Date of Award

Spring 5-13-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Leadership

Committee Chair

Dr. Jonathan B. Beedle

Committee Chair School

Leadership

Committee Member 2

Dr. Lilian H. Hill

Committee Member 2 School

Education

Committee Member 3

Dr. Richard S. Mohn

Committee Member 3 School

Education

Committee Member 4

Dr. Shuyan Wang

Committee Member 4 School

Leadership

Abstract

Successful One-to-One Computing Initiative implementation requires educators to communicate and collaborate effectively with everyone in the learning community. However, other factors such as teacher’s professional development, student’s perception, and parent’s perception often affect the implementation of the One-to-One Computing Initiative. School districts, which serve low-income areas in Mississippi, have difficulties ensuring students and communities have access to the information technology they need to participate outside the school setting. The concept is often called digital equity. However, when officials do not address the capacity, there is a vital threat to the participants’ civic, cultural, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services critical in a global society, democracy, and economy. Limited access to information and communication often exists in Mississippi’s low-income areas, with economic, academic, and social inequality. Therefore, school districts across the country and Mississippi adopted one-to-one technology programs to give students access to mobile devices. However, despite millions of dollars spent on devices, deployment, and maintenance, school districts are finding many issues that still hinder student access to technology outside the school setting. This mixed-method research examined issues that affect the implementation of one-to-one technology in low-income areas. School officials from three school districts, parents from 113 school districts, and public charter schools in Mississippi participate in the research study. District officials and the parents lived in both urban and rural areas. The age group of the participants varied along with their gender. An interview protocol for school officials, comprising of 24 questions for teachers, 10 questions for technology directors, 12 questions for curriculum directors and instructional technologists, and 9 questions for administrators, was used to collect data about the school officials’ perception of the implementation process of one-to-one programs. Also, a questionnaire for parents, comprising of 6 questions, was used to collect demographics, types of devices students used at home, types of internet connection, quality of internet connection, and other information. The study examined the impact of one-to-one computing initiatives on digital equity in rural areas in Mississippi, program implementation challenges, difficulties to have full program participation, and factors affecting the participation rate in rural versus non-rural areas.

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