Technology is now the norm in our educational setting. The literature shows a vast increase in technology implementation and use both inside and outside the classroom over the past few decades. Overall, the studies show a balanced mix of positive and negative perspectives of using technology for educational purposes from students, teachers, administrators, as well as from outsiders. The literature also shows a mix of academic and social effects. Unfortunately, there is little known about how adolescents perceive their use of technology for enhancing their personal academic and social performance, two areas of developmental importance. Using mixed methods design, set in an urban junior high school in Northeast Texas,research questions addressed how much and how often technology is being used in the classroom, as well as specific ways it is being used, through educator surveys. This study also explored adolescent learners’ attitudes toward and opinions about using technology in the classroom, specific ways adolescent learners use technology for academic purposes both inside and outside the classroom, as well as how adolescent learners are engaging with peers through technology versus face-to-face, through independent interviews. Findings indicated that overall, the teacher reports align with the literature: technology is used in the classroom at a high frequency and duration, and there is a wide range of specific ways it is being used. Additionally, the majority of adolescent learners reported perceived benefits when using technology as an aid to one’s academic development. Adolescent learners expounded on the specific ways technology is being used both inside and outside the classroom. Adolescent learners also expounded on how they are engaging with peers through technology versus face-to-face, with the majority of adolescent learners claiming technology is not a perceived aid to one's social development nor is it commonly present when engaging with peers face-to-face. It is recommended that future studies look at any relevant differences between both males’ and females' specific technology use for both academic and social purposes. It is also recommended that future research be conducted on adolescents possibly multi-tasking with both academic and social technology use and any perceived effects of such behavior
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:nova.edu/oai:nsuworks.nova.edu:fse_etd-1137 |
| Date | 01 January 2017 |
| Creators | Johnson, Kendall P. |
| Publisher | NSUWorks |
| Source Sets | Nova Southeastern University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | campusdissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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