Examining Teachers Barriers to Technology Integration
Ruth-Marie Clark
Introduction
The state of California adopted the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) in 2010, outlining clear and consistent
learning goals to assist students as they prepare for college
and careers. Along with the new CCSS, the College and
Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards for Reading
outline how technology and multimedia tools play a major
role in supporting students as they gain knowledge and
skills. With the implementation of the CCRs, teachers were
expected to implement technology into their daily lessons,
as well as use technology to administer the annual statewide
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)
assessment beginning in the spring of 2015. As teachers
implement the new standards and administer the SBAC
assessment, they also face technology barriers. Barriers can
be classified as first-order or external factors, meaning they
exist or occur outside of the classroom, and may include
technical issues, lack of technology, and insufficient support
and training. Second-order barriers or internal factors have
to do with teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards technology
use in the classroom (Ertmer, 1999).
Statement of the Problem
The purpose of this exploratory study was to understand the
barriers teachers face when integrating technology into the
classroom. As more students coming into the classroom are
digital natives, teachers must have the methodology and
hardware to address their needs.
Setting
This exploratory study was conducted at a WASC accredited
teacher preparation institution in central California. The
teacher preparation college partners with local school
districts. Credential programs offered include Teaching and
Administrative Service Credentials, Induction (BTSA),
Masters in Education and non-degree programs. Classes
meet in the evenings in a cohort model twice a week for two
years. Participants in this study were enrolled in the
credential program as the 'Teacher of Record' within their
own classroom.
Research Questions
1. What barriers do teachers encounter when integrating
technology into their classroom lessons?
2. Do teachers' ages, years in the classroom, or attitude
towards technology, hinder or improve technology
integration?
College of Education ~ iMET ~ Educational Technology
Methodology
The methodology used to gather data for this exploratory study
focused on collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative
and qualitative data. A survey was constructed to rate barriers
teachers' face when implementing technology. The survey was
comprised of 18 items relating to barriers. Of the items
surveyed, 15 employed a Likert scale (1-not a barrier, 2-small
barrier, 3-moderate barrier, 4-great barrier) and three were
open-ended responses. Percentages, descriptive statistics
(mean), and standard deviations for each Likert scale question
were computed and displayed in tables. The three open-ended
response questions were coded, grouped into themes, and
compared.
Participants
Eight cohorts were randomly selected by the teachers college
for participation. Cohort enrollment varied, meaning there was
no minimum or maximum capacity of any one cohort. Eight
cohorts of the credential program were assigned to the study.
All participants (N=165) enrolled in the eight cohorts were given
the survey.
Data
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Mark A. Rodriguez
Acknowledgements Professors: Dr. Chia-Jung Chung, Dr. David Jelinek, Bill Storm
Teachers College of San Joaquin - SJCOE
Results
Perceived Barriers by Participants as a Whole
Not enough time to collaborate/plan/prepare to integrate
technology was the greatest perceived barrier cited by
participants as a whole.
Receiving support from administrator was the least
perceived barriers cited by participants as a whole.
Perceived Barriers by Credential Program
Not having enough time to collaborate/plan/prepare to
integrate technology was felt by a majority of the participants
as the greatest perceived barrier when compared across all
three credential programs.
Receiving support from administrators, predictability of the
learning outcome, and insufficient knowledge of technology-
related-classroom management were the least perceived
barriers when comparing credential programs.
Perceived Barriers by Age Group
Not having enough time to collaborate/plan/prepare to
integrate technology was felt by a majority of the participants
as the greatest perceived barrier when compared across all
age groups.
Receiving support from administrators, predictability of the
learning outcome, and curriculum that doesn't support
technology were the least perceived barriers when comparing
age groups.
To analyze barriers between age groups, a single factor
ANOVA test was conducted (Table 4). The summary
variance between age groups was not significant at the .05
level. ANOVA F-value of 2.35 is less than the F-critical value
of 2.77, which shows that there is no significant difference
of greater perceived barriers between age groups.
If you had resources for
technology training, would you
seek out training on your own
time, or prefer your district to
provide training during
contractual days?
Concerning the use or
integration of technology,
what is the one area in which
you would most like to
receive training or
professional development?
What is the number one
barrier that prevents you
from integrating more
technology into your
lessons?
Conclusion
This study was able to explore perceived barriers by the
degree to which participants rated the barriers presented to
them. This exploratory study was unable to determine if
teachers' age, years in the classroom, or attitude towards
technology, hindered or improved technology integration.
The findings show us that with this population that there is
no difference in perceived barriers when addressing
teachers' age or years in the classroom. A larger population
may be needed in order to identify perceived barriers by
age or years in the classroom. It is recommended by the
researcher that teacher preparation programs infuse
method courses with technology and update master
teachers with up-to-date technology skills. School districts
and site administrators will have the task of making sure
that technology is available to students, quality professional
development is provided to teachers allowing time to
collaborate/plan/prepare, and support with technology is
readily available.
http://rclarkimet.weebly.com/