Abstract:

Since the advent of computers in the mid-1970s, educators have extensively discussed the potential they have for helping to improve student learning (Hew & Brush, 2007). The possibilities seemed endless, but originally the ratio of students to computers was too high to allow for frequent usage. The ratio of students to computers in 1983 was estimated at 168 to 1 (Anderson & Ronnkvist, 1999). Since that time there has been an influx of new computers and digital devices as schools attempt to meet the academic needs of the 21st century learner. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of technology used in K-12 classrooms; the frequency of utilization by teachers and students; and K-12 teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and barriers to technology integration in the K-12 classroom.

Using a mixed methods survey design, the study explored K-12 teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and barriers of educational technology when used by teachers or students in K-12 instruction. The sample of convenience was composed of 68 students enrolled in online classes in the graduate studies in education department of a small private liberal arts institution in the United States. Data was collected using an anonymous, online survey. The students were invited to complete an anonymous survey regarding their perceptions of the benefits and barriers to their use or their students’ use of educational technology and the types of and frequency of technology used in the K-12 classroom.

The survey was comprised of quantitative and qualitative questions. First, nominal measurement scale demographic information was collected for each respondent to ascertain the grade and subject level of the teacher respondents. Demographic data provided the researchers with a rich description of the sample who participated in the research. Next, using an interval measurement Likert scale, the researchers surveyed the frequency and types of technology utilized in the classroom by both teachers and students. Factors assessing teachers’ and students’ utilization frequency and type of technology integrated in the classroom were analyzed using percentages and frequency counts. Finally, four open-ended qualitative questions assessed teachers’ perceptions to barriers and supports for integrating technology in the K-12 classroom. Factors impacting teachers’ and students’ technology use, and teachers’ perceived benefits and barriers were analyzed using axial and open coding methodologies to identify themes. All qualitative data was coded by each researcher for interrater reliability. All quantitative and qualitative data was corroborated and triangulated to ensure the validity of the results

Keywords:

Teachers, perceptions, technology integration.