| Though there is evidence that postsecondary foreign language (FL) teachers have not maximized computer technology for language teaching and learning, there is a lack of studies that attempt to uncover reasons for this underutilization. Research in other disciplines within general education suggested that teachers' beliefs in student-centeredness affect their educational technology practices. This quantitative, correlational dissertation filled a gap in the available literature by focusing on examining the direction and strength of correlation between beliefs in student-centeredness and the educational technology practices among postsecondary FL teachers. Through the use of a self-report, online survey, teachers' educational technology practices were measured in terms of the frequency with which they (a) use particular types of software in class, (b) direct students to use particular types of software for learning in class, and (c) employ various means of integrating computers in class. Teacher's beliefs in student-centeredness, the predictor variable, were measured in terms of the degree of belief in the centrality of the learner. The sample consisted of 248 postsecondary teachers of 17 different languages at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California. Data analyses revealed that there is no relationship between beliefs in student-centeredness and teacher software use, student software use, or technology integration practices among postsecondary FL teachers. This suggests that future researchers should consider focusing on exploring other factors that affect technology integration. Instead of depending only on self-report surveys, researchers that choose to focus on the role of beliefs in technology integration are encouraged to utilize alternative methods to measure beliefs such as interviews or classroom observations. |
