special education teachers' lived experiences in the implementation of the ipad as an instructional

215 Pages·2016·1.11 MB·English

SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES
IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IPAD AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR
STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

by
Takisha Salander Epps
Liberty University

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

Liberty University
2016
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SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCESIN THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IPAD AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR STUDENTS
WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

by Takisha Salander Epps

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

2016

APPROVED BY:

Angela Marguerite Smith, Ed.D., Committee Chair

James Swezey, Ed.D., Committee Member

Harold Thompson, Ed.D., Committee Member

Scott Watson, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Advanced Programs
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience
of 11 special education teachers, who implemented iPads as an instructional tool for elementary
students with intellectual disabilities. This study was conducted in a North Carolina school
district. The theories, which guided this study were Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and
Piaget’s (1954) cognitive development theory. Within the study, one central question and three
sub-questions were used to guide the study. The research questions focused on special education
teachers’ experiences, as they implemented the iPad as an instructional tool for students with
intellectual disabilities. To address these questions about the lived experiences of these special
education teachers, data were collected via: (a) face-to-face interviews, (b) observations, and (c)
focus groups. Analysis of data was conducted with the use of Moustakas’ (1994) procedures, in
order to analyze the data provide a full description of the phenomenon through the analytic
techniques of: (a) bracketing, (b) horizonalization, (c) clusters of meaning, as well as (d)
identification of textual and structural descriptions. Creswell (2013) noted that use of this
process allows the author to determine the essence of the phenomenon. During this procedure,
the technique of triangulation was used to increase the reliability of the study; in addition,
reflexivity, external audit, and member checks were used to support the findings from the data
analysis.
Keywords: intellectual disabilities, iPads, instructional tools, technology
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DEDICATION
I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for guiding me through this educational
journey. He has been my guiding light, endowing me strength and love to be successful.
Throughout this progress, the Lord provided me daily wisdom and grace, believing “I can do all
things through Christ which strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, King James Version). I give
Him the upmost glory and honor for teaching me that all things are possible in His name.
I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, who taught me the value of education and the
importance of working for the things I desire in life. Her encouragement and motivation instilled
in me a love and passion for learning and provided me a strong work ethic. Genetha Epps, thank
you for believing in me and providing me confidence to do my best and to seek my ambitions.
Mother, without your steadfast love, support, and inspiration, I would have never achieved this
milestone in my life.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to the many instrumental people in
my life who provided me guidance and support upon achieving this academic milestone. First, I
would like to acknowledge my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who guided me through this
process.
To my mom and dad, thank you for providing me solid advice and supporting my dream
to earn my doctoral degree. My dad (Lonza) powered the process for me to begin this
educational journey. I am grateful for his prayers and encouragement. He would have been
proud to see all my hard work come to fruition. Thank you daddy for believing in your little girl.
Daddy, may you rest in peace (November 12, 2015) and I love you.
To my dissertation committee, Dr. Angela Marguerite Smith, thank you so much for
chairing this study. I greatly appreciate your guidance, leadership, constant feedback, and
motivation through the dissertation process. Dr. Smith, your scholarly wisdom and unfailing
encouragement were very inspirational to my research. I am honored that you devoted your
valuable time to coach me through the dissertation process.
To my committee members, Dr. James Swezey and Dr. Harold Thompson, thank you for
your willingness to serve. Dr. Swezey, I truly appreciate you, serving a dual role as a research
consultant and a committee member of my dissertation committee. Thank you for your
influential direction and guidance, which initiated from Education 919. I genuinely appreciate
your wisdom and knowledge of qualitative research as you provided clarity and direction in this
study along with inspiring me to become a leader and a better writer. Dr. Harold Thompson,
thank you for serving as my local committee member for my dissertation. Your notable
contributions to education and educational knowledge was advantageous to my research. I
profoundly appreciate your incredible patience and generosity of time as you kept me focused,
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ensuring I achieved my dissertation requirements and deadlines. Your input and feedback helped
propel this study to a completion.
Additionally, many family and friends showed me with invaluable support and
encouragement in writing this dissertation. I would like to provide my cousin, Cheryl
Henderson, a special thanks for continually encouraging me to pursue a doctoral degree. Thank
you for always believing in me.
To my aunt, Dorothy, thank you for supporting me with daily prayers. Your love and
support during this process truly strengthened me. I am very blessed to have such a supportive
family.
I would like to extend a special acknowledgement to Karen Thompson. Karen, thank you
for providing me tremendous support, educational advice, editing recommendations, writing
strategies, and constructive feedback, which greatly influenced this study. Karen, I gratefully
appreciate you serving as a continuous source of support and guidance with my dissertation.
Your support has inspired me to achieve this milestone.
To my friend Stacy, thank you for your Sunday phone calls, ensuring I was working on
my dissertation. I sincerely thank you for being a pillar. In addition, I truly appreciate my pre
graduation gift (an iPad), which was critically needed and profoundly used for my study.
To my friend Loretta, from the first day we met during an intensive class, you have
supported me through moments of laughter and tears. I appreciate and thank you for the many
hours of conversation, advice, and kindness. No matter when I called or texted, you were always
available to listen to me. I truly believe your presence was orchestrated by God. You have been
such a blessing. Thank you for being inspirational to me throughout this entire process.
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To my friend, Dr. Crudup, thank you for your telephone calls on each holiday to
encourage me to take an advantage of the extra time to work on my dissertation.
Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to the school district that approved for me to
conduct my research in their schools. I truly appreciate all the special education teachers who
dedicated their time as participants. Your participation helped me to collect a wealth of data that
was very important to complete my dissertation. This research would not have been possible
without your willingness to participate throughout my study. Thank you for sharing your
experiences and knowledge.
In closing, I would like to extend my gratitude to thank everyone that was not
individually mentioned in this section. Through a united effort of my parents, dissertation
committee, family, and friends, I was able to earn a doctorate degree in education. I give each of
you thanks for reminding me to center all on God.
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3
Dedication ......................................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 5
List of Tables……….........................................................................................................11
List of Figures ...................................................................................................................12
List of Abbreviations.........................................................................................................13
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................14
Overview............................................................................................................................14
Background .......................................................................................................................16
Situation to Self ................................................................................................................18
Problem Statement ............................................................................................................19
Purpose Statement..............................................................................................................21
Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................21
Research Questions ...........................................................................................................22
Research Plan ....................................................................................................................25
Delimitations and Limitations............................................................................................26
Definitions…......................................................................................................................27
Summary ...........................................................................................................................28
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................29
Overview ............................................................................................................................29
Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................30
Related Literature...............................................................................................................37
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Summary ...........................................................................................................................62
CHAPTER THREE: METHOD...................................................................................................65
Overview ...........................................................................................................................65
Design ...............................................................................................................................66
Research Questions ...........................................................................................................68
Setting…............................................................................................................................69
Participants.........................................................................................................................70
Procedures .........................................................................................................................71
The Researcher’s Role.......................................................................................................72
Data Collection .................................................................................................................74
Interviews...............................................................................................................76
Focus Groups.........................................................................................................81
Observations .........................................................................................................84
Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................85
Trustworthiness .................................................................................................................88
Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................................90
Summary ...........................................................................................................................90
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS...................................................................................................92
Overview............................................................................................................................92
Participants.........................................................................................................................93
Results..............................................................................................................................104
Summary..........................................................................................................................144
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS............146
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Overview..........................................................................................................................146
Summary of Findings.......................................................................................................147
Discussion........................................................................................................................152
Implications......................................................................................................................160
Limitations ......................................................................................................................162
Recommendations for Future Research ..........................................................................163
Summary..........................................................................................................................164
REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................166
APPENDIX A. Demographic Information………….................................................................179
APPENDIX B. Recruitment of Sites..........................................................................................180
APPENDIX C. Recruitment of Participants …………..............................................................182
APPENDIX D. Follow-up Recruitment of Participants.............................................................185
APPENDIX E. Consent Form ………………………………………………………………..187
APPENDIX F. Prospective Participant Telephone Contact ………………………………….192
APPENDIX G. Observation Notes Procedures..........................................................................194
APPENDIX H. Observation Protocol……………………………………………………….…196
APPENDIX I. Interview Questions............................................................................................200
APPENDIX J. Focus Group Questions ……………………………………………………….203
APPENDIX K. Interview Codes ………………………………………………….……..…….205
APPENDIX L. Focus Group Codes …...………………………………….……..…………….209
APPENDIX M. Observation Overview Caseload …………..………….……...……...……….212
APPENDIX N. Observation Overview, IPad Applications and Adaptive Devices …………...214