The role of goal orientations and use of digital media in classroom quality in final classes of elementary education

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the characteristics and predictor role of goal orientations in learning, schools' level of digital media equipment and the use of digital media in classroom (teaching) quality in lower secondary education (ISCED level 2). The study was conducted on seventh and eighth grade students (N=432) of elementary schools in the City of Zagreb and Split-Dalmatia County. Besides demographic characteristics of students and schools' level of digital media equipment, the data were collected by the Goal orientation questionnaire (CSRL), the Technology implementation questionnaire (TIQ), and Student perception of classroom quality (SPOCQ) questionnaire. It was concluded that, overall, demographic characteristics of students, their goal orientations, school s ' level of digital media equipment, and motivation for use of digital media are significant predictors of student perception of classroom quality, with the highest percentage of variance explained by goal orientations, with emphasis on learning orientation. In this regard, it is evident that for teaching quality in the digital age, goal orientation, i.e., motivation for learning, is most significant, rather than the use of digital media. Comparison with theoretical postulates and implications of these results are explained in this paper.

Key words: classroom quality, digital media, elementary school, goal orientations, students