Teachers who Initiate Changes with an Ebook-Integrated Curriculum: Revisiting the Developmental Assumptions of Stages of Concerns in the Concerns-Based Adoption Model

Abstract

Understanding teachers’ concerns about integrating new technology to their curricular practices is essential for the improvement of pedagogical practices. Using in-depth interviews, this study aims 1) to explore and describe concerns of teachers who attempted to initiate ebook-integrated curriculum independently in a higher education setting, and 2) to examine how well the Stages of Concerns (SoC) in Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) explains the change processes of the teachers. This study challenges the developmental assumptions underlying the SoC in CBAM and suggests that the theoretical framework must address individuals’ idiosyncratic traits as a contextual factor to better explain the change processes of teachers who initiate change in higher education. Additionally, future research directions pertaining to the adoption of innovations by teachers are suggested.