An Ecological Case Study of Two Middle Schools’ Technology Integration
Michelle Fulks Read, Sara Jolly Jones, Joan E. Hughes, Gloria Gonzales-DholakiaThe University of Texas at Austin
Technology Integration
•Digital Communication Technologies
•Support Socio-constructivist Instruction
•Subject Area Content
Saguaro MS
• Rural
• 1,000 students
• 74% Hispanic
• 20% African-American
• 74% Econ. Disadvantaged
• MET AYP “Acceptable”
• 1 lab, 2 carts, 8 library computers
• Shared Tech. Integration Specialist
Porter MS
• Urban
• 1,000 students
• 50% White (w/transfers)
• 50% Hispanic/African-Am
• 39% Econ. Disadvantaged
• MET AYP “Acceptable”
• 4 labs, 2 carts, 18 library computers
• Dedicated Tech. Integration Specialist
Research Question
Are there differences in technology integration between Porter and Saguaro Middle Schools looking at factors related
to students, teachers, and leaders?
Data collection…
• Student, teacher and leader surveys
Saguaro MS
• 4 leaders• 11 teachers• 234 students
Porter MS
• 9 leaders• 16 teachers• 309 students
Data Analysis…
• Descriptive measures
• Pearson’s coefficient
• Chi-square
• t-Tests
Technology Activities
• Communication
• Web
• Productivity
• Creativity
Significant Factors…
• School
– Strong and significant for in-school
– None or weak significance outside of school
• Gender
• Grade
• Computer Ownership
– 83% of Saguaro students own a computer
– 95% of Porter students own a computer
Reported Student Use
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f St
ud
en
ts(o
f th
ose
wh
o in
dic
ate
d u
se)
Porter Saguaro
In-school
Out-of-school
Both
Porter Students…
• 3.5 to 5 times more likely to participate in technology activities in school
– Most difference in Creativity Activities
• 3.5 to 4.75 times more likely to participate in technology activities both in and out of school
– Most difference in Creativity Activities
Saguaro Students…
• Reported more frequent use of technology in all categories
•Reported higher skill levels in regards to productivity activities
In-Class Technology Use
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Math Writing Math Writing
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f U
sers
Teachers
Students
Summary…
• More out-of-school technology use than in-school use at both school
• More teacher use of technology than student use
• Porter students are significantly more likely to report use of technology in school and in- and out-of-school
Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes
• Technology Self-efficacy:– Porter= 3.14– Saguaro=2.96
• Attitudes Toward Technology:– Porter=3.17– Saguaro=3.46
• Directive /Constructivist Philosophy– Porter=2.05– Saguaro=1.9
Breakdown of teachers use…
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Read a blog or wiki Social Networking Online productivity Share creations online
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f Te
ach
ers
Porter
Saguaro
Participation in professional development opportunities
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Pe
rce
nta
ge r
ep
ort
ing
Porter Saguaro
Skill
Content
Differences in leaders’ knowledge
17 1320
30
1023
715 12
29
1218
16 2118
22
11
17
1410
9
19
14
18
17 1922
17
20
21
1317
18
25
19
17
1922
15
26
11
14
10
1410
26
9
26
8
15 13
21
8
18
15
18
10
12
11
2027
2114
31
12
17
11
22
12
27
12
28
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
NET
S-A
To
tal S
core
Social, Legal & Ethical Issues
Assessement & Evaluation
Support, Management & Operations
Productivity & Professional Practice
Teaching & Learning
Leadership & Vision
Differences in leaders’ ranking of improvement in various categories.
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f A
gre
em
en
t
Porter Saguaro
Not Successful Moderately Successful Very Successful
Digital DivideDigital
Inequality
For more information or a copy of the complete paper, contact:
Joan E. Hughes, PhD
The University of Texas at Austin
E-mail: [email protected]
www.techedges.org
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