Date of Award

Winter 11-26-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.

College

College of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Donna Graham, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Dana Shelton, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Debra Smith, Ph.D.

Abstract

Teachers are facing the challenge of implementing division and school-level technology integration practices while meeting the needs of all students. This qualitative research study sought to discover how teacher technology self-efficacy influences computer-assisted instruction in urban elementary schools in Virginia. The Technology Proficiency Self-Assessment (TPSA) questionnaire was administered to certified core-content teachers at sixteen urban elementary school sites in Virginia in order to gauge teachers’ current level of technology self-efficacy. Three self-efficacy groups were formed based on data collected from the questionnaire: low-to-medium, medium-to-high, and very high. From that population, purposive sampling was used to determine the participants for the case study. Twenty teachers with varying levels of technology self-efficacy were selected. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with ten teachers and the remaining ten teachers participated in one of two focus groups to gain a better understanding of how self-efficacy levels, resources, and professional development impact computer-assisted instructional practices. After manual and software coding, the data was analyzed in reference to the research question. Results revealed internal and external factors that influenced teachers’ technology self-efficacy, including personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. The finding also indicated more can be done to support increased technology self-efficacy in teachers, which may increase computer-assisted instruction and student achievement in urban elementary schools.

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