Hoye, S. R. (2017). Teachers’ perceptions of the use of technology in the classroom and the effect of technology on student achievement (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database. (UMI No. 10616975) 

Abstract:

“As the educational system continually battle the needs of the 21 ^st century workforce, technology has caused great tension with pedagogical practices in education (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010). With the advancements in technology, teachers are struggling to personalize instruction in part because of the learning styles of the digital natives (Prensky, 2001). Recent studies have shown a significant gap between teachers’ perception of the use of technology and their actually use of technology in the classroom. Teacher self-efficacy towards the use of technology is thought to be more important than content knowledge and skills in the implementation of technology in the k-12 curriculum. Mandated by the ESSA (2015), information and communication technology has been shown to enhance student learning experiences in the classroom, but teachers are still hesitant to incorporate it into their instructional practices. As a result, the Mississippi Department of Education established a rigorous accountability system to measure students’ academic growth; heightening the focus on teachers’ instructional practices and these practices’ effects on individual student test scores. 

The study examines teachers’ perceptions of the use of technology in the secondary curriculum and the effect of technology on student achievement. Data was generated utilizing a survey questionnaire that examined obstacles that might prevent teachers from integrating technology into the classroom. An independent T-test was performed to test the hypothesis that males and females have no statistically significant differences in teacher self-efficacy, teacher-student instructional practices, and openness to change toward the use of technology in the classroom among gender. Furthermore, an ANOVA was used to provide a single answer to the multi-comparison to reveal differences among the school level groups. The means, values of F, and significance level revealed a statistically significant difference in the number of hours of technology training between school levels; specifically, in teacher efficacy between the training hours of 1–5 and 6–10 hours. The multiple comparison of school levels for characteristics such as teacher-student instructional practices, and openness to change revealed no significant statistically difference in number of hours of technology training. 

Due to the increasing shift in technology advancements, the study reveals the relationship of teachers’ perceptions, specifically self-efficacy, and the effective implementing of technology due to adequate technological training. Teachers with adequate hours of technology training are more likely to build a greater confidence level with the use of technology. Therefore, technological training has shown to have a positive effect on teacher self-efficacy towards technology integration in the classroom.”