Experiences of Teachers Implementing Technology in Rural School Districts

Date of Award

5-1-2025

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership

Department

School of Education and Health Sciences

Advisor/Chair

Pamela Young

Abstract

Across the United States, technology has embedded itself in schools and classrooms to provide students with a 21st-century educational experience. Teachers have had to integrate technology into their pedagogy to ensure students are not only getting the information they need but also the skills to be technology-fluent when they leave high school with a diploma. For rural schools, fiscal and human resources can be limited in what technology can be implemented in the school setting when compared to suburban and urban school districts. The experiences of these teachers are essential to understand so resources can be maximized and offer an equal or better experience compared to other districts. This study looked at the experiences of teachers in rural high school districts in southwest Ohio who are designated typology two by the Department of Education and Workforce. These high schools also had a one-to-one implementation model in their building, meaning each student had a device assigned to them. Fourteen teachers with five or more years of experience in core subject areas such as mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts were interviewed and asked 14 questions using the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM 3). Transcripts from the interviews were coded, and themes were discovered within the data. When completed, four themes were found: 1) Teacher input during implementation, 2) Support across multiple levels, 3) Professional accountability, and 4) One-size-fits-all professional development.

Keywords

Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Inservice Training, Technology

Rights Statement

Copyright 2025, author.

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