Project RITE

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?