Descriptive mixed-methods were employed to investigate the experiences and perceptions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Thai students in higher education in integrating Augmented Reality technology (AR) in their reading classroom. Participants were queried on their habitual use of computers and the Internet, their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of AR, their experiences in using AR, and their reflective reports of self-efficacy in using AR in creating English vocabulary flashcards as supplemental learning resources. A questionnaire on their use of computers and the Internet was employed with 48 EFL, English-major undergraduates. Subsequently, the participants underwent the Classroom Activity Treatment which comprised 1) the Teacher Showcase, 2) the AR Computer Tutorial, and 3) the Student Showcase, respectively. Classroom observation notes were taken during the three phases. Besides, at the end of each of these three phases, a questionnaire on the acceptance and self-efficacy of AR was administered. Subsequently, 24 students participated in semi-structured interviews to elicit further insights into their perceptions of the effectiveness of AR in EFL instruction and learning. The Technology Acceptance Model 3 (Vankatesh & Bala, 2008) was employed for theoretical perspective on the data. Findings revealed most participants had no prior knowledge or understanding about AR before the study. Participants reported AR as advantageous for stimulating student engagement and motivation, and for enhancing memory and memorization. AR was reported to promote learning and practicing digital literacy skills. Participants reported relatively high levels of self-efficacy in using AR, which were primarily driven by their self-satisfaction, creativity and enthusiasm, peer and teacher assistance, as well as technological training and infrastructure. Participants also reported that they would continue using AR in the future when necessary resources, time, and access were secured, for the purposes of professional productivity and development. Analysis suggested that English education curricula be improved and re-designed to integrate the implementation of AR technology to tailor the learning experiences to the students’ needs and learning styles. Professional development and training should also be provided for teachers and students to educate them in using AR in language education teaching and learning.

Federal legislation, the Office of Technology Assessment of the U. S. Congress, and national and state technological standards strongly encourage faculty to use computer technology in their lessons as a teaching tool. Technological standards have existed for several years that strongly encourage the use of computer technology in colleges and universities as a teaching tool. Yet it is difficult for faculty to infuse technology into their teaching. The purpose of this study was to assess and identify the factors that influence business teacher educators to adopt computer technology methods and utilize them in their instruction and to determine the extent to which business teacher educators are adopting computer technology in their teaching. The population consisted of 95 members of the National Association of Teacher Educators for Business Education. Findings from the descriptive statistics revealed that the largest percentage of the business teacher educators were early adopters. They indicated that they always used word processing and almost always integrated computers, projectors, and email in their instruction during the past semester. The study also found certain social, organizational, and personal motivational factors that the business teacher educators considered as very important in influencing them to adopt emerging computer technology for use in their instruction. The means revealed differences within the respondents' personal and employment characteristics and the extent to which they adopt current computer technology as a teaching tool; however, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference between these variables. Also, multiple regression analysis revealed that the importance of students, a specific adoption category, and the importance of physical resources (hardware) significantly predicted computer technology adoption. The study also revealed that the business teacher educators in this study have the potential to serve as change agents and role models for their student clientele and peers since the findings suggest that these faculty members are among the first individuals to adopt computer technology for use in their instruction. The findings from the study have the potential to contribute to the development of an adopter profile that could be used to identify potential adopters of emerging computer technology. / Ph. D.

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<p>This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness of instructional technology on mathematical word problem solving for elementary and middle school students with disabilities. This study examined specifically digital technology such as computers and tablets. From the article identification based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 21 studies were included in this study. The 21 included studies consisted of seven group design studies and 14 single-case design studies. This study computed an overall effect and analyzed moderators of group design studies (Hedges’ <em>g</em>) and single-case design studies (between-case standardized mean difference) in the same analyses. The overall effect of instructional technology on word problem solving across 21 studies was large (Hedges’ <em>g</em> = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.84, 1.52). The study characteristics, including publication years, intervention settings, intervention agents, technology devices, technology types, and mathematics topics, were found to moderate the effects of interventions. The four studies, which assessed the generalization of word problem solving skills learned from the instructional technology to the standardized assessments, showed a near moderate effect (Hedges’ <em>g</em> = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.09, 0.9). Limitations of this study and directions for research are discussed.  </p>

This study investigated the perceptions of Chief Financial Officers and primary Distance Education Administrators on economic and institutional decision-making factors influencing institutional involvement in distance education, and the economic readiness criteria and business plan components necessary for institutions to be strategically successful in distance education. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from a sample of 151 Carnegie Foundation Classified Doctoral/Research Institutions–Extensive. Responses from 80 institutions (31 Chief Financial Officers and 72 Distance Learning Administrators) indicated that 78.6% of all institutions planned to increase their institutional involvement in distance education and 19.4% planned to maintain their current involvement in distance education. This study indicated that administrators should consider the role that economic and other institution-related decision-making factors play in distance education, particularly in assessing reasons for institutional involvement and plans to not start, maintain or increase distance education activities. Statistically significant relationships were found to exist between an institution's plans for not starting, maintaining or increasing distance education activities and institutional demographics, institutional engagement, specific core values, and distance education business plans. Economic factors were also found to impact institutional involvement in distance education. Specifically, addressed were institutional readiness criteria for successful involvement in distance education, components of a business plan, and institutional assumptions about distance and higher education. The predominant markets for Research I institutions are graduate (43.1%) and undergraduate students (27.3%), and markets are selected primarily in accordance with institution mission, support of the strategic plan, and to address a specific market niche. Findings indicated that traditional core values are either not influenced by distance education or positively influenced. With respect to business plans, 25.2% indicated that no business plans were present for distance education, 19.4% were not certain, with the remaining reporting that business plans existed for university-wide and/or individual initiative levels. / Ph. D.