Interpreting teaching practices in educational technology: A study of 30 teachers' utilization of computers in classroom instruction [electronic resource]
說明
163 p
附註
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 63-05, Section: A, page: 1683
Major Professor: Rebecca S. Anderson
Thesis (Ed.D.)--The University of Memphis, 2002
Research in the past decade has shown that computer technology is an effective means for widening educational opportunities, but most teachers neither use technology as an instructional delivery system nor integrate technology into their curriculum. The result has been that students have neither been given the opportunity to engage in knowledge construction provided by technology nor become fully prepared for the digital age. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the teaching practices of 30 teachers who use computer technology in their instruction in order to understand how and why they operationalized their practices. Participants were volunteers from two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school and were identified by their schools as being proficient with technology. The study examined best practices, influences on teachers to use technology, issues and concerns of participant teachers, and student responses to technology instruction
The study found that the teachers were highly educated, skilled with technology, and delivered their lessons with enthusiasm, but that their practices lacked a constructivist teaching and learning model, with little collaborative education among students. Students' higher-order thinking skills were not challenged in meaningful ways. Word processing and Internet browser were lesson favorites, but some recommended computer applications, such as spreadsheet and database, were rarely used. Technology was used mainly because it motivated students to engage in lessons. Teachers were innovative and adept at overcoming obstacles, indicating self-efficacy was influential. Issues were that students did not have enough time on computers, and that teachers needed extra planning time for technology lessons. Other concerns were out-dated hardware, non-availability of software, technical difficulties, and student skill levels. Students were enthusiastically engaged in their computer lessons, which took place mainly in computer lab settings
Results suggest that schools will not achieve true technology integration any time soon. Small group instruction is possible in the classroom on a daily basis, but teachers are being routed into computer labs only at lengthy intervals. Schools should each have a tech-coordinator and provide more professional education programs, and teacher education programs should provide the requisite theoretical grounding in constructivism
