Project RITE

This study provided further evidence that concerns can provide useful insight into reasons for the continuing resistance to changes involving technology. “Teacher resistance to change is primarily due to their concerns regarding the influence of instructional technology integration on their preparation, beliefs, and values (Wetzel, 2002, p. 43). Within the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, school leaders can identify teachers’ concerns and use the data to design professional development that will lead them forward.
Teachers who expressed higher-level concerns toward technology also described their classroom practices as being more constructivist in nature. Teachers’ classroom behaviors reflect their beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning (Pajares, 1992). Professional development opportunities that encourage teachers to reflect on the relationship between their own beliefs about successful instructional practices and the theoretical benefits of an innovation such as the use of technology can reduce the perception of incompatibility and increase the likelihood of effective use of technology (Koszalka, 2003).

Respondents were provided with the opportunity to respond to a question that asked, “What specific concerns do you have about the use of technology in your classroom?” About one-third of the respondents chose to answer this open-ended question (n=35). Responses provided the respondents an opportunity to provide additional information regarding their use of technology beyond the items in the questionnaire.
Content analysis was used to analyze the text provided in the open-ended responses. Four categories of comments emerged. Each comment was coded and assigned to the appropriate category. Respondent comments are summarized.

Category    n    percent

Lack of access to resources     9    25
Lack of technical support /
Technical problems    14    38

Lack of time    6    17
Lack of effective training    6    17
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NOTE: Individual respondents may have included multiple statements that fit into more than one category.

One way of analyzing group concerns is to aggregate individual data by developing a profile that provides the average scores for each stage of the individuals in a group. Group averages reflect the dominant high and low Stages of Concern of the entire group. Mean scores were converted to percentiles and plotted following the procedures outlined by George, Hall, and Stiegelbauer (2006) using the SoCQ Quick Scoring Device. The first and the second highest stages of concern for all respondents are typically analyzed along with the lowest stage of concern. Identification of the second highest stage of concerns along with the peak stage makes possible a more in-depth interpretation of the concerns of the group.

In this sample, Stages 0, 1, 2 and 5 were all within one or two percentile points. All four were, therefore, interpreted as the highest concerns. It is not unusual for Stages 1 and 2 to be similar in a nonuser profile such as this. Although distinct stages, Stages 1 and 2 (Informational and Personal) concerns frequently occur at the same time.
The raw score for each of the seven scales is the sum of the responses to the five statements on that scale (see Appendix B). The mean scores were determined for each item. The mean scores were then converted to percentile scores. The percentiles are not absolute, but should be viewed as relative to other scores that an individual or group.

Percentiles for Each of the Stages of Concern

Stage 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Percentile 86 84 85 69 63 84 77

In summary, the aggregate data for this sample presents an overall profile of a group of teachers who are not currently making real use of technology. High levels of “self” concerns are preventing most in the group from moving to higher-level concerns that leave them more open to the effective use of technology. The self concerns are preventing group members from concentrating on the effects of technology use on their students and preventing them from moving forward and using technology in more cooperative, advanced ways. In essence, the intense self concerns have paralyzed their progress.

Results of the multiple regression confirmed the hypothesis that higher levels of concern (impact concerns) predicted the reported use of constructivist teaching practices in this sample. Higher concerns toward the use of technology predicted higher scores on the Constructivist Behavior Questionnaire, indicating a positive relationship between these factors. Teachers who reach a level of technology adoption in which they express interest in what other teachers are doing with technology and express interest in making better use of technology tools describe more use of constructivist teaching practices in their classroom than teachers with lower-level concerns.
These findings extend those of other researchers (Becker & Ravitz, 1999; Dills, 2004; Dwyer, 1994; Kent & McNergney, 1999; Sandholtz, Ringstaff, & Dwyer, 1997; Rakes, Fields, & Cox, 2006; Rakes, Flowers, Casey, & Santana, 1999) who have found a positive relationship between teachers who have positive attitudes toward and who use technology and those teachers who also use constructivist instructional practices in their classrooms.

Specific analysis of the results from the Stages of Concern Questionnaire are in progress, along with the analysis of the open-ended responses.

Data collection is complete. Analysis of the open-ended comments has begun. Quantitative data is being prepared for SPSS analysis.

Data collection began in December and continues.

The purposive sample for this study consists of approximately 100 graduate students enrolled in a masters program in education at the University of Tennessee at Martin. All subjects will be currently employed as PK-12 teachers.

The survey was placed on the Internet using Dragon, survey software that is a companion to FileMaker Pro database software. No personal information is collected. All responses are voluntary and anonymous.

Participants are invited to participate via email and asked to complete the survey. Informed consent information is presented when participants first enter the Web site. Participants are asked to complete the survey and demographic questions regarding themselves and their school.

After all respondents are given an opportunity to participate, responses will be downloaded directly into an Excel spreadsheet and then imported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis.

In many traditional PK-12 classrooms, students are typically not provided with whole, dynamic learning experiences, but rather with limited, arbitrary activities. Schools frequently teach information from the various disciplines without providing adequate contextual support with opportunities for students to apply what they are taught. The resulting lack of authenticity of classroom activity makes it difficult for students to see how school learning applies to their lives.
The overall hypothesis for this study is that higher levels of concern by practicing classroom teachers regarding the use of technology will predict more use of constructivist classroom practices. If this is true, then encouraging PK-12 teachers to progress to higher level uses of technology should influence them to use instructional techniques that encourage higher order thinking skills, thus influencing student learning. This research will be guided by three primary questions:

Research Question 1: What are this population of PK-12 teachers’ concerns about the use of instructional technology in the classroom as measured by the Stages of Concern Questionnaire?
Research Question 2: Is there a relationship among stages of concern regarding the use of technology in the classroom derived from the Stages of Concern Questionnaire and the total score on the Constructivist Behavior Questionnaire?
Research Question 3: What specific concerns do teachers have toward the use of technology in their classrooms?