Education Commons^™

Defining And Measuring Learner-Content Interaction In Digitally Augmented Learning Experiences, Sandra Thatcher Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Using content analysis, researchers reviewed literature to identify the meanings attached to and methods used for measuring learner-content interaction in digitally augmented learning experience. Digitally augmented learning experiences are defined in this dissertation as situations where a learner interacts with content delivered using a computer. Examples include online learning using a desktop, laptop, or mobile device, classroom use of a device to interact with content such as a digital textbook, computer simulation, augmented or virtual reality, smart watch or phone, or other similar educational activities. These activities can be delivered directly from a digital device, over a wireless connection, or …

Evaluating Impact And Perception Of A Structured Online Peer Evaluation System Among Graduate Communication Capstone Students Through Action Research, Karen Larimore Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

Although enrollment in online courses continues to accelerate, challenges exist in online learning. A failure to experience collaboration and interaction can impact student retention and success. While peer review activity provides student interaction and the development of a collaborative community of learners, higher education environments have failed to equip students with the knowledge and tools to ensure adept participation. As students offer limited participation and low-quality engagement in routine online peer review activities, the purpose of this action research was to implement and evaluate the impact of a structured online peer evaluation system for Graduate Communication Capstone students at the …

Enhancing The Edtech Ecosystem In A British Columbia School District, Suzanne J. Chisholm

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Technology has brought significant opportunities to education, but they are largely being lost. In many cases, spending on educational technology (EdTech) has not resulted in improved student outcomes. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the problem of practice (PoP) of a lack of a framework and supports for K-12 teachers to effectively utilize EdTech in classrooms in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC). Using a BC school district as a case study, I propose strategies for how leaders can craft and implement a change plan to enhance an EdTech ecosystem that best supports teachers and learners. Establishing a framework …

One District’S Stakeholders’ Descriptions Of The Supports And Barriers Impacting The Use Of A Digital Mathematics Curriculum, Andrew R. Mills

All NMU Master's Theses

Digital Curriculum Resources are a new, fast-growing educational technology for learning mathematics that can allow today’s classroom to be transformed instantaneously. More efficient technology, however, does not necessarily equate to increased student achievement. To ensure that these technologies benefit their learners, it will become critical for schools to identify potential barriers and develop plans for addressing these barriers during implementation. This qualitative case study sought to better understand the experiences of various stakeholder groups at a suburban middle school that has used a digital mathematics curriculum for the last two school years. Using an interview protocol, two administrators, five teachers, …

21st Century Physics Homework: A Mixed-Methods Approach Evaluating How An Individualized Online Homework Platform Can Provide Quality Feedback And Help Physics Students Engage In Self-Regulated Learning, Scott Philip Buhr

Theses and Dissertations

American secondary students spend many hours each week working on homework. To get the most out of this homework, students need to receive quality feedback and engage in self-regulated learning when completing homework tasks. For teachers, traditional paper-and-pencil homework means extra time spent grading rather than giving good feedback. This study aims to answer the following questions: 1) How and to what extent does the implementation of individualized online homework and feedback impact self-regulated learning among Honors Physics high school students? and 2) How does the implementation of individualized online homework impact students’ perception of the feedback quality provided by …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Educational Technology, Matthew Joseph Fugere

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

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 …

Technology Use In The Classroom, Danny Mooers

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated students’ perceptions about the use the use of technology in the classroom. The participants were English Language Arts students at a high school in Iowa. The participants included 33 freshman, 28 juniors and 15 seniors. Students were given a survey to gauge their perceptions of how the use of technology in the classroom impacted their engagement and allowed them to meet learning targets. Additionally, the survey examined students’ perceptions regarding the benefits and limitations of technology in the classroom. The results of this study suggest that students perceived the use of technology to be more …

Using Admissions Data To Create A First-Semester Academic Success Model, David James Byrnes Jr.

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is attracting more students from diverse background especially at public community colleges. These institutions can help these students attain a quality education at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, community colleges have lower graduation rates than 4-year institutions in part due to the diverse needs and variety in academic preparedness amongst their populations. It can be difficult to identify students most at risk of performing poorly until it is too late. There are multiple ways to predict students’ performance. In this study, three common data mining techniques are compared for their accuracy in predicting academic success using only data collected …

Technology Effectiveness In Teaching Statistics: Best-Evidence Meta-Analysis, Zita Tiamuh

Dissertations

Evidence about technology effectiveness in supporting post-secondary students’ learning of introductory statistics concepts is inconclusive. Lacking in current investigations are considerations of the synergies between technology, content, and pedagogy that influence learning outcomes in statistics education. The current study used meta-analytic procedures to address the gap between theory and practice related to the best evidence of effective instructional practices in technology-enhanced introductory statistics classrooms. A conceptual framework based on the ADDIE model, TPACK, and constructivism guided the investigation of substantive study characteristics related to instructional design.

Findings were based on 32 studies published between 1998-2018 that used quasi-experimental or experimental …

Technology In Education: The Ongoing Debate Of Access, Adequacy And Equity, Kristiana Roth

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Technology is intertwined in all aspects of our lives. Technology has evolved in ways that were once considered unimaginable. Yet, access to these advancements in technology are not adequate, especially throughout our education system. The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the significance technology can have on our education system today. This paper will reflect research which supports the integration of technology beginning in early childhood classrooms. This paper will also reflect on the injustices that exist in how educational technology is unequally distributed between socio-economic status. More is available to wealthy, white students. While people from …

Anxiety In Presentational And Interpersonal Oral Tasks Face-To-Face And Online, Angus Leydic

Theses and Dissertations

Within computer mediated communication, there has been a large focus on synchronous and asynchronous text-based methods and how it can be used to help oral proficiency and lower anxiety but very few studies have looked at how audio computer mediated communicative tasks affect anxiety. This study sets out to seek whether using audio computer mediated communication helps lower anxiety for beginner Spanish language students. In order to do so, three research questions are suggested: (1) How do participants’ levels of FLA differ between presentational oral tasks completed in the classroom and presentational tasks completed in an online interface? (2) How …

Adopting Educational Technology: A Study Of Dominican Republic Higher Education Faculty Related To Their Classroom Usage, Attitudes, Barriers, And Motivations, Leipzig Elizabeth Guzmán Mena

Dissertations

Previous research has revealed that the integration of technology in education produces an improvement in the traditional teaching and learning process, but that there is a disconnect between faculty adoption of educational technology and the requirements of our current generation of students (Rhema & Miliszewska, 2014; Selwyn, 2009). While students are now fully immersed in technology, some faculty still do not give adequate significance to its adoption in their classes. This disconnect represents a problem for these students’ learning experiences.

The purpose of this study was to explore faculty experiences regarding the adoption of educational technology within a private HEI …

Teachers’ Needs And Preferences Vs. Administrators’ Perceptions: Recommendations For Educational Technology-Focused Professional Development Using Action Research In A Suburban High School, Lori Latham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to identify and describe teachers’ needs and preferences and administrator perceptions of teachers’ needs and preferences for educational technology-focused professional development at a public southeastern high school in a suburban school district in order to make recommendations for future professional development. In our fast-paced, ever-changing digital landscape, professional development should emphasize the effective use of educational technology while also catering to goals and ability levels of educators. Teachers are tasked with instilling digital literacy skills with their students but need quality professional development to do so. This study focused on two research questions. …

Teacher Perceptions Of Digital Gaming And 21st-Century Skills In The Middle School Classroom, Elizabeth Omegna

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Teacher Perceptions of digital gaming and 21st-century skills in Middle School classrooms

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to capture teacher perceptions on the use of digital gaming in the learning environment of middle school classrooms. Additionally, to speak to perceptions on learning of 21st-century skills such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking.

This study of two middle schools in the same district in suburban New Jersey was utilized for capturing the ideas of teachers who employed a variety of digital games in the classroom as part of their learning objectives.

An interview protocol was utilized to direct questions …

The ‘ Dialogic’ Of Pedagogical Design: Elementary Teachers Who Consistently Integrate Digital Technologies, Aaron R. Gierhart

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the pervasiveness of digital technologies in society and educational settings, gaps in digital participation for elementary learners and means-end views of the benefits and effectiveness of digital innovations for teaching and learning persist. The focus on digital technologies at the elementary level must shift to critical pedagogy in order to promote effective teaching and learning and equitable student participation in an increasingly digital society. A teacher’s pedagogy continually evolves across their entire life journey and is never fully mastered; therefore, in order to better understand the development of pedagogical design with digital technologies by elementary teachers, it was vital …

Teachers’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Confidence Levels And Technology Integration In Urban Schools, Renée Rousey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many K–12 schools do not exploit the advantages of technology, despite the influx of equipment that can enhance pedagogy and student success. A gap exists in the literature about the extent to which urban teachers’ perceptions influence technology use in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the ABCs of K–12 teachers regarding technology integration in their classrooms. Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory and the technological pedagogical content knowledge model were the frameworks for this study. The research questions examined teachers’ intrinsic factors that impact the integration of technology in the urban classroom and the perceptions …

Teacher Characteristics And Blended Learning Adoption In Stem-Focused Charter Schools, Omer Faruk Polat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As an innovative teaching strategy, blended learning provides an environment where students are able to receive individualized instruction based on their needs. Even though the number of schools that adopt blended models of instruction has been increasing nationwide, the number of studies that explore the relationship between teacher characteristics and blended learning use is limited. This quantitative survey study explored the relationship between selected characteristics of teachers and the levels of blended learning adoption in charter schools with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus. The concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) was used as a theoretical lens as it provided tools …

Assessment Of Faculty Acceptance Of, Behavioral Intention To Use, And Actual Usage Behavior Of Technology In Inquiry-Based Learning In Medical Education: Using The Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology, Max Carl Anderson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is an umbrella term used in this quantitative study to describe three different, yet related teaching methodologies: case-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and team-based learning (TBL). Each of these IBL activities involves a problem or situation for students in teams to find solutions. The problems to be solved have the most impact for students when they are connected to a real-life situation. While none of the three methodologies require the use of educational technology to be successfully implemented, there are situations where it could augment or improve content delivery. In medical education, situational problems for students …

Instructional Faculty Perspectives On Connectivist Practices In Professional Development Activities, Gary Wayne Hunter Looney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration among instructional faculty to improve technology use in their teaching is insufficiently studied. The research problem addresses this gap in the literature of faculty collaboration using information and communication technologies (ICT) via professional development courses. The purpose of this qualitative study was to elicit instructional faculty perspectives in a U.S. southeast regional community college about collaboration opportunities and ICT in professional development activities. This study utilized Siemens’ connectivism as the conceptual framework. The three research questions focused on opportunities for collaboration within professional development activities; perceived effectiveness of these activities that incorporated ICT with and without human interaction; and …

Teachers' Use Of Technology In Lesson Planning And Presentation In Palau, Sinton Soalablai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School leaders must balance strong public demand for technology in schools, scarce and increasingly strained public financial resources, lack of research with clear relevance to the local context, and having to respond to real-time demands to make immediate and prudent decisions that affect long-term strategy. In recent years, the Palau Ministry of Education (PMOE) invested heavily in an expensive 1:1 tablet program but had not determined if the program produced the expected positive changes in elementary teachers' instructional delivery. Guided by experiential learning theory, the purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if the 1:1 tablet program resulted …