Teacher Perceptions on the Use of Technology with English Language Learner

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand general education teachers' perceptions regarding their use of technology with students who qualify for English Language Learner services in an urban Georgia school district. The self-efficacy theory originated by Bandura was used to examine 17 teachers' experiences of using technology as possible personal preference or as being influenced by environmental factors. The following three research questions were used: (1) How do teachers describe their use of technology in a classroom setting? (2) What are the participants' understandings of instructional technology in relation to ELL students? (3) How do teachers of ELL students describe their confidence in integrating instructional technology? Participants were interviewed by the researcher, participated in a focus group, and answered a questionnaire. Moustakas' seven steps were used to analyze the data including horizonalization, identifying individual and composite textural descriptions, and developing structural themes. Each participants' experiences were viewed independently and then grouped by meaning and similarities into clusters. Results indicated participants used technology daily for instructional and organizational purposes, participants used research based instructional strategies, including technology, but viewed them as universal strategies to use with all students including ELLS, and participants' confidence in integrating technology varied based on perceived barriers. Implications for the classroom teachers and their ELLs and for district leaders were discovered and discussed. Recommendations for future research include duplication of the study with a larger sample size or participants from across Georgia or the United States, blended learning for ELLs, and teacher expectation for ELLs.