The Self-Efficacy of the Elementary Teacher toward Technology Use

The intent of this qualitative research was to use an ethnographic, case study design to examine the self-efficacy of the elementary teacher and how it affects his/her willingness to engage in student-centered practices of technology use. The study was based around three themes: the beliefs and attitudes of the elementary teacher toward technology use in instruction; teacher's self-efficacy toward technology use; and, the impact that leadership can have on the willingness of the teachers to use technology. The central question was explored using the following five sub-questions. How or to what extent are the teachers using the technology for instruction? How or to what extent are students getting an opportunity to use technology in the classroom? Do teachers believe that they know how to effectively engage students in using technology during instruction? What is the impact of leadership on teachers' willingness to use technology in instruction? And, what are the factors that teachers perceive as limitations to their willingness to use technology in a student-centered approach? Data was collected using a qualitative ethnographic, case study approach. Six teachers who teach in grades three, four or five from a rural, suburban school district in south central Pennsylvania were asked to participate in the study. Each teacher was interviewed, observed and asked to provide a collection of artifacts. The Director of Technology from the school district of study was also interviewed to provide an administrative perspective. The findings from the study showed that the teachers in the study used technology in their instruction for both teacher and student use; teachers used a variety of technology resources; there was a desire to learn more about technology use; and, they talked about the benefit of having peers that could provide support. The teachers expressed the importance that leadership could have on influencing their willingness to use technology in instruction. And, the teachers explained that small group instruction with hands-on experiences was the preferred method of professional development. The recommendation for administrators and school leaders is that leadership can have a positive effect on the self-efficacy of elementary teachers toward using technology in their instruction.