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A STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT IN A PREDOMINATELY RURAL, HISPANIC
REGION AND ITS CONNECTIONS TO TEACHER PEDAGOGY
BY GAIL G. GRUBER, B.A.E.D., M.Ed.
Doctor of Education
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico, 2003
Dr. Karin Wiburg, Chair

This research was conducted to examine the change in teacher practices following technology integration professional development creating new student learning opportunities. The teachers’ attitudes toward computers and how these might interact with classroom integration were also studied.

With the emphasis of professional development in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002 (No Child Left Behind), the transfer of teacher learning to student learning opportunities becomes much more important.

This study was conducted with the population in a rural, isolated area in Southwestern United States. The school districts served by the regional resource center are located in economically depressed rural communities that cover an area larger than the state of Maryland. The 243 public school teachers who received professional development from the regional resource center between 1999 and 2002 were the population for this study. The teachers ranged from beginning to experienced, master-level status and taught all levels—PreK to 12—and all subjects. The methodology for this case study included both focus group interviews and a survey instrument. Focus group interviews were chosen for data gathering because they are an appropriate method for exploratory research. The give and take from interviews provides a large body of information for data analysis. It was determined that to further understand the perceptions of the teachers involved, both an attitudinal and pedagogical survey instrument was needed. The Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Information Technology Questionnaire (TAT v3.2a) and thirty pedagogical questions were used by permission from the Arlington VA Public Schools were sent to the
entire population. Although change did not occur in all classrooms of individuals trained by the RRC, change did take place in some classrooms and even in an entire school. Overall, the participants had a positive attitude toward and perception of technology relative to its teaching-learning support. Almost two-thirds of the participants have their students make use of classroom computers on at least a weekly basis.