Educational Technology Commons^™

Covid-19 Online Learning: Characteristics And Perceptions Of Newly Struggling High School Students, Kristine Webster

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide closures of schools resulting in a sudden shift to online instruction for a large population of students. For many students, this shift caused a decrease in academic performance. This four-paper dissertation explores the impact of this shift on newly struggling high school students. These students earned a D or F as their final course grade in two or more classes during the first semester of 2020 online learning but earned zero or one D or F final course grade during the first semester of 2019 with in person instruction.Using a correlational research design, the first …

Using Utuat To Investigate Corporate Acceptance Of Optional Online Training Programs In Saudi Arabia, Asma Albahli

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The pandemic and post pandemic job market showed the importance of online professional training for employees to improve professional skills necessary to acquire skills to adapt to the new environment and get promoted in their current professions, while contributing to organizations’ success. The present dissertation study utilized the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTUAT) as the theoretical lens to examine the effect of performance expectation (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and social influence (SI) on the behavioral intention (BI) of Saudi Arabian corporate employees working at organizations and companies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to use optional online training …

Investigating Determinants Of Faculty Members’ Intentions To Use Mobile Learning For Educational Purposes, Ibrahim Abdullah Albahli

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Mobile learning is a rapidly growing field in education that has gained increasing worldwide attention in recent years due to the widespread availability of mobile devices and their potential to enhance learning experiences. In Saudi Arabia, higher education institutions have explored the use of mobile learning to support teaching and learning, though limited research examines factors related to the use of mobile learning by faculty members. To ensure the success of mobile learning integration in higher education environments, it is vital to examine faculty members’ behavioral intentions to use mobile learning for educational purposes. This quantitative study investigated how the …

School Librarian Self-Efficacy Beliefs About Integrating Technology During Inquiry-Based Learning: A Mixed Methods Study, Joseph James Babb

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purposes of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study were to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of school librarians about integrating technology during inquiry-based learning during the quantitative phase and then to explore how these practices about technology integration during inquiry-based learning were being implemented during the qualitative phase. This study was conducted to better understand the self-efficacy beliefs of school librarians and how they provided students with authentic and meaningful experiences when integrating technology during inquiry-based learning. For the quantitative strand of research, the Technology Integration Self-Efficacy Scale (Wang et al., 2004) was slightly modified to tailor it for school …

University Faculty Perceptions Of Mandatory Online Training As Related To Training Self-Efficacy, Motivation, And Utility, Tori Austin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Organizations spend millions of dollars training employees in ways to improve their skills –recently through mandatory professional development delivered virtually or through online asynchronous platforms. This research investigated how social exchange theory and self-efficacy theory inform faculty participants’ motivation to transfer such knowledge and skills from mandatory online trainings into their workplace practices. Faculty who had attended mandatory online training were asked to complete a 25-item survey about their motivation to transfer information from the training into their workplace practice as well as their perceived utility of training and their training self-efficacy. This study examined the extent to which motivation …

Secondary School Gifted Students’ Attitude Toward The Classera Learning Management System In Saudi Arabia, Mansour Alamri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined secondary students’ attitude toward the Classera learning management system (LMS) within the context of gifted education in Saudi Arabia. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were collected using the TAM survey, which consisted three subscales: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude. The data were collected from 306 gifted students in a secondary school in Saudi Arabia.Results indicated that gifted students’ attitude toward the Classera LMS is positive and showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were statistically significant predictors of gifted students’ attitude toward …

Engagement Detection Using Prosodic Cues: An Approach For Measuring Child Emotional Engagement Level In Child-Robot Interaction Scenario, Mustafa Oztoprak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The ultimate goal of advanced child-robot interaction is to develop a high-level intelligencecommunication channel in a closed-loop configuration with the child as the focal point of the instructional scenario. This goal can be met by establishing efficient sensing mechanisms on the robot’s side, such as automatic engagement measuring, which will allow the robot to alter its behavior or even the instructional scenario’s execution.Recent researches, regarding engagement recognition systems mostly based on facial or multi-modal features.We would like to investigate this topic using prosodic cues only. We believe speech characteristics are more likely to be related to child speaker engagement level.This …

Coming Off Mute: A Case Study Of Elementary Students' Perceptions Of Remote Learning During The Height Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Karen L. Ladendorf

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how elementary students perceived their learning and engagement in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five students elected to join the study with parental permission, ranging in grades 3rd – 5th. Interviews were conducted on Zoom with the students as well as their teachers and the students were observed during synchronous learning times.Data analysis identified three areas of themes: the remote learning experience, control and power struggles, and preferences for or against remote learning. Within the first area, the remote learning experience, students identified ways to personalize their …

Factors Influencing Faculty Members’ Behavioral Intentions To Use Flipped Classrooms In Saudi Arabia At Taif University, Abier Jaber Akiry

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the differences among faculty members at Taif University in Saudi Arabia regarding their behavioral intentions toward the use of flipped classrooms. This study investigated the relationship between the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) constructs and the behavioral intention of faculty members. Gender was studied as a potential moderator of the relationship between each of the three predictors (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence) and the outcome (behavioral intention). Quantitative methods were used to collect data from 197 survey respondents. Findings showed that performance expectancy and effort expectancy were the only statistically significant …

Using Community Of Inquiry To Examine The Effect Of Station Rotation Strategy In Elementary Mathematics, Ahmad Alshahrani

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been implemented to encourage students to learn through problem-solving in the KSA. However, this method does not address students’ capability to apply the knowledge learned and a new learning approach are needed. The current study examined the effects of using a station rotation strategy on students’ achievement, attitude, and educational presence using a sample of 50 male sixth-grade mathematics students in the KSA, using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) as a framework. The findings demonstrated that there were statistically significant, positive effects of the station rotation strategy on student achievement, student attitude, and student education presence …

Examining Teachers' Use Of Adaptive Diagnostic Assessment To Improve Mathematics Teaching And Learning, Dalal H. Alfageh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined teachers’ perceptions and use of adaptive diagnostic assessment for improving teaching and learning of elementary level mathematics. Specifically, this case study was conducted at some of the leading primary schools in a Midwestern school district. TPACK theory was used as the theoretical framework for this case study to provide an understanding of how the teaching and learning of mathematics occurs in the classroom and the changes that occur due to the implementation of adaptive diagnostic assessments. A survey, individual interviews, a focus group, and journal reflections were used for data collection. The findings of this …

The Impact Of An Immersive Virtual Reality Learning Environment With Computer-Aided Design And Three-Dimensional Modeling Through Stem Middle-School Education Programming, Danielle Eve Schneider

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Immersive virtual reality as a tool in the middle-school classroom is a promising avenue to aid in cognitively challenging tasks requiring access to visual processes. As these tools become ever present in society, the expectation of school districts to include them into classroom curricula has become challenging, as there is inconsistent data connecting to beneficial learning outcomes. Middle-School STEM classrooms experience an exceptional challenge in the expectation to build strong spatial reasoning skills on rudimentary geometry concepts. It is with that in mind that many 21st-century technology classrooms turn to immersive virtual reality, such as Oculus Rift, as a tool …

An Exploration Of The Technological, Technological-Pedagogical, And Technological And Instructional Challenges That Saudi Faculty Face In Their Transition To Online Education, Mshael Aldakheel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The rapid pace of globalization has contributed to the expansion of fully online programs and course offerings over the past decades. Additionally, the current COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the move to online instruction worldwide. Various challenges have become evident when transitioning to online education. Thus, this qualitative case study explored the technological challenges, technological pedagogical challenges, and technological content challenges that faculty members at a higher institution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) faced while transitioning from fully face-to-face instruction to fully online instruction. Three research questions were addressed. Findings indicated participants experienced challenges pertaining to the role of the …

Comparing Students’ Academic Achievement And Attitudes In Undergraduate Flipped And Non-Flipped Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Study, Rabab Alareifi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Today’s classrooms are filled with a diversity of students of different cultural backgrounds, languages, and socioeconomic statuses, and these differences can impact the students’ learning styles and outcomes. To meet their individual needs, the focus of educational institutions has been on transforming the role of teachers from lecturers to “guides on the side” by developing student-centered active learning strategies and employing effective instruction.A flipped classroom model of instruction is student centered and grounded in the constructivist theory of learning and serves as a potential instructional model to achieve these goals. Recently, a movement has emerged in higher educational institutions in …

Investigating The Determinants Of Mobile Computer Acceptance By Special Education Teachers, Rashed Alsulami

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The development of special education teaching has recently been shifting to highlight the importance of integrating technology to this essential field of education. The integration process, however, requires teachers to “buy in” to facilitate implementation and use of such methods for improving instructional practice. Thus, there is a need to investigate factors that affect special education teachers’ acceptance of using mobile computer devices as an instructional tool. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants that predict Saudi Arabian special education teachers’ behavioral intention of using mobile computer devices as an instructional tool in their classrooms, as well …

The Effect Of Digital Game-Based Learning On Students' Motivation In Math Classes, Rania Abdulkareem Kokandy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Students often see mathematics as a hard subject because they have to rely on logic, mathematical theories of equations, proofs, and some of math concepts that are difficult to understand, which contributes to students’ poor performance and low motivation to learn math. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of using digital math games on fourth-grade elementary students' motivation to learn math in Saudi Arabia. This study also focused on the effects of gender differences on their motivation to learn math. Data for this a quasi-experimental research were collected from 200 students using a pre- …

The Use Of Technology In Bilingual Elementary Settings To Involve Hispanic Families, José Antonio Moya Roda

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that parental involvement serves as a protective factor for students whose families lack financial and educational resources. Hispanic parents often find barriers at school that prevent them from participating in school-based activities such as communication problems, lack of time to go to the school at prescribed times, and cultural norms about classroom visits. With social networking services (SNS) like SeeSaw, which are similar to traditional social media like Facebook, now available to schools, Hispanic parents have the opportunity of observing the students in their educational context through videos and photos posted on these SNSs. These opportunities are …

Left To Their Own Devices: Parents’ Mediation Of Children’S Technology, Rike Neubert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the link between digital device use and learning among 3rd through 8th graders. Specifically, it examined whether parenting strategies aimed at enabling or restricting device use can mediate the link between children’s time on device and learning outcomes. Moreover, this study examined whether certain vulnerability factors within a child’s ecological system, such as ADHD Symptoms, parents’ own digital literacy, and parents’ relationship with the school, might weaken or strengthen the success of parental mediation strategies in the association between time on devices and learning. Findings aimed to inform growing equity questions around varying levels of digital …

Relationship Between Student Personality Traits And Continuance Intention To Use Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs), Rakez Mahmoud Al-Ararah

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Recently, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have started to play an important role in e-learning initiatives and have become increasingly popular among e-learning communities. However, the dropout rates of students in MOOCs have become an issue that needs to be studied by MOOC providers, researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders (Daneji, Ayub, & Khambari, 2019). The current study employed the Five-Factor Model (FFM), and the Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) to examine the effect of personality traits on learners’ continuance intention to use MOOCs via Edraak in Jordan. This study also explored gender differences in the posited relationships.An online survey was distributed to 6,000 …

The Effects Of Mini-Lectures On Students’ Academic Achievement In An Adaptive E-Learning Environment: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Antonella Scarpiello

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This mixed-methods case study examines the effects of adaptive e-learning approaches focused on the connection between instructional material, structured as mini-lectures learned by following adaptive e-learning pathways, and student academic achievement. Specifically, it analyzes mini-video lectures' effectiveness in helping students understand challenging concepts and improve their overall performance. This study demonstrates that the interactive and student-controlled nature of mini-videos, embedded in an adaptive platform, provides students with personalized learning that places them at the center of their educational experience and significantly improves their classroom performance. The quantitative outcomes reveal that students have positively responded to adaptive e-learning strategies and activities …

The Efficacy Of Educational Robotics In An Integrated Stem Elementary Curriculum, Colleen Marie Cannon-Ruffo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

While there has never been a greater demand for STEM education, the U.S. is still struggling to define and implement this type of instruction. Identifying innovative and effective ways of improving STEM education in the K-12 environment is vital to the U.S. to remain economically viable on a global level. The multidisciplinary aspect of educational robotics facilitates an integrated approach to STEM learning which espouses the educational theories of Constructionism and Computational Thinking. The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive and affective out-comes of participation in an integrated STEM curriculum based on educational robotics. The integrated STEM …

Case Study: Examining Perceptions Of Students With Low Vision In Online Courses, Asma Fuad Marghalani

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the most helpful accommodations for students with low vision in online courses. Utilizing online surveys and individual interviews, this case study took place at a U.S. public university in the Midwest. The theoretical framework for this study was Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The findings indicate that students with low vision prefer receiving text and audio information. Additionally, the findings showed that extended time was the most helpful accommodation, alternative formats for materials, headings, and color-contrasting for online content were the most helpful accessibility aspects, and screen readers were the most helpful assistive technology. The …

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 …

An Analysis Of Online Faculty Training Practices In The Illinois Community College System, Melissa Andrews

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated existing training practices for online faculty and instructors in the Illinois community college system. From 2004 to 2014, higher education showed a 60% increase in online enrollment, with 1.9 million students enrolled nationally in online courses at public two-year institutions. In the state of Illinois, public two-year institutions enrolled 32.9% of all distance education courses . As online learning continues to alter the educational landscape, new issues confront instructors and students. Preparing faculty to teach online is an important component for student success in online programs but professional development for online instructors varies in different universities.

A …

Case Study Examining Foreign Language Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Tpack) In Teaching Listening And Speaking Skills In Virtual Worlds, Rahmi Hartati Aoyama

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study utilizes the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to provide a holistic view of how language teachers demonstrate their TPACK in teaching listening and speaking in virtual worlds. Seven language teachers who taught in informal virtual language class settings participated in this study. The teachers’ TPACK skills were examined through archived online chat transcripts for each observed class, one-on-one interviews with each language instructor, TPACK and demographic surveys, observation notes, and class documents from the instructors. The researcher took several steps to code the TPACK survey data to identify patterns by comparing the mean …

Elementary School Teacher Characteristics Associated With Self-Efficacy For Using Technology To Implement Constructivist Content Instruction: An Explanatory Correlational Study, Patricia Barton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Technology mediated constructivist practices may be effective, but there are challenges for implementing them, and one challenge is the teachers themselves and their self-efficacy. Teachers of different backgrounds may differ on self-efficacy in technology mediated constructivist practices, and those possible differences can warrant different training approaches. For this study, 212 K-5 teachers from small to medium sized rural and suburban school districts in the Midwestern US, as well as teachers from a variety of other geographic areas, completed an online survey. The dependent variable self-efficacy in Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (SE-C-TPACK) was regressed on the independent variables. The independent …

Temporal Contiguity And Verbal Redundancy In Online Instruction: Examining Boundary Conditions For Multimedia Learning, Hal Hinderliter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning has enjoyed a prominent role in guiding the development of online instruction, but recent research has proposed boundary conditions for some of its key principles. Moreno and Mayer advanced the possibility of a reverse redundancy effect when narration and fully redundant on-screen text are presented in a temporally contiguous manner. The current study investigated the interaction and main effects of temporal contiguity and verbal redundancy by randomly assigning university students to one of four narrated text-only online lectures. Existing knowledge of the topic of instruction, information literacy, was assessed using a 15-question selected-response instrument …

Saudi Students’ Attitude Toward Using Mobile Applications In Learning English Vocabulary, Talal Ali Abozandah

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitude of Saudi students utilizing mobile applications for learning English vocabulary. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the technology acceptance model (TAM). In this study TAM theory included two main constructs, namely perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, to predict an individual’s attitude toward using new technology (Davis, 1989). A survey was used to collect data, and the survey consisted of two sections. The first section asked participants for demographic information, and the second section included Likert items pertaining to students’ attitudes toward using mobile applications to learn …

In And Out Of School Literacies: Adolescents Negotiating And Navigating Identities Through Social Media, Brooke Elizabeth Simon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Through the theoretical lens of connected learning and a pedagogy of multiliteracies, this

embedded case study provides an intimate portrait of two adolescents (ages 14-15), Rehema and

Luis. The focus of the study is their uses of social media both in and out of the classroom, their

purposes, practices, and perspectives surrounding this use, and the tensions that exist between

building and maintaining their identities within social networking sites (SNS) and the crossover

of their teachers and school utilizing these same SNS for learning purposes. The findings reveal

that for these particular focal participants, the use of SNS, both in …

Exploring The Use Of Podcasts On Students’ Language Learning And Change Of Students’ Self-Efficacy About The Use Of Podcasts, Silvia Rehulina Ginting

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Similar to other types of mobile technologies, podcasts are believed to provide many advantages for language instruction, including English as a second language (ESL) learners’ listening skills and pronunciation and changes in their self-efficacy from using the podcasts for learning ESL. The convergent parallel mixed methods design used Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy as foundations. It used 11 different instruments to collect quantitative data and qualitative data from two sections of an upper-intermediate ESL class at one university in Midwest United States. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-test, a post-test, and the note taking quizzes …