Date of Award

Summer 2020

Document Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Department

STEM Education & Professional Studies

Program/Concentration

Occupational and Technical Studies

Committee Director

Michael F. Kosloski, Jr.

Abstract

Technology integration in modern classrooms continues to be an important aspect of teaching. However, even if long standing barriers to technology like access and funding are lifted, teachers do not always integrate technology in their classrooms. This action research study collected interview data from a single high school English Language Arts (ELA) department. Teachers were interviewed over Zoom using an interview protocol that contained 14 semi-structured questions. The interview questions asked teachers questions about how they perceive the technology they use in their day-to-day work and if that technology provides their students with meaningful learning experiences. The results of the study showed that the interviewed teachers generally had positive perceptions of how useful technology was for their jobs, but they also showed that the choices they have for technology tools makes it very challenging to find the right tool for their specific classrooms’ needs. Teachers also explained that their students sometimes expressed that technology integration was at times exhausting. This sentiment led to some teachers designing more lessons and activities that intentionally did not use modern technology tools in order to create more variety compared to lessons that relied on technology.

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