Teachers’ Perceptions: barriers and supports to using technology in the classroom

TLDR

Fifty‑four elementary and secondary teachers participated in focus groups and a survey to examine barriers and supports to computer integration. Teachers used computers at home and school but were not fully comfortable; familiarity predicted comfort, which in turn correlated with greater classroom integration, and thematic analysis identified six key barriers and supports, leading to a framework for understanding individual and environmental factors affecting computer integration.

Abstract

Fifty‐four elementary and secondary school teachers participated in focus‐group discussions and completed a survey to examine barriers and supports to computer integration. Although teachers used computers at home and school, they were not wholly comfortable with the technology. Familiarity with computers predicted greater comfort with technology and greater comfort was related to greater integration in the classroom. Thematic analysis of the focus groups yielded six major themes, including issues related to: support, teachers, context and access, students, computer hardware and software problems, and external or other priorities. The discussion of computer integration also inspired substantial emotional responses on the part of teachers. Together, the survey and focus‐group findings yielded a framework for identifying individual and environmental issues which impact on computer integration.