Improving the Quality of Teacher Support in Anticipation of the Instructional Use of Technology

232 Pages·2017·8.2 MB·English

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All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies
5-2011
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Darren E. Draper
Utah State University
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IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TEACHER SUPPORT IN
ANTICIPATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL USE OF
TECHNOLOGY: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY

by

Darren Edgar Draper

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree

of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
in
Education
Approved:

______________________________ ______________________________
James Dorward Margaret Lubke
Major Professor Committee Member

______________________________ ______________________________
Deborah Byrnes Sheri Haderlie
Committee Member Committee Member

______________________________ ______________________________
Michael Freeman Byron Burnham
Committee Member Dean of Graduate Studies

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Logan, Utah

2011
ii

This dissertation is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
United States License.
iii

ABSTRACT
Improving the Quality of Teacher Support in Anticipation of the
Instructional Use of Technology: An Action Research Study
by
Darren Edgar Draper, Doctor of Education
Utah State University, 2011
Major Professor: Dr. James Dorward
Department: Teacher Education and Leadership

The formation of the Canyons School District brought with it unique
opportunities for assessing current practice, implementing change, and evaluating the
effectiveness of that change. Accordingly, this action research project served as an
effective initial step in accomplishing this series of tasks. The purpose of this mixed
methods study was to describe the instructional technology needs of teachers, as well as
the related support efforts provided in a public school district.
Data gathering methods included a district-wide needs assessment survey of
school-based licensed personnel (N =1,313). Additionally, the utilization of focus group
protocol on an existing district technology committee aided in refining answers to each of
four research questions. Contingency tables and descriptive statistics were used to
analyze survey data, while qualitative coding was implemented to identify an emerging
understanding of both open-ended survey responses and focus group discussions. In the
end, the constructed descriptions of needs and support informed the initial development
iv

of a five-year plan containing a shared vision for instructional technology use and
sustenance throughout Canyons District schools.
The results of this study have implications for professional development as a
mechanism for teacher support, stakeholder priorities and how they affect support levels,
equity across schools, potential changes to current support efforts in Canyons District
schools, and the value of action research in informing educational and technology policy,
organization, and procedure.
(231 pages)
v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Jim Dorward, for his helpful and
pointed advice throughout this entire journey. Few know the pain involved in climbing a
mountain, but those that have climbed it before.
I also give special thanks to my family and colleagues for their encouragement,
support, and patience as I have worked my way up the mountain. I couldn‘t have done it
without you, and wonder if my children will ever recognize their father not hunched over
his computer while sitting at the kitchen table.
Darren Edgar Draper
vi

CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................... v

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... ix

LIFT OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. xi

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

Problem Statement .............................................................................. 2
Local Background ............................................................................... 4
Purpose ................................................................................................ 5
Research Questions ............................................................................. 5

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 7

Action Research .................................................................................. 8
Focus Groups ...................................................................................... 10
Needs Assessment ............................................................................... 10
Technology-Related Teacher Needs ................................................... 12
Assessing Technology-Related Teacher Needs .................................. 17
Effective Teacher Professional Development ..................................... 19
Models for Providing Teacher Professional Development ................. 21
Methods Used in Assessing Teacher Professional Development ....... 29
Summary of Literature Review ........................................................... 33

III. METHODS ............................................................................................... 35

Research Timeline .............................................................................. 35
Component One: Focus Group Research ............................................ 37
Component Two: Broad Data Collection and Analysis ...................... 40
Component Three: Develop an Educational Technology Plan ........... 49
Design Issues Unique to Action Research .......................................... 51
Summary of Research Design ............................................................. 56

IV. RESULTS ................................................................................................. 59
vii

Page

Question 1: What Efforts Have Been and Are Currently Being
Made in the Canyons School District to Meet the Instructional
Technology Needs of Teachers? .................................................... 59
Question 2: What Do School and District Administrators,
Teachers, and Other Stakeholders Hope to Accomplish in
Providing Teachers with Instructional Technology Support? ....... 76
Question 3: What Changes Might Be Made to Current Support
Models Within the District, Such That Teacher Needs Might
Be Met? .......................................................................................... 80
Question 4: What Forms of Evaluation Might Serve to Improve
the Instructional Technology Support That Teachers Receive? .... 99
Summary of Research Findings .......................................................... 103

V. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 105

Implications of Current Research Findings ........................................ 106
Study Limitations ................................................................................ 114
Recommendations for Further Study .................................................. 117
Conclusion .......................................................................................... 118

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 119

APPENDICES ......................................................................................................... 141

Appendix A: Worksheet for Discussion Distributed During Initial
Focus Group Discussions .................................................... 142
Appendix B: Final Draft of Survey Items .................................................... 144
Appendix C: Survey Recruitment Email ...................................................... 155
Appendix D: Population Statistics for Non-Demographic Variables
As Reported by SurveyMonkey .......................................... 157
Appendix E: The Consolidated PD Tracker Used for Reporting
Technology-Related PD Efforts in a Canyons
District Middle School ....................................................... 168
Appendix F: Notification Email and Survey Generated from Footprints ...... 170
Appendix G: Technology Professional Development Session Evaluation ... 173
Appendix H: Jointly Created Job Description for the Secondary
Educational Technology Specialist .................................... 175
Appendix I: Evaluation Instruments Intended for Use in Assessing
the Performance of Secondary Educational Technology
Specialists .......................................................................... 177
Appendix J: Sample Pages from the Research Journal ............................... 182
Appendix K: Additional Tables .................................................................... 185
Appendix L: Current Draft of the Canyons District Educational
Technology Plan ................................................................ 192
viii

Page

CURRICULUM VITAE .......................................................................................... 217
ix

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Reviews of the Literature Focusing on Aspects of Effective
Teacher Professional Development ......................................................... 22

2 Commonly Reported Professional Development Practices ..................... 26

3 Gusky‘s Five Levels of Teacher Professional Development and the
Methods Employed Within ..................................................................... 31

4 General Course of Action Taken Throughout the Current Research
Project ...................................................................................................... 36

5 Alignment of Survey Questions with Documented Teacher Needs ........ 43

6 Alignment of Survey Questions with Professional Development
Efforts, as Documented by Canyons District Educational Technology
Specialists ................................................................................................ 48

7 Sources of Data Utilized in the Current Research Project ...................... 57

8 Instructional Technology Support Structures in Jordan/Canyons
District Schools, Past and Present ........................................................... 62

9 Instructional Technology-related Training Efforts by Interaction
Type and School Level, Between August 16 and November 19, 2010 ... 63

10 Instructional Technology-Related Training Efforts by Interaction
Type and Individual School Location, Between August 16 and
November 19, 2010 ................................................................................. 64

11 Technology-Related Professional Development Efforts of Duration
Greater than Twenty Minutes, by Subject Matter and School Level,
Between August 16 and November 19, 2010 .......................................... 66

12 Educational Technology Specialist Visit Frequency Ratings by
Demographic and Educational Technology Specialist, as Reported
on Survey Question 9 .............................................................................. 70

13 Technology-Related Professional Development Offerings Identified
on the Canyons District IT Department Website .................................... 73