Table Of ContentEVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PERSONALIZED, PEDAGOGY-BASED
TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL IN TEACHER
PREPARATION PROGRAMS
by
MAEGAN ELIZABETH SLATEN BIEHN
MARGARET L. RICE, COMMITTEE CHAIR
ANGELA BENSON
TIMOTHY D. LEWIS
ELIZABETH K. WILSON
VIVIAN H. WRIGHT
A DISSERTATION
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Department of Educational Leadership,
Policy, and Technology Studies
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA
2015
Copyright Maegan Slaten Biehn 2015
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT
Technology plays an integral part in today’s classrooms, so there is no question that it
should play an equally important role in teacher preparation programs. While technology classes
are in place in most institutions, research has shown that some College of Education faculty
members, especially those in content areas outside technology, are still resistant to the
pedagogical use of technological tools in their curriculum (Britten & Craig, 2006; Trehearn,
2010; Tondeur et al., 2010). Barriers cited range from lack of access to appropriate tools and
inadequate professional development to low self -efficacy and negative attitudes toward the
effectiveness of technology integration (Reid, 2014). This causes a problem because not only are
students missing out on valuable learning experiences that only technology can provide, but
effective modeling of pedagogical -based technology has been shown to encourage pre -service
teachers’ use of technology once in the field (Baylor & Ritchie, 2002; Strudler & Wetzel, 1999,
Tondeur, 2011).
A large university in the southeastern United States has developed a pedagogy-based,
personalized instructional technology professional development model that aims to address this
problem by providing faculty members with timely, personalized professional development,
resources, and support. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate the effectiveness of
this pedagogical-based, personalized, professional development model as it pertains to these
particular barriers in hopes of promoting effective technology use in the teacher education
program.
ii
Frequent participants of this model were interviewed to provide the researcher some
insight into their experiences with the lab, best practices, and the professional development’s
impact on their technology usage. Participants were asked to provide artifacts to demonstrate
their increased technology integration and the artifacts did indicate changes in teaching and use
of technology. Based on the findings, this model did have an impact on technology usage in the
teacher education classroom – not only with the teachers, but with the students as well. Artifacts
and participant discussion of students’ improvement in class work supported this claim. The
study findings revealed five major themes: a) unexpected learning occurs; b) on-demand,
personalized professional development is a necessity; c) need for extended opportunities for
learning; d) changes in teaching; and e) benefits to students.
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DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to my friends and family, who have supported me through
every step of this journey. To my parents, Ted and Vanessa Slaten, thank you for loving me;
instilling in me the importance of education; and giving me the opportunities and encouragement
to always reach for my dreams. I could not have done this without your love, support, and
guidance. To my little brother, Joshua Slaten, thank you for always being my cheerleader, my
voice of reason, and my biggest supporter. You were there through some of the toughest times
of this journey, and I am thankful to have had you next door (or a phone call away) if I needed
anything from a laugh to some words of encouragement. You are the best little brother a girl
could ask for; I am grateful. To my husband, Alex Biehn, thank you for your never-ending love,
support, and encouragement. When I started this journey, we were dating, and I know you had
no idea how much this would impact your life as well, but thank you for sticking around; being
my cheerleader (even when you were living 8 hours away); taking care of things around the
house so that I could focus on my work; and, of course loving me and supporting my endeavors.
I am forever grateful and I love you more than I can ever say! To my grandparents, Jack and
Lucy Winton, thank you for always being there for me and pushing me to do my best in
whatever dream I was pursuing. You are some of my biggest supporters, and, in everything I do,
I hope I make you proud! To the rest of my family, friends, and colleagues, I cannot begin to list
the people who have played a part in the process, but I am thankful for every single one of you.
Your thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, love, and support have meant the world to me.
I love you all!
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This dissertation was written in memory of my grandparents, Charles and Kathryn Slaten;
my great-grandmother, Mattie “Jane” Winton; and my best friend, Rebecca Elaine Little. Each
one of you played a huge role in this process, and I only wish you were all here to see it through.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This journey has been a long one, but I am thankful for every person who played a part of
seeing me through the finish line.
First and foremost, thank you to my family and friends, to whom this dissertation is
dedicated. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for them and their never-ending support,
love, and encouragement. They cheered me on when things were going well, gave me pep talks
when I was ready to give up, and supported me every step of the way. I could not have done it
without them and am thankful to have had such a wonderful support system in place.
Secondly, thank you to my committee, who have been the best teachers and mentors one
could ask for. They have all provided me with opportunities for research, service, and teaching
and have been so supportive every step of the way. To my committee chairwoman, Dr. Margaret
Rice, thank you for your never-ending guidance and support. From the conception of this topic
(and the prior one), to the end, I could always count on you for your honest feedback, guidance,
and support. Thank you for pushing me along the way, and never letting me give up. To Dr.
Vivian Wright, thank you for encouraging me to apply for this program to begin with and for
being so helpful and supportive along the way. It has meant a lot! To Dr. Angela Benson, you
have been a wonderful teacher, and mentor, and I am thankful that you gave me the opportunity
to pursue my dream of teaching here at the Capstone. For that, I will be forever grateful. To Dr.
Timothy Lewis, thank you for your guidance, support, and words of encouragement through
every step in this journey. I also appreciate you making the trip from AUM for my meetings!
And finally, to Dr. Liza Wilson, although I have not known you long, you have made such an
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impact on my life in a short time. Thank you for your guidance, support, and providing me with
the wonderful opportunity to manage the ITTLL. You are all wonderful inspirations, and I am
thankful to have you i n my life.
And finally to my colleagues and friends, thank you for your continued support. From
the group projects and hours of evening classes to wading through portfolios and dissertations,
you have been around every step of the way. I am so grateful t o have the opportunity to work
and/or tackle this journey alongside of you. They say that you do no t understand until you have
been through it yourself, and through this process, I realize that it could not be more true. Thank
you for being the support s ystem that no one else could provide.
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................2
Statement of the Purpose .....................................................................................................3
Significance of the Study .....................................................................................................3
Research Question ...............................................................................................................4
Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................4
Constructivist Theory...............................................................................................4
Adult Learning Theory ............................................................................................5
Transformative Learning Theory .............................................................................6
Nature of the Study ..............................................................................................................6
Assumptions .........................................................................................................................7
Limitations ...........................................................................................................................7
Definition of Terms..............................................................................................................7
Summary ..............................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................................10
Introduction ........................................................................................................................10
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Technology in Education ...................................................................................................10
Technology in the Teacher Education Program .................................................................12
Technology Use by Faculty ...................................................................................14
Barriers .......................................................................................................15
Professional Development .................................................................................................15
Qualities of an Effective Professional Development Model..................................15
Professional development should be ongoing............................................17
Professional development should be personalized ....................................19
Applying the Theoretical Framework to the Research Base .............................................20
Constructivism .......................................................................................................20
Adult Learning Theory ..........................................................................................23
Transformative Learning Theory ...........................................................................24
Summary ............................................................................................................................25
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................26
Introduction ........................................................................................................................26
Setting ................................................................................................................................26
Designing a Professional Development Model for Integrating Technology .....................27
Technology Needs Survey .....................................................................................27
Professional Development Framework ..................................................................28
Defining lab services ..................................................................................29
Workshops .................................................................................................33
Researcher Positionality .....................................................................................................34
Participants .........................................................................................................................35
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