Browsing by Author "Dr. Marsha Alibrandi, Committee Co-Chair"

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    Draft - From The Computer Lab To The Classroom: A Case Study On The Nature of Technology Integration In a Social Studies Methods Course With Preservice Teachers
    (2003-03-20) Bull, Prince Hycy; Dr. Ellen Vasu, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Marsha Alibrandi, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Jane Steelman, Committee Member; Dr. Anna Wilson, Committee Member; Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Member
    The purpose of the study was a case study on the nature of technology integration in a social studies methods course and its impact on the practices of preservice teachers during the course and during their practica experiences. The study was conducted with seven preservice teachers and the methods instructor. The case study addressed the following areas: the constructivist integration of technology, the impact of instructor's modeling behavior on preservice teachers' attitudes and practices toward information technology, factors that influenced preservice teachers' attitudes toward using information technology, factors that promoted preservice teachers' integration of technology during their practica experiences, factors that hindered preservice teachers' integration of technology during their practica experiences, and the impact of technology integration on the basic computer skill levels of preservice teachers. Data were collected through observations, document analysis, formal and informal interviews and questionnaires. Data were coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method and descriptive statistics. The descriptive statistics design was used to enrich the case study data. The data on the constructivist integration show that the instructor integrated components of the proposed constructivist model developed by Ewing et al. (1998) for the WWW STARS Project. Using the Teachers' Attitude Toward Computer (TAC) scale, there was no noteworthy difference between the pre-course and post-course scores of preservice teachers' attitudes toward computer. The case study data show that the main reason why the descriptive statistics data were not noteworthy was that all the preservice teachers had positive attitudes toward computer at the beginning of the course and the course reinforced that positive attitude. Using the Teachers' Attitude Toward Information Technology, there was no noteworthy difference in the pre-course and post-course scores of preservice teachers' attitudes toward information technology. The case study data show that the main reason why the descriptive statistics data were not noteworthy was that preservice teachers had a positive disposition to information technology prior to the integration of technology in this course. A breakdown of the components of TAT yielded similar results. Though, the case study data show that preservice teachers had a positive attitude toward computer and information technology prior to the beginning of this course, one major finding was that preservice teachers stated that the integration of technology in the methods course made them 'comfortable', 'confident' and 'more fluent' in using technology in teaching. Preservice teachers felt that the instructor's style of integrating technology was beneficial to them in varying degrees. The advanced users felt that the instructor's modeling behavior did not meet their expectations for the course because of their experience level. The beginner and intermediate users felt that the integration was very beneficial to them. Preservice teachers identified five factors that influenced their attitude towards information technology and computer technology. Preservice teachers identified ten factors that influenced the integration of technology during their practica experiences. Preservice teachers identified thirteen factors that affected technology integration during their practica experiences. Using the North Carolina Basic Technology Competencies (NCBTCE) modified by this researcher, there was a noteworthy difference in the pre-course and post-course mean percentile scores of preservice teachers. The post-course scores were higher than the pre-course scores. The advanced and intermediate users felt that technology integration did not make a significant difference on their computer skill levels, whereas the beginners felt that there was significant impact on their computer skill level.
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    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Instructional Technology (IT) Diffusion: K-12 Student and Educator Conceptualizations
    (2006-09-09) White, Shannon Hill; Dr. Joseph Kerski, Committee Member; Dr. Marsha Alibrandi, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Alan Foley, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Ellen Vasu, Committee Member; Dr. Peter Hessling, Committee Member
    The purpose of this study was to investigate student and educator conceptualizations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Instructional Technology (IT), and GIS in schools. GIS in education research to date has not focused on the understandings of educators and students. Studying these conceptualizations may further investigation of GIS as an instructional technology in K-12 education. Representational drawings and interviews in this study illustrated spatial and linguistic conceptualizations based on Paivio's (1991) dual coding theory and is situated in Roger's (2003) diffusion of innovations theory. This multiple-case study combines qualitative and phenomenographic research methods. Phenomenographic researchers seek to categorize the common understandings generated by a set of individual participants to better illustrate internal representations of phenomena. Data collected included three representational drawings and three semi-structured interviews from each participant. Participants were selected based on the criteria of equivalent GIS skills and training. The four educators represented varied K-12 settings and curriculum areas in secondary and middle schools. The two students were middle schoolers. Each session began with a participant generating a representational drawing on a focused research question. Subsequent interviews expanded on participant conceptualizations that emerged in the drawings and probed further understandings of the phenomena represented. The data revealed participants' allocentric and egocentric positions of observation. The common understandings emergent in the data provided context for the analysis of GIS, IT, and GIS in schools within the framework of Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory. The data indicated that to date, IT is further advanced in schools' adoption and implementation process of diffusion than is GIS, which is located in Rogers' (2003) initial stages of matching and agenda-setting. The confluence of participants' understandings of GIS and IT provided insights into awareness issues, uncertainties, and questions that must be examined in schools' innovation decision making.