Exploring the Opportunities and Obstacles of Incorporating Technology in Religious Education for Primary School Students

The purpose of this research is to investigate the views of Primary Education students on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education and their use in the Religious Studies course. Specifically, it investigates students' views on the use of digital tools, the use of Information and Communication Technologies for school lessons, the impact of the use of Information and Communication Technologies for Religious Education and their views on the teaching support of Information and Communication Technologies and the acquisition of knowledge in the Religious Studies course. To achieve these objectives, one hundred and fifty-seven respondents participated in the study, completing two Likert-type questionnaires. The sample which participated was comprised of ten classes attending the third grade of primary school in the prefecture of Heraklion, Crete. The present study was a quasi-experimental design with two groups, an experimental one and a control one. From these classes, we randomly assigned the control group (n = 72) and the experimental group (n = 85). Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The study's findings revealed that the integration of ICT as a means of teaching has not yet been implemented based on the responses of students in primary school. Also, they answered that the use of ICT would help them to follow their lessons and that they would like all school subjects to have activities with ICT. These findings align with prior research, suggesting that learners generally have positive attitudes toward the use of ICT. Regarding their responses to the use of ICT in the Religious Studies, there was a more positive view of the experimental group compared to their responses before the teaching interventions.