The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which professional development implemented by a school-based instructional technology facilitator impacted the technology proficiency of teachers in SCHOOLTech sites. A second purpose was to identify the types and frequencies of professional development implemented by school-based facilitators in SCHOOLTech sites, as well as, in five case study sites that had shown increases in teacher technology proficiency. The final purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference in student achievement levels between SCHOOLTech and non SCHOOLTech schools. Investigation was carried out through a within-stage mixed model design requiring the parallel use of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies throughout various stages of the research (Johnson & Christensen, 2004).
Quantitative study was conducted with 22 SCHOOLTech schools and 29 non SCHOOLTech schools. Results of a teacher technology proficiency survey showed that the percentage increase of teachers reaching technology proficiency from year zero to year two was significantly higher in the experimental schools with school-based facilitators than those without. Analysis of student achievement data indicated higher achievement in the experimental schools than control schools; however the difference was not statistically significant.
Follow-up qualitative case studies were conducted with five SCHOOLTech schools that had more than a 10% increase in teachers achieving technology proficiency. Analyses of multiple data sources indicated that student achievement was significantly improved in three of the five schools. In all five schools, students were reported as being more engaged and motivated to learn. The technology professional development practices that were identified as having the most positive impact on teacher technology proficiency include: one to one interaction with teachers, integration of technology into the curriculum, needs-based, online resources, and job-embedded professional development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-11112006-104805 |
| Date | 13 November 2006 |
| Creators | Broussard, Janet Giandelone |
| Contributors | Ed Watson, Yiping Lou, Jan Hinson, Eugene Kennedy, Kim MacGregor |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11112006-104805/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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