The purpose of this study was to measure stages of teacher concern about the use of instructional technology in the elementary classroom. The study examined the role of instructional technology as a change innovation within the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM).Elementary schools selected for this study were identified through the Indiana Department of Education's School Technology Profile completed during the spring of 2000. Stages of Concern Questionnaires (SoCQ) were mailed and systematically distributed to teachers in each school during the fall of 2002. The SoCQ consisted of thirty-five Likert-scale items that asked respondents to rate statements concerning instructional technology on a five-point scale.Data obtained from the Stages of Concern Questionnaire were analyzed, summarized, and presented in narrative form. Tables were developed to report the data. The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings in the study:1. Change innovations exist as a developmental pattern consisting of personal feelings and perceptions that evolve as the change process unfolds.2. Instructional technology exists as a change innovation for Indiana elementary teachers.3. Concerns expressed by Indiana elementary teachers toward instructional technology exist with similar levels of intensity at seven developmental stages.4. Among Indiana elementary teachers, significant differences exist among teachers at the Information and Collaborative stage, Consequence and Collaboration stage, and Consequence and Refocusing stage.5. When examining years of teaching experience, significant differences exist among teachers at the Informational, Management, and Refocusing stages.6. Indiana elementary teachers who had previous teaching experiences as middle school and high school teachers expressed no significant differences in concern when levels of teaching experience were considered.7. Indiana elementary teachers expressed no significant differences in concern when stand-alone computers limited their access to instructional technology.8. Indiana elementary teachers expressed no significant differences in concern when computer access to the Internet was readily available.9. Indiana elementary teachers expressed significant differences in concern about instructional technology when specific models for teacher training were examined.10. Indiana elementary teachers expressed no significant differences in concern when school district mandates to use instructional technology in the classroom were examined. / Department of Educational Leadership

Eight Directors of Religious Education (DREs) were randomly chosen in Indiana and asked to participate in this study to assess the media technology used in their religious education programs. DREs directly control the general curriculum for each class and grade level while mentoring teachers' development and execution of lessons. Catholic parochial schools were not included in this study; the sole focus of this study was Catholic religious education programs.The methods for accessing the media technology consisted of a triangulation between observations, interviews, and document analysis. After the DREs agreed to participate, the researcher spent a day shadowing them and conducted an interview. Also, the researcher collected documents in the form of the church's bulletin and web site when applicable. Only the DRE's perspective was assessed, and not the teacher's, student's or parent's. / Department of Telecommunications

Computer-based distance education, as a vehicle for overcoming barriers such as time and place, is a vital new opportunity for enhancing lifelong learning.The purpose of this study was to investigate the computer and communication skills of teachers who have taught computer-based distance education classes and of the students who registered in computer-based distance education in the Fall 1996 in any of the higher education institutions in Indiana. Teacher and student questionnaires were developed for data collection. Both questionnaires were available in printed and World Wide Web versions. Teachers and students from six higher education institutions in Indiana responded to various questions about technical skills in computer and communication tools and applications, training and support programs, motivation and objectives of participants, concerns about computer-based distance education, and advantages of this method of education.Analysis of faculty data revealed that nearly all the faculty were competent in the use of computer for communication and in access to resources. About 57% of the faculty responded that they had competence in designing computer educational applications. The majority of faculty had training in computer connections (52.9%) and the use of computer resources (76.5%), but only 11.8% had training in instructional design for computer-based distance education. The faculty had many concerns such as student/teacher communication (94.2%) and lack of personal interaction among students (94.1%) in computer-based distance education. The faculty saw many advantages such as new opportunities for adult education (100%), and the teacher's role as facilitator (64.7%) in computer-based distance education.Analysis of student data revealed that the majority of students had adequate skills in e-mail (98.2%), File Transfer Protocol (61.4%), and WWW (80%). The students had concerns for training and support programs in higher education institutions in Indiana. Over 57% of the students were married and 95% were studying toward a degree. The main motivations for participation were educational value (61%), career promotion (47.5%) and improving job performance (23.7%). The students had many concerns such as teacher/student communication (98.3%), training program by university (86%), and connection costs (91.2%). Students also saw many advantages such as flexibility of time and place (90.7%) and variety of learning resources (76.6%) in computer-based distance education.The results of this study indicate that higher education institutions should design faculty development programs beyond technical skills to include instructional design. Furthermore, a practical training program based on needs assessment and an off hours support program are essential for the success of a computer-based distance education program and for positive educational experience for teachers and students.There are tremendous needs for research in computer-based distance education in areas such as computer and communication skills of teacher and student, student objectives for participation, effectiveness of training and support programs, effectiveness of instructional design, educational experience of teachers and students, the teacher's role, and subjects and contents which are feasible online. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may have influenced the decision to implement tablet technologies within classroom environments. These factors were grouped and limited to three distinct areas: social and political influences, perceived benefits of implementation, and influence of varying types of hardware, software and operating systems. Results indicate that if technology leaders felt external pressures to keep pace with technological advancements of other corporations, they were more likely to report pressures from the other social political factors being studied. Multiple perceived educational benefits were identified including improvement to classroom instruction, increased differentiation of instruction, enhanced collaboration, better communication and positive public responses. Hardware preferences were found to describe the characteristics found in the Apple line of products. Despite the identification of these perceived educational benefits, a majority of those responding felt that tablet devices did not impact student testing achievement. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers' perceptions of principals' promotion and support of technology in the Fort Wayne Community Schools, Fort Wayne, Indiana, effected the successful integration of technology into the elementary school curricula. The selection of variables for this study was based on a comprehensive review of the literature and identified practitioners who had educational computing experience. These variables included teacher perceptions of principal support, teacher participation in staff development opportunities, availability of support with computer-related problems, and computer availability. These variables were correlated with teachers' use of computers, students' use of computers, and teachers' perceptions of their own improvement as measures of technology integration.A 75-item researcher-developed survey instrument, based on these variables, was presented to 558 elementary classroom teachers in the 22 participating elementary schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on two scannable pages. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated for the pairs of variables.This research provided evidence of a strong correlation between the FWCS teachers' perceptions of principal leadership and support of technology integration and the teachers' evaluations of their own improvement in integrating technology into thecurricula. It also supported the premise that the level of staff development that teachers engage in directly affects their level of improvement in integrating technology into the curricula. / Department of Educational Leadership