Teacher Instructional Technology Literacy Instruction Improve Elementary

¶ … teacher instructional technology literacy instruction improve elementary (K-5) student achievement reading vocabulary? Create a qualitative research scenario phenomenology approach.

Using phenomenology

Does the use of instructional technology improve elementary (K-5) student reading vocabulary?

In the era of high-stakes testing, student performance on reading has become increasingly important in determining school evaluations. Reading is a fundamental skill necessary for future success in life. Students are reading in a paper-based format less frequently, at younger ages. This research study will attempt to asses the impact of using technology within the classroom to enhance vocabulary recognition. Previous research indicates that "teacher-made online learning resources provide course content anchored resources that focus on specific real world tasks in class, and a supportive authentic learning environment to learners" (Li 2011).

Using technology to teach reading has several apparent advantages. First of all, it can deploy a multimedia strategy to enhance student engagement. Students are often more 'tuned into' and 'turned on' by media with a visual, auditory, and multisensory component beyond the purely written. Students from highly technologically-connected environments have come to expect a certain level of excitement and entertainment, based upon their interactions outside of school. Technology in the classroom can help to captivate their attention. For students who come from households with low levels of technological literacy, using technology in the classroom increases their comfort level in a manner which is useful for their future schooling and performance in the workplace.

Of course, the ubiquity of technology in everyday life is one source of resistance to expanding the use of technology in the classroom. Objectors feel that students spend enough time staring at screens during their leisure time and do not need to spend additional hours in school doing so. There are even fears that for students who are too young, exposure to technology can change students' brain structure, making them more dependent upon quick, easy systems of rewards. They feel it favors students who have 24/7 access to technology at home, in terms of school performance. Most standardized state tests are still given via a paper-based format so technology instruction may not be the best medium for students. And some teachers are simply wary of technology because they fear it places them at a disadvantage, if students are more fluent in the use of such technology than themselves.

However, proponents of the technology would counter this is precisely why it should be used: it scaffolds or builds upon students' current frameworks of competencies. "The Internet-based learning environment facilitates learning activities with fast, convenient and time effective features simulating the real world tasks. Transferring learning resources to Internet enhances the student engagement and arouses learning interest" (Li 2011). Also, regardless of one feels that technology is 'bad' or 'good, it is clearly here to stay, and many standardized tests (like the GRE) are given solely online, and this is likely to increase in the future. The sooner students become comfortable with technology in the classroom, and reading critically in a technological format, the better.

To study the impact of technology in enhancing reading comprehension, this study will follow a school that makes use of a phenomenological approach, assessing the impact of introducing the regular use of technology to promote improved language skills within a fifth grade classroom over the course of one year. Instead of taking a typical experimental approach, with a control group and an experimental group, each of which is exposed to the new technology in question, the phenomenological approach has the advantage of being able to assess idiosyncratic aspects of human experience. Technology and its interaction with learners, particularly young learners, is still an evolving concept and its impact remains uncertain. "Information and communication technology (simply referred to as 'information technology' here) is changing many aspects of human endeavor and existence. This is beyond dispute for most. What are contested are the social and ethical implications of these changes. It is possible to argue that the source of these disputes is the multiple ways in which one can conceptualize and interpret the information technology/society interrelationship" (Introna 2011). An experimental approach views technology as something which does something 'to' a population, while a phenomenological approach is concerned about the dialogue between technology and society, and how both can impact one another in interesting and complicated ways. "Phenomenologists would suggest that to understand the technology/society relationship we need to reveal how they co-constitute each other -- i.e. draw on each other for their ongoing meaning and sense" (Introna 2011).

Students, in other words, will not merely get better or worse regarding their vocabulary performance based upon using technology. Their point-of-view of reading may change. Their confidence or lack thereof regarding the use of technology and also learning independently will be impacted by this change in learning strategy. And, no less importantly, their relationship with their teachers will change. While performance on testes and overall comprehension is important to note, given this will impact how the success of the program is viewed and whether it is likely to continue, so it will not be the only feature of interest for this qualitative study. The emotions and social interactions of the students and teachers in relationship to technology will affect the program's efficacy, just as much as is actual design. Learning is a social activity that always takes place in a particular context, amongst particular individuals, the concept of phenomenology counsels.

Sample

The sample will be drawn from a single 5th grade. All 5th grades at the school will be engaged in the use of a computer program with an online component that is designed to help enhance students' vocabulary and performance. Teachers and students will both be involved in the study. The school will be selected to offer a population that is both large and diverse, encompassing students of a wide range of abilities, demographic backgrounds, and levels exposure to technology before beginning the program.