| As schools continue to invest in technology and place computers throughout their campuses, teachers are expected to integrate the technology into their teaching. Yet, many teachers report not having the confidence and skills to effectively integrate computer-based technology. The purpose of this study was to determine if access to computer-based technology, participation in computer-based training, and amount of time teachers spend planning and using computer-based technology influence teachers' use of computer-based technology. One hundred forty-two elementary teachers from one North Central Texas county were surveyed concerning their access and use of computer-based technology. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered for this study. The chi-square statistic was used for each hypothesis. Cramer's V measure of association was used, where appropriate, to identify the strength of the relationship between various variables. Emerging themes were identified from teacher interviews.; Of the 15 identified instructional activities, 14 were shown to have some association with the amount of access teachers have to computer-based technology. Seven of the 14 maintained minimal expected cell counts. Instructional activities: tutorials, testing, presenting new material, remediation/acceleration, drill and practice, recreational/educational games, and information access.; Most teachers (n = 116, 81.7%) had access to computer-based technology in at least one location. The most commonly reported use of computer-based technology included access to information via the Internet, word processing, and recreational/educational games. Only 28.2% of the teachers had access to computers at home that were used for instructional purposes. The classroom (72%) and the computer lab (65%) were the most common location of access to computer-based technology. Learning from peers and self-taught were the two most common methods of learning and practicing computer-based technology.; From this study, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Teachers are using instructional activities that require little or no preparation; (2) Current training lacks the richness in content and focus to prepare teachers to use more time-intensive and/or advanced computer-based technology applications; (3) Relevant software and training is not widely available to teachers; and (4) Teachers lack the time to develop and create computer-based lessons and instructional activities. |
