Abstract
This chapter presents findings from a study that utilized Davis' (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate K-8 teachers' instructional usage of the interactive whiteboard (IWB). Through surveying 145 teachers and 40 administrators of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod schools, the researcher used multiple regression and moderator analyses to examine whether the TAM model helped explain teachers' reported teacher-centered and student-centered instructional IWB use. The results of the study indicated two variables adapted from the TAM, teachers' perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of the IWB, contributed to the prediction of teacher-centered instructional usage, and PU contributed to the prediction of student-centered instructional usage. Moderator analysis indicated the variable for teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge of the IWB moderated the relationships between PEOU of the IWB and each teacher and student-centered instructional usage, as well as between PU of the IWB and teacher-centered instructional usage.
TopIntroduction
Our society is evolving at rapid pace, challenging individuals and organizations to incorporate new technological tools into existing practice. Over the past decade, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) is a tool that has proven to be is valuable in teaching and learning (de Koster, Volman, & Kuiper, 2013). The body of literature on classroom IWB use suggests that the tool has the potential to foster positive learning outcomes in contexts from early childhood to the secondary level (Winzenried, Dalgarno, & Tinkler, 2010). According to Lee (2010), the IWB has had a powerful impact on transforming teaching from a traditional paper-based format to a digital mode.
However, research suggests that teachers do not necessarily utilize the technology that is available to them for instruction as they do for other purposes (Dorsen, Gibbs, Guerrero, & McDevitt, 2004). Specifically, Dorsen et al. (2004) wrote:
Schools may have all of the latest technological resources and systems in place so that students and faculty might have convenient access to this technology. The crucial factor in the digital divide equation is whether these tools are being used and how effectively they are being used in instructional settings. (p. 305)
If teacher utilization of available instructional technology tools is essential to closing this digital divide, naturally the question as to what motivates teachers to use instructional technology arises.
This chapter reports on a study that investigated a unique subset of teachers in the United States teaching in parochial schools within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Specifically, the study that examined teachers’ reported instructional usage of a popular form of instructional technology, the interactive whiteboard (IWB), and teacher reported variables identified in the research literature as factors influencing teachers’ technology use. Understanding the extent to which teachers in this distinct parochial school setting adopted the IWB can help school leaders gain insight into how teachers adapt to a technologically advancing classroom.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Student-Centered Instructional IWB Usage (SCIU): Refers to instruction during which students are provided with opportunities to interact with the IWB.
Instructional IWB Usage (IU): Refers to the ways in which a teacher uses the IWB for classroom instruction.
Perceived Usefulness (PU): A component of Davis’ (1989) original TAM model measured through seven self-report questionnaire items defined as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance” (p. 320).
Interactive Whiteboard (IWB): For the purposes of this study, an interactive whiteboard is defined as a touch-sensitive presentation system which links together a whiteboard, computer, and multimedia projector.
Rostered Lutheran School Teacher: Refers to a Lutheran school teacher who has been synodically trained by an LCMS through undergraduate work or a colloquy process.
Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU): A component of Davis’ (1989) original TAM model measured through seven self-report questionnaire items defined as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort” (p. 320).
Behavior Intention (BI): A component of Davis’ (1989) original TAM model defined as an individual’s intention to perform the behavior ( Davis et al., 1989 ).
Teacher-Centered Instructional IWB Usage (TCIU): Defined as instruction during which the teacher controls the IWB.