A study of the effects of integrating instructional technology on student achievement in low socioeconomic status elementary schools.

摘要

The use of instructional technology in public elementary schools has increased over the years. However, the digital divide gap between low and high socioeconomic public elementary schools is incomparable. Instructional technologies available in public schools include computers, Smart Boards, response cards, interwrite tablets and LCD projectors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if adopting instructional technology (IT) had an effect on student achievement in low socioeconomic public schools in Georgia. This study researched the relationship between student academic performance as measured by the percentage of students receiving passing composite scores (i.e., reading, English, and mathematics) on Georgia's Criterion-Referenced Competency Test in Title I schools and teachers' attitudes toward the use of IT and the relationship between teachers' attitudes toward IT and the barriers that may prohibit the integration of IT in Title I schools. The quantitative method served as the research methodology for the study using a survey instrument consisting of 49 questions in five different categories relating to teachers' use and attitudes towards IT. Results indicated three Null Hypotheses were retained.