning process, the dependence of pupil on internet use in class is negligible. In fact 64 percent pupil do not dependent on internet use at all for all tasks as far as daily use is concerned. The reverse is true in case of grown up students at tertiary level. As many as 69 percent learners at tertiary level (college and university) use internet every day for all tasks given to them. In case of gymnasium or secondary level one fourth of students depend on use of internet in the class for every task every day, but use of internet sometimes for certain tasks there seems to be high incidence of dependence (table 3). Table 3. Percentage distribution of learner’s dependence on internet in class room at various stages of education according to level of education Frequency of internet use Every day for all tasks Daily for some tasks Sometimes for certain tasks Do not use Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Primary level 6.00 6.50 23.50 64.00

Level of education Secondary level College/University level 25.79 69.02 33.04 11.10 41.44 38.90 30.14 43.10

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3



Pic. 2. Percentage distribution of learner’s dependence on internet in class room at various stages of education according to level of education Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

Among the university and college students the greater reliance and end-use of internet is for some times and certain tasks while learners are at home, that is, 44.4 percent. But among secondary level students the daily use for some tasks and sometimes for certain tasks is almost evenly distributed. All the category of learners appears not too much dependent on internet while at home for all tasks every day (table 4). It is surprising that at tertiary level the students, while at home, the daily use of internet for all tasks is low. Table 4. Percentage distribution of learner’s dependence on internet at home at various stages of education according the level of education Frequency of internet use at home Every day for all tasks Daily for some tasks Sometimes for certain tasks Do not use

Primary level 8.50 19.00 51.00 21.50

Secondary level

College/university level

22.89 36.81 38.84 2.89

16.10 30.50 44.50 8.30

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3



Pic. 3. Percentage distribution of learner’s dependence on internet at home at various stages of education according the level of education Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

The table 4 reveals that social networking among the learners across the levels of education standard is not craze as the same is very low among learners except secondary level students who spend some time every day. The greater trust is found among matured students at university and college level particularly when the other homework is boring. The data further reveals that one-third learners are not used to social networking (table 5). Table 5. Culture of trust in learning process on social networking shown by the percentage distribution of learners at various stages of education Frequency dependence

Primary level

Secondary level

College/university level

8.30

18.55

8.30

From time to time when homework is boring

18.30

25.79

58.30

Never

33.40

32.46

33.40

Daily

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Pic. 4. Culture of trust in learning process on social networking shown by the percentage distribution of learners at various stages of education Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

The students do not appear to have blind faith in the information received on internet as more than 62 percent pupil and almost similar proportion of learners at secondary level check the information received on internet either always or sometimes. On the other hand, two-third of learners at college and university level does not check the authenticity of information received on internet (table 6). Thus as learners grow in learning process the culture of trust gains stronger ground on internet access and authenticity of information. Table 6. Percentage distribution of checking authenticity of internet information by learners according to the level of education Frequency of checking information Yes, always Yes, sometimes Do not check

Primary level

Secondary level

28.50 34.00 37.50

22.00 28.69 50.14

College/university level 15.50 42.20 33.40

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3



Pic. 5. Percentage distribution of checking authenticity of internet information by learners according to the level of education Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

4. Culture of trust and stakeholders The trust varies with relationships among learners at various stages of learning process as far as use of ICT equipment is concerned. While among pupil near about 50 percent learners repose trust on mate group, but that is not the case with learners as they grow in age and education. On the other hand the learners at secondary and tertiary levels repose trust repose trust on mate group to the extent of 15 to 22 percent (table 6). Among other stakeholder relationships a sizable proportion of pupil, that is, 44.50 percent do not trust anybody among the sample identified relationships, while the learners between 5–10 percent at tertiary and secondary level respectively demonstrate that they do not trust anybody among the given relationships. The teachers appear to be least trusted among pupil but much more trusted among secondary level learners in comparison to college and university students. Table 7. Percentage distribution of learners at various stages of learning process reposing trust for use of ICT equipment in case of facing problem Relationship reposing trust Meta group mate outside the group Teacher someone else Nobody Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Primary level 48.50 7.50 6.00 18.50 44.50

Secondary level 22.00 5.21 36.23 13.91 10.72

College/university level 15.50 8.30 15.50 5.83 5.80

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

Pic. 6. Percentage distribution of learners at various stages of learning process reposing trust for use of ICT equipment in case of facing problem Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

The mate outside the group of friends or class fellows or someone else is the least preferred relationships as far as trust is concerned. Similarly among the blood relationship stakeholders the children, learners at various stages of learning process, mostly trust parents particularly mother. The learners at tertiary level also have preference for friends. However it varies according to level of education. In case of the higher age group and level of education secondary and above the mother is not as much trusted as is trusted by pupil and father appear to be least trusted by grown up children, that is, college and university students. Therefore, the mother emerges the most trusted relationship among children at various stages of learning process (table 8). Table 8. Percentage distribution of learners at various stages of learning process reposing trust on stakeholders* S. No. 1

1. 2.

Stakeholders (relatives/ social groups) 2

Mom Dad

students at Primary level

students at secondary level

3

4

68.00 40.50

40.00 25.00

students at college/ University level 5

43.30 8.30

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3 1

3. 4. 5. 6.

2

Sister/brother Class-mate Friends Others

3

25.50 21.00 0.00 4.50

4

5

33.91 0.00 2.60 1.00

25.00 11.11 27.70 5.50

Source: SIT Study, * Respondents replies more then there.

Table 9. Percentage distribution of learners at different stages of learning process reposing trust among stakeholders in case of problems related to their personal affairs S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Stakeholders (relatives/social groups) Meta group Mate outside the group Teacher Someone else Nobody

Primary level

Secondary level

College/University level

65.50 13.50

27.24 6.37

15.27 3.30

23.50 22.50 41.50

0.28 37.39 15.36

1.60 25.30 11.00

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

In case of personal problem the pupil repose trust on mate group to the extent of 65 percent, but that is not the case with learners at secondary and tertiary level. In fact “some on else” appear to be popular among stakeholders to repose trust relative to other relationships. Other than pupil the teacher appears to be most untrustworthy as far as personal problems are concerned in the matter of reposing trust.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3



Pic. 7. Personal problem the pupil repose trust on mate group Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

5. Culture of trust and social networking Social networking is one of the critical pillars of assessment of trust in teaching learning process. When we look at the trust in relation to use and reliance ICT-enabled learning process particularly the social networking, we infer from data (table 10) that among all category of students under sample reference about one-fourth students at secondary stage of learning process trust teachers by meeting and spending time outside the institution premises or timings. In case of primary and tertiary level there is no communication between learners and teachers outside the institution. Similarly the relationship is not much identified by exchanging SMSs during “decent hours” or by e-mail even at all times as well and not only specified times. Such a relationship, if at all observed among sample respondents, is among second level learners to the tune of around one fourth proportion. In fact 81 percents sample.

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Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3 Table 10. Percentage distribution of learners at various stages of learning process reposing trust on various forms of social networking/ICT while to communicate teachers outside the institution S. No.

Trust on social networking/ICT method

Primary level

Secondary level

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Meeting and spending time By short messages at’decent hours’ By email, face book, MSN in ‘decent hours’ By email, short messages at all times By email, short messages at all times

8.00 14.00 6.00 8.50 81.50

24.92 29.46 22.60 6.60 27.80

College/ University level 1.80 9.70 9.70 11.00 0.00

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

Respondents at primary level and 28 percent at secondary level have no contact with teacher.

6. Rating of trust The learners rate the level of trust very high with their friends in class and class atmosphere both at pupil level and gymnasium level and as they move towards the tertiary level of learning process the rating of trust tends very low, just 8 percent (table 11), but at that stage rating of trust vis-а-vis teacher is very high. A very low percentage students and teachers is observed expressing the atmosphere of distrust. Around one fourth of students across the stages of learning process express the divided opinion. Table 11. Percentage distribution of learners at various stages of learning process rating their relationship in a group of students and with teachers during learning process S. No. 1. 2. 3.

Student/ Teacher Well, friends from group trust, class Student atmosphere friendly with trust Teachers Wrong, atmosphere of rivalry Student and distrust Teachers Average, only some friends in group Student trust, class divided in groups for Teachers mutual trust Level of trust

Source: SIT study, 2013–15.

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Primary Secondary level level 71.50 62.02 62.20 0.00 7.50 18.40 8.80 30.36 21.00 0.00 27.00 0.00

College/University level 8.00 63.80 8.30 11.20 25.00 41.80

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3

7. Summary and findings ICT enabled education in India is still in infancy, however, in higher learning institutions its inroads are formidable in teaching-learning process in case of higher studies. The sample data reveals that the learners in higher studies have trust more on desktop and laptop compared to tablets, while at secondary level the learners make use of more tablets. The internet use is more common among secondary and higher education learners. The frequency of use of internet for all tasks and most of the tasks is high and of identical order both among secondary level and university level students. The teachers are more trusted by primary level students while secondary and university level learners literally repose no trust on their teachers. Very small percentage of respondents report that they trust nobody. The authenticity of website or internet information among stakeholders across all the learning stages remains a cause of concern; however, the secondary level students appear to be little bothered about the same. The university and college students respond little trust in social networking, e-mail and face book, but SMSs are more relied upon by secondary level students. In case of learners below the age of 11 years social networking is least important.

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Nisar Ali Muhammad Maroof Shah Ghulam Mustafa Khawaja Elżbieta Perzycka

Culture of Trust in ICT-aided Educational Interactions – Report 3 (Srinagar, India)

ISBN 978-83-7241-985-9

Szczecin 2014