KNOWLEDGE OF SCHOOL UNIT EDUCATION EXECUTIVES REGARDING THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

نویسندگان

  • Konstantinos Zogopoulos PhD Candidate, Department of History-Archaeology, University of Patras, Greece
  • Labrina Gioti Associate Professor, School of Primary Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Vassilis Komis Professor, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece
  • Konstantinos Lavidas Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i8.6129

کلمات کلیدی:

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), principals, schools, professional development

چکیده

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) involves the integration of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other advanced systems into all aspects of society, including education. School principals, as key educational leaders, play a vital role in addressing both the challenges and the opportunities that 4IR presents. Their role is dynamic and continuously evolving as technology advances, making it essential for them to stay up to date with educational and technological developments. This study, part of a broader research project, aimed to explore the level of knowledge that educational executives (Principals, Deputy Principals, and Heads) across Greece possess about the 4IR. It sought to answer two main research questions: (a) To what extent do school leaders understand technologies related to the 4IR? (b) Do demographic factors such as gender, additional qualifications, or school level affect this knowledge? The study adopted a quantitative research method, using a structured questionnaire created via Google Forms. The questionnaire was distributed via email to public school directorates, including Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Junior High Schools, and High Schools across Greece. It consisted of two parts: the first collected demographic information (gender, age, school level, years of service, and role), while the second assessed knowledge of 4IR technologies through thirteen statements rated on a four-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all, 4 = To a very great extent). Data collection took place between October and mid-November 2023, with 886 school leaders ultimately participating. In terms of demographics, 55.5% of respondents were women, 58.7% were aged 51–60, and 65.5% held postgraduate degrees. Participants included 25.1% Heads of Kindergartens, 37.2% Principals/Deputy Principals/Heads of Elementary Schools, and 37.7% Principals of Junior High and High Schools (Lyceums). Regarding 4IR knowledge, participants exhibited limited understanding of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, Big Data, and Blockchain (mean scores between 1.51 and 2.28). In contrast, they demonstrated greater familiarity with more commonly used tools and platforms, including Information and Communication Technology, Social Media, and Smart Boards (mean scores between 2.64 and 3.09). This suggests a disparity between exposure to foundational digital tools and comprehension of more advanced 4IR innovations. Statistically significant differences emerged based on demographics: men had more knowledge than women; individuals with higher educational qualifications (second degree, Master’s, or Doctorate) scored higher; and Heads of Kindergartens were less knowledgeable than Principals of Higher School levels. Additionally, school leaders with more years of service (11–20 years) had a better understanding of 4IR technologies than those with fewer years of experience. The findings suggest a need for targeted training and professional development in 4IR technologies for educational leaders, with an emphasis on strengthening educational leadership to meet the challenges of this new era.

 

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بیوگرافی نویسندگان

  • Konstantinos Zogopoulos، PhD Candidate, Department of History-Archaeology, University of Patras, Greece

    Konstantinos Zogopoulos is the Principal of a Primary School. He is a graduate of the Department of Primary Education of the University of Athens and a graduate of the Department of History and Political Science at Panteion University of Athens. He has a Master's degree in Education Management from the Department of Business Administration, TEI of Western Greece (Patras). He is a PhD candidate at the Department of History-Archaeology of the University of Patras. He has published in international journals and has participated in national and international conferences. He is co-author of two books (a) Panagiotopoulos, G., Karanikola Z., & Zogopoulos, K. (2023). Skills in the contemporary context. A research dialogue. Publications: Grigoris, b) Zogopoulos, K., & Karatzas, A. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and Education. Investigation of the views of teachers in Greece. Publications: Grigoris). His main research interests are school administration, educational technologies, research methodology.

  • Labrina Gioti، Associate Professor, School of Primary Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

    Labrina Gioti is currently Associate Professor of “Adult Education” at the School of Primary Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has graduated from the Marasleios Primary Education Academy and from the Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology (spec. Psychology), of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She holds an MA and a PhD from the same University where she has also taught at the graduate and postgraduate program. She has previously worked as a Special Laboratory Educational Staff in the Department of Pedagogy in the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE) in Athens while she has worked as a teacher for many years in primary education. She also works as an Adjunct Faculty at Hellenic Open University and as a Lecturer in various postgraduate programs (Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of West Attica, Democritus University of Thrace & National Centre for Scientific Research “Democritus”). She has written two (2) books and has been the co-author of six (6) books, while she has co-edited seven (7) books. She also has more than 80 papers published in conference proceedings and journals. She has participated in several research and European projects, and she has been a member in the scientific committee and a reviewer in Conferences and International Journals. Moreover, she has worked as a trainer in various programs for adult educators and teachers’ training. Her expertise and interests include: Relationship between theory and practice in adult education; Politics and ideology of lifelong education and learning; Critical, liberating and radical adult education; Critical Reflection in the learning and education of adults; University Pedagogy.

  • Vassilis Komis، Professor, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

    Vassilis Komis is a professor at the Technical Chamber of the University of Patras with the subject "Didactics of Informatics and Applications of Information and Communication Technologies in Education". He studied Mathematics (University of Crete) and obtained a master's and doctoral degree (Sorbonne-Paris-Cité University) with a scholarship from the IKY in Didactics of Informatics. He has thirty years of teaching experience at the Universities of Patras, Athens, Crete, HOU, Macedonia, Paris Cité, Paris – CY and Rouen. He has many years of administrative experience at the University of Patras (Chairman of the Department, Dean of the School) and in Greek and international organizations (such as the Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Qualifications). He coordinates the research group "ICT in Education", is a researcher at CTI Diophantus (Education and Training Sector), and CRIFPE in Canada, as well as an expert at the Institute of Educational Policy. He has directed twenty research projects at the Greek (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Development) and international level (Horizon, FP7, Erasmus CBHE, KA2). His scientific interests concern Computer Science Education, Technology Enhanced Learning, Educational Robotics and Teacher Training in Technologies (TPACK). He has directed fifteen doctoral theses, has organized four international conferences and has published fifteen books and more than three hundred papers in international journals and conferences.

    Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=y-hRoJQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

  • Konstantinos Lavidas، Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

    Konstantinos Lavidas is an Assistant Professor with a field of expertise in "Quantitative methods in educational research and mathematical education" at the Technical Chamber of the University of Patras. At the same time, he is a Professor-Advisor in the thematic unit "Educational Research in Practice" of the Postgraduate Programs of the Humanities of the Hellenic Open University. He studied Mathematics at the University of Patras and did postgraduate studies in Education Sciences at the University of Patras. His doctoral dissertation is part of the field of mathematics teaching with the support of ICT, with emphasis on problem solving in a computing environment. For the last fifteen years, she has been teaching educational research methodology, quantitative approaches in the postgraduate curriculum and statistics I and II in the undergraduate curriculum. His published work concerns the didactic utilization of ICT as well as issues of educational research methodology.

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چاپ شده

2025-07-14

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