1. Rural Teachers' Descriptions of Classroom Technology Usefulness and Usage: A Qualitative Descriptive Design Study
- Author
-
Emily Ann Hagan
- Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive design study was to describe rural teachers' use of technology and their perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of technology in the classroom. The phenomenon explored was teachers' use, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of classroom technology. To address this problem, the researcher utilized a qualitative methodology and a qualitative descriptive design research design. The researcher conduced one-on-one semi-structured interviews with teachers as well as two focus groups that consisted of rural teachers in the United States. The sample size for the one-on-one semi-structured interviews was 13 participants and 3 participants for each of the two focus groups for a total of 19 participants. The theoretical foundation for the study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Three research questions were used to guide this study, RQ1: How do rural teachers describe their use of classroom technology, RQ2: How do rural teachers describe their perceived usefulness of technology in the classroom, and RQ3: How do rural teachers describe their perceived ease of use of classroom technology? There were six major identified themes that emerged from the research that was conducted. These six themes include programs and devices used in practice, application of technology for lessons, impact of technology on student achievement, technology to increase teaching effectiveness, challenges with technology, and support for using technology in schools. The research supports the research which states that rural teachers face unique challenges when using technology and that more training is needed for teacher technology usage in rural schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2024