Term of Award

Spring 2010

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Committee Chair

Gregory Chamblee

Committee Member 1

Kent Rittschof

Committee Member 2

Scott Slough

Committee Member 3

John Weaver

Committee Member 3 Email

jweaver@georgiasouthern.edu

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess how mathematics teachers with varying years of Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) experience differ in their implementation of IWBs. The theoretical frameworks were constructivism and change theory. Six teachers participated in the full scale study, two in each IWB experience category: Beginner, Intermediate, and Experienced. Instruments of the Concerns Based Adoption Model were used to collect data about the participants: the Stages of Concern Questionnaire measured participants' concerns about IWBs (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006) while the Levels of Use Interview Protocol analyzed IWB usage (Hall, Dirksen, & George, 2006). Two lessons of each participant were also video-recorded and analyzed according to the guidelines of Glover, Miller, Averis, and Door (2007). A mixed methods case study approach was utilized to compare the IWB users within and between groups. Quantitative analyses of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire indicated that IWB experience does influence concerns; teachers with more IWB experience generally reported higher Stages of Concern than less experienced IWB users. Effective collaboration with an Experienced IWB user, however, can greatly improve the concerns of a Beginner IWB user. Qualitative analyses of the Levels of Use interviews and the video-recorded lessons indicated that IWB experience does impact usage during lessons. In general, more experienced IWB users demonstrated greater knowledge about IWB features and how to integrate them into lessons to improve student learning. Again, effective collaboration with an Experienced IWB user appeared to improve the performance of a Beginner IWB user compared to other, less experienced IWB users. Collaborations between similarly experienced participants who shared time management concerns did not seem to have as much of an impact on IWB knowledge. Based on the findings of this study, the following efforts should be pursued to maximize the benefits of IWB technology in mathematics classrooms: encourage collaboration, provide full-time access to IWB technology, use IWBs with other technologies, ensure adequate training, and properly install the IWB's projector to reduce recalibration needs.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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