Researching computing teachers' attitudes towards changes in the curriculum content — An innovative approach or resistance?

The content of the teaching subjects focussing on computing equipment, informatics and information and communication technologies (in general as well as digital technologies), has undergone continual changes, in particular in response to society's needs and fresh technological developments. New requirements declared by state authorities, interest organisations and school founders need to be translated into school practice. An important role in this is played by teachers, who are the designers of specific instruction procedures which they subsequently implement together with their pupils. However, how do computing teachers cope with changing requirements and are they willing to implement them or capable of doing so? Are they more likely to be innovative or will they be resistant and continue with business as usual? We have sought answers to the above posed questions through a research survey implemented at 58 basic schools in the Czech Republic. Eighty-seven teachers participated in the research. Although it is a minor research survey, it was successful in proving statistically that there are three groups of computing teachers. The first indicated group can be described as provocative innovators who pro-actively change the teaching content of their own accord in compliance with new trends and come up with new ideas regardless of external impulses in the form of new curricular syllabi. The second identified category is made up of reactive innovators who carry out changes only on the basis of certain regulations, new syllabi, etc. The third category comprises opponents to change who actually enjoy being stuck in a rut. The conclusions of the research develop the theory of computer education and, in addition, can also be applied in more comprehensive transformation processes in education or partial curricular innovations. It was proven that teachers are significant agents of changes in education.