The formation of the Canyons School District brought with it unique opportunities for assessing current practice, implementing change, and evaluating the effectiveness of that change. Accordingly, this action research project served as an effective initial step in accomplishing this series of tasks. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe the instructional technology needs of teachers, as well as the related support efforts provided in a public school district.
Data gathering methods included a district-wide needs assessment survey of school-based licensed personnel (N =1,313). Additionally, the utilization of focus group protocol on an existing district technology committee aided in refining answers to each of four research questions. Contingency tables and descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey data, while qualitative coding was implemented to identify an emerging understanding of both open-ended survey responses and focus group discussions. In the end, the constructed descriptions of needs and support informed the initial development of a five-year plan containing a shared vision for instructional technology use and sustenance throughout Canyons District schools.
The results of this study have implications for professional development as a mechanism for teacher support, stakeholder priorities and how they affect support levels, equity across schools, potential changes to current support efforts in Canyons District schools, and the value of action research in informing educational and technology policy, organization, and procedure.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTAHS/oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:etd-1945 |
| Date | 01 May 2011 |
| Creators | Draper, Darren E |
| Publisher | DigitalCommons@USU |
| Source Sets | Utah State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | All Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact Andrew Wesolek (andrew.wesolek@usu.edu). |
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