Date of Award

Spring 5-2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Chair

Ronald Styron, Jr.

Committee Chair Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Member 2

Taralynn Hartsell

Committee Member 2 Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education

Committee Member 3

James T. Johnson

Committee Member 4

David E. Lee

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Abstract

Although research has concluded that technology can enhance the teaching and learning processes, teachers have not yet fully adopted technology to support their teaching methodologies. In the last decade or so, as the accessible gap narrowed, the focus switched to other factors. This study attempts to answer the question: Why teachers do not fully integrate technology into their classroom instruction?

Recently a preponderance of the literature on technology integration has inquired into teachers’ knowledge of technology, the role of the administrator, the curriculum and teachers’ perception of the benefits of technology in instruction. The problem was to determine the relationship between these constructs and teachers’ use of technology in their classroom instruction.

A survey, using a five-point Likert Scale was developed to collect data from 105 teachers from three small schools located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Pearson Product-Moment Correlations was used to analyze the data to find answers to seven research questions and four hypotheses.

The results of the analysis showed that the most significant relationship existed between teachers’ knowledge of technology and teachers’ use of technology in their classroom instruction. However, the most thought provoking question emanating from this research centers on the effect of teachers’ perception of the benefits of technology on teachers’ use of technology in their classroom instruction. Therefore, no research on technology integration is complete unless teachers’ perception about technology is considered. Thus, one of the recommendations for further study is research on whether teachers’ perception of technology increases or diminishes with teachers’ knowledge of technology

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