Understanding factors associated with teacher‐directed student use of technology in elementary classrooms: A structural equation modeling approach

TLDR

The study analyzes secondary data from the Use, Support and Effect of Instructional Technology project to identify predictors of teacher‑directed student use of technology in elementary classrooms. A teacher‑level structural equation model was built from a convenience sample of 1,040 teachers in 81 schools across 21 Massachusetts districts, grounded in diffusion and adoption theories and prior empirical evidence. The strongest predictors of technology use were teachers’ experience, belief in its instructional benefits, perceived importance for teaching, and obstacles to integration, with teachers’ beliefs and perceived importance emerging as the most influential factors.

Abstract

Abstract Analyses presented here are secondary data analyses of the Use, Support and Effect of Instructional Technology study aimed at identifying predictors of teacher‐directed student use of technology (TDS) in elementary classrooms. Using data from a convenience sample of 1040 teachers nested within 81 schools in 21 Massachusetts' school districts, researchers developed a teacher‐level structural equation modeling for TDS depicting relationships between and among factors associated with TDS. Researchers relied on diffusion and adoption theories as well as prior empirical evidence to specify the hypothetical model. Evidence presented here suggests that the strongest predictors of TDS are as follows: (1) teachers' experience with technology, (2) belief that technology is beneficial to meet instructional goals, (3) perceived importance of technology for teaching and that (4) experiencing obstacles with the integration of technology appears to be one deterrent to teachers using technology in the classroom. The most important finding reported here is that two of the most important factors in increasing TDS are teachers' beliefs about the benefits of technology and perceived importance of technology for teaching.