Educators’ Attitudes about the Accessibility and Integration of Technology into the Secondary Curriculum Dr. Christal C. Pritchett Auburn University Dr. Geana W. Mitchell Alabama A&M University Dr. Elisha C. Wohleb Auburn University

Background Williams (2009) defined technology literacy as “the ability to use technology to access and communicate information effectively, to use a computer and its software to accomplish physical tasks, and to identify the appropriate technology to use in specific situations” (p.4). Gaytan and McEwen (2010) found that funding for Instructional Technology (IT) is projected to grow to over $56 billion by the year Pritchett (2009) concluded that the utilization of technology is not about replacing education as we know it; the role of the teacher may change with the advent of new technology, but teachers will always remain vital to the educational process.

Purpose of the Study In addition, the purpose of this study is to: provide information that may be used to improve the overall effectiveness of utilizing technology for classroom instruction and the integration of web-based learning into the curriculum. This study was designed to determine : if specific demographic factors affect the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology; the availability of resources and equipment to educators; the amount of technology training that the educator has received; and if there is a relationship between the educators’ access to technology and their use of technology in instruction.

Statement of the Problem The research problem of this study was to determine: teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology; their availability of resources and equipment; the amount of technology training that the educator has received; and the relationship between the educators’ access to technology and their use of technology in instruction.

Research Questions 1.Is there a statistically significant relationship between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and: a) number of years the educator has been teaching; b) subject taught by the educator; c) perceived ability of the educator? 2.To what extent is there a significant difference between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and the availability of technology resources and equipment? 3.Is there a significant relationship between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and the amount of technology training that they educator has received? 4.To what extent is there a significant correlation between the teachers’ access to technology equipment and the teachers’ use of technology equipment in instruction?

Review of Literature Bailey and Mountjoy (2009) acknowledged that many schools have seized the concept of integrating technology, but also determined that modest research has been conducted to establish how the technology is being utilized. Earle (2002) discussed restraints of technology integration to includes barriers such as technical support, teacher expertise, time for planning, or pedagogical applications. Redmann and Kotrlik (2008) reported that most business teachers use “self-study to learn about using new technology and most also use workshops, courses, and peers as technology training sources” (p. 86).

Methodology Participants o Secondary teachers in five school systems centrally located in the southeastern region of the United States. o One hundred eight-four usable survey instruments were used to compile the data in this study Research Design o The Technology Integration Survey instrument was designed to collect demographic information from the respondents; it provided information and perceptions of the availability of resources and equipment, technology training, and technology use in instruction collected. o Content and face validity were established by the panel chosen for their knowledge and experience in survey research design. o Chronbach’s alpha was calculated in this study to ascertain reliability coefficients for the following sections of the survey instrument:.904 Use of technology in classroom instruction.761 Available technology resources and equipment.741 Adequate technology training

Data Analysis and Findings General Demographic Data of Respondents CategoriesnPercent Years of Teaching Experience Subjects Taught Math Science History English Special Education Career & Technical Education Elective Perceived Ability to Use Technology Illiterate Beginner Average Expert

Data Analysis and Findings Research Question 1: o ANOVA was used to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and: significant significant significant o The following table reports the percentages of degrees of respondents’ perceived use of technology in the classroom Number of years the educator has been teaching F(4,181) = 7.617, p <.001 Subject taught by the educator F (6,181) = 4.841, p <.001 Perceived ability of the educator F (3,174) = 4.510, p =.005

Percentages of Degrees of Perceived Use of Technology Category a Percentages of Degrees (4) b (3) (2) (1) Use technology often in the classroom Using technology enhances instruction Using technology improves student learning Using technology to prepare classroom instruction Technology has made participant an effective teacher Data Analysis and Findings a n = 184 for each category. b Scale of (4) Strongly Agree; (3) Agree; (2) Disagree; (1) Strongly Disagree.

Research Question 2: o A Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine if there is a significant difference between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and the availability of resources and equipment. A significant relationship was indicated r(181) =.394, p <.01. o The following table reflects the percentages of degrees of respondents’ perceived availability of technology resources and equipment. Data Analysis and Findings

Percentages of Degrees of Perceived Availability of Technology Resources & Equipment Category a Percentages of Degrees (4) b (3) (2) (1) Availability is adequate in participant’s classroom Available when needed All students have access to a computer when needed Enough computers available in school for instruction Resources and equipment malfunction often Technology malfunctions are repaired in a timely manner Computers and Internet access are adequate in school Use of technology depends on availability of equipment Data Analysis and Findings a n = 184 for each category. b Scale of (4) Strongly Agree; (3) Agree; (2) Disagree; (1) Strongly Disagree.

Research Question 3: o ANOVA was used to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between the teachers’ attitudes toward the utilization of technology and the amount of technology training that the educator has received. With an alpha level of.05 and compared to the sum score for the teachers’ perceived use of technology in the classroom, lack of technology training was not significant [F (3, 180) = 2.341, p =.075] o The following table summarizes the percentages of degrees of respondents’ perception regarding technology training. Data Analysis and Findings

Percentages of Degrees of Perceived Technology Training Category a Percentages of Degrees (4) b (3) (2) (1) Attended several technology training sessions Using technology is difficult due to lack of training School system has provided adequate technology training Not received adequate training on technology use Data Analysis and Findings a n = 184 for each category. b Scale of (4) Strongly Agree; (3) Agree; (2) Disagree; (1) Strongly Disagree.

Research Question 4: o Participants were asked if they had various school provided technology equipment. Then they were asked if they used the provided equipment for classroom instruction. o The difference was analyzed using a Pearson product-moment correlation. o A significant positive correlation was indicated for laptop computers; LCD projectors; and Smart Boards. o The following table summarizes the results. Data Analysis and Findings

Correlation Analysis of the Access and Use of Technology Equipment Category a Pearson Product-Moment Coefficients Laptop Computer.785* LCD Projector.736* Smart Board.892* Data Analysis and Findings *p <.01 for each category. a n = 184 for each category.

Conclusions and Recommendations Science teachers, new teachers (3 years or less), and teachers who listed “expert” ability in technology reported a higher sum score for the perceived use of technology in classroom instruction. Additional research is needed to explore the reasons for these differences. According to the participants in this research study, technology resources and equipment are not always available when needed. Steps need to be taken to ensure that school systems have the necessary resources and equipment to integrate technology into the classroom

Conclusions and Recommendations There was not a significant difference in regards to technology training for teachers. This is promising as it seems that, for the most part, adequate technology is being provided to teachers on how to use and integrate technology into the curriculum. There was a significant positive correlation between the teachers’ access to technology equipment and the teachers’ use of technology equipment in instruction. This is encouraging because it appears that if teachers have access to technology, then they are using it in their classroom instruction. Additional funding for technology equipment in secondary schools is needed. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for various differences regarding the use and integration of technology into classroom instruction. It is further recommended that this study be repeated in future years and in other secondary schools across a wider geographic area.

Questions

References Bailey, G., & Mountjoy, K. (2009, April). Technology used for teaching and management in the business education classroom. Business Education Forum, 63(4), Earle, R. (2002, January/February). The integration of instructional technology into public education: Promises and challenges. Educational Technology, 42(1), Gayton, J. A., & McEwen, B. C. (2010). Instructional technology professional development evaluation: Developing a high quality model. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, LII(2), Pritchett, C. C. (2009). Implementation of the Ford partnership for advanced studies web-based curriculum in secondary business education classrooms. NABTE Review, 36, Redmann, D., & Kotrlik, D. (2008). A trend study: Technology adoption in the teaching-learning process by secondary business teachers – 2002 and The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, L(2), Williams, K. S. (2009, December). The three r’s plus one: The reality of new literacies required for success. Business Education Forum, 64(2).