In France, one in three teachers would use digital textbooks

A study carried out on behalf of the association Know Book, a group made up of the main publishers of school textbooks, indicates that in France, nearly one in three teachers would use digital textbooks.

The study, carried out with more than 15,000 teachers by the firm TNS Sofres and mentioned in The world, indicates that the number of teachers using digital textbooks doubled between 2011 and 2014. The proportion of primary sector teachers using them is estimated to be around one in five. In colleges and high schools (secondary / CEGEP), this proportion would climb to two in five.

For various reasons, the use of digital textbooks seems to be more widespread in certain fields of study and certain disciplines. History and mathematics are among the disciplines in which the use is relatively high.

The results of this survey also show that, although open to the use of digital resources, including digital textbooks, teachers still feel interested in the paper format. In fact, 85 % of the respondents indicated that they did not wish to completely abandon paper as part of their teaching.

The technical difficulties linked to the use of technologies, the sometimes high costs of acquiring or updating this type of resources and the problems linked to the issue of copyright are reasons cited by teachers for explain why they are using it restricted.

While several teachers use digital textbooks for training purposes and as educational supplements, fewer teachers use them for evaluation purposes. To increase the use of these manuals and develop their full potential, it is believed that work will have to be done in terms of their evaluation potential and to provide meaningful feedback.

The main results of the survey are presented in a document entitled " The uses of digital resources in 2014. Main changes since 2011 ".