| This study investigated the level of technology competence for secondary principals and other school-based administrators (assistant principals, vice principals, or administrative assistants). This study examined the relationship between the level of use of computer applications by the secondary principals and previous computer use, computer training, perceptions, and attitudes that were held by the school administrators toward computers. The methodology used in this study was quantitative. This study used a descriptive design as a means to investigate the level of technology competence for secondary principals and other school-based administrators (assistant principals, vice principals, or administrative assistants). These hypotheses guided the study: there is no statistically significant difference in the mean scale scores for skill importance between the secondary principals and the other administrators (assistant principals, vice principals or administrative assistants), for the technology competence, for frequency of use between the secondary principals and the other administrators, and for perceptions and attitudes of school-based administrators toward computer use and the use of computer applications. The survey instrument used in this study was the Technology Competence Survey for School-Based Administrators. The population was secondary principals and other school-based administrators (assistant principals, vice principals, or administrative assistants) located in the Tri-County of the southeastern part of South Carolina. The results of this research study indicated that both principals and other administrators were found to place a high level of importance on technology skills, rate themselves as fairly to highly technologically competent, used technology frequently, and had positive perceptions and attitudes about technology. The findings of this research study were consistent with previous research that principals, who modeled the use of technology, shared their learning, and actively learned about technology, and were more likely to have faculty and students who used technology in their daily practice (Page-Jones, 2008). |
