Barriers to Technology use in Large and Small School Districts

Abstract

Barriers to effective technology integration come in several different categories, including access to technology tools and resources, technology training and support, administrative support, time to plan and prepare for technology integration, and beliefs about the importance and usefulness of technology tools and resources. This study used survey research to compare reported barriers to technology use in smaller school districts and communities to those in larger school districts and communities. This study also sought to determine other district and classroom factors that could influence barriers to technology integration. The population for this study was current public K-12 teachers in a rural North Midwestern state. Findings indicated that teachers in smaller districts and communities reported more access to technology tools and resources and higher administrative support for the use of technology than did teachers in larger districts and communities. By contrast, teachers in larger districts and communities reported higher time to plan and prepare for technology integration.

Identifying Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teacher Readiness to Use Technology During Professional Practice

“…Availability and accessibility of technology were a significant factor in encouraging teacher educators and in skilling pre-service teachers in the use of technology. The findings of this study highlight an important point which is consistent with the literature, that teachers will be more willing to use technology for curriculum delivery when technical personnel respond promptly to technical problems without them losing instructional time (Francom, 2016;Mueller & Wood, 2012). Chigona, Chigona and Davids (2014) confirm that, without readily available support, teachers are reluctant to use technology in their teaching and learning since simple technical problems take too much time to be resolved.…”

Barriers to ICT use in EFL teacher education courses in Nepal: An activity theory perspective

“…Through time and with more studies in the field, more specific categories of barriers have been proposed. Such categories comprise resources, training and technological support, institutional vision and support, knowledge, skills and attitude, and curriculum design and assessment (Drent & Meelissen, 2008;Francom, 2016;Hew & Brush, 2007;Kopcha, 2012). Likewise, other factors, such as time (Blundell, Lee, & Nykvist, 2016;Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010), teachers' beliefs, and institutional support (Francom, 2016;Vasinda, Ryter, Hathcock, & Wang, 2017), ICT policies, funding, and ongoing training opportunities for teachers (Hamel, Turcotte, & Laferrière, 2013;Laferrière, Hamel, & Searson, 2013) have also been identified to impact technology use in classrooms.…”

Supporting Science Teachers’ Learner-Centered Technology Integration through Situated Mentoring

“…Overall, the greatest perceived barrier to learner-centered technology integration was lack of time, reported both before and after the situated mentoring. Lack of time has also been reported as a major barrier in previous research studies (An & Reigeluth, 2011;Francom, 2016;Pritchett, Pritchett, & Wohleb, 2013). While it is difficult to increase the amount of teachers' time to learn, plan, and practice, effective professional development such as situated mentoring can help over time.…”