Date of Award
Summer 6-21-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Donna Graham, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Julie McCann, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Michael Hollis, Ph.D.
Abstract
To bridge the digital divide, school districts across the nation are adapting one-to-one Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for their students. Each student in the program receives a laptop, Chromebook, or tablet for them to do digital assignments at school as well as at home. While the ICT digital divide was significantly reduced with one-to-one programs, another divide emerged from students who did not have access to the internet at home. The purpose of this qualitative study was to find out how students who did not have internet access at home felt about being a one-to-one ICT program. The researcher used Lave and Wenger’s (1991) situated learning theory as the theoretical framework to support the data, student narratives, and findings in the study. The sample in the study were 15 one-to-one middle school students who did not have internet access at home from a Title I school in Texas. The researcher’s qualitative methods to collect data included a questionnaire, individual interviews, as well as three focus groups. The results of this study indicate that students in the sample had difficulty conducting research, collaborating in group work, and trouble with completing digital homework assignments. The researcher also shared recommendations to improve the one-to-one ICT programs and policies to serve all students.