Measuring Quality Technology Integration in Science Classrooms

Abstract

Researchers, evaluators, and practitioners need tools to distinguish between applications of technology that support, enhance, and transform classroom instruction and those that are ineffective or even deleterious. Here we present a new classroom observation protocol designed specifically to capture the quality of technology use to support science inquiry in high school science classrooms. We iteratively developed and piloted the Technology Observation Protocol for Science (TOP-Science), building directly on our published framework for quality technology integration. Development included determining content and face validity, as well as the calculation of reliability estimates across a broad range of high school science classrooms. The resulting protocol focuses on the integration of technology in classrooms on three dimensions: science and engineering practices, student-centered teaching, and contextualization. It uses both quantitative coding and written descriptions of evidence for each code; both are synthesized in a multi-dimensional measure of quality. Data are collected and evaluated from the perspective of the teacher's intentions, actions, and reflections on these actions. This protocol fills an important gap in understanding technology's role in teaching and learning by doing more than monitoring technology's presence or absence, and considering its integration in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards science and engineering practices. Its applications include research, evaluation, and potentially peer evaluation.

Informational Competencies: Cognitive strategies to promote the development of research in teachers of a Higher Education Institution

“…Information literacy (Alfin) provides educators with the attitudes, knowledge and attitudes with a research component, to act critically with information through the use of technology that could generate changes that herald a new educational era (Parker et al, 2019), where academic writing is no longer just about reading materials assigned by teachers but also intensively involves information literacy (Kocatepe, 2021), to empower them for the creation and dissemination of information and prepare them for more active participation in research development in the 21st century.…”

“Development and validation of the ICAP Technology Scale to measure how teachers integrate technology into learning activities”

“…The limitation of these 'techno-centric' scales is that they focus on the use of specific digital tools, and this focus does not reveal any information on how the technology is integrated to support different learning activities. Indeed, even if a technology was not developed for specific teaching and learning purposes, teachers can integrate it in different ways that promote learning (Parker et al, 2019). Furthermore, the indicator of the frequency of digital devices or software use in the classroom is not enough to understand the pedagogy underlying the integration of technology and thus does not allow investigation of the implications of technology use in sustaining teaching and learning.…”

Impact of Computer Integrated Technique in Science Education at Elementary Level: A Study in Karachi

“…Schools need to do away with traditional methods of teaching that are unproductive and ineffective and teachers require gears for assisting, augmenting, and even altering classroom instruction (Parker et al, 2019). Instead of focusing on rote learning for science concepts, digital tools should be used to help students to share, compare, and evaluate data (Cauthers & Cauthers, 2018).…”