An Analysis of the Impact of Computer Placement and Training on Special Education Teachers' Attitudes and Perceptions of The Role of Computers in Instruction

Abstract

To increase the information available about the efficacy of strategies to train special education teachers to use technology, a study was conducted to describe the changes in teacher and student behavior that accompanied: (a) the placement of a computer in special education classrooms and (b) the completion of a 4-month practicum to integrate the computer into instructional programs. This research was conducted in concert with a master's degree program designed to train teachers of students with mild handicaps to effectively integrate technology into their instructional programs. This study employed a within-subjects (Intervention phase x Subjects) design to examine changes in individual classroom environments, and teacher's perceptions and beliefs across phases of intervention. This design allowed the statistical analysis of changes in classroom, student, and teacher variables across two intervention phases as measured by a computer-use attitudinal survey and a structured interview. The most striking change found across the three phases of this study was the teachers' perception of the computer's role in their instructional program. Initially, teachers viewed the computer as a motivational and reinforcement device that had some utility in providing drill on content previously presented by the teacher. After completing the computer integration practicum course, the teachers maintained their initial perception of the computer as a powerful tool for motivating and reinforcing students and providing drill and practice, but began to view the computer as a useful tool for themselves and for their students.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Blackhurst, A.E. , & MacArthur, C.A. (1986). Computer use in special education personnel preparation programs. Teacher Education and Special Education, 9(1), 27-36.

Carnine, D. (1984). Mainstreaming computers. Educational Leadership, 41 (8), 77-82.

Casey, P. , Cunniff, N. , & Taylor, R.P. (1989). Learning to use versus using to learn. In W. C. Ryan (Ed.), Proceedings of National Educational Computing Conference 1989 (pp. 273-279). Eugene, OR: International Council on Computers for Education.

Cicchelli, T. , & Baecher, R. (1985). Introducing computers into the classroom: A study of teacher concerns. Journal of Educational Computing Research , 1(1), 55-65.

Cosden, M.A. , Gerber, M.M. , Semmel, D.S. , Goldman, S.R. , & Semmel, M.I. (1987). Computer use within micro-educational environments . Exceptional Children, 53(5), 399-409.

Fiske, E. (1983). Computer education: Update '83. Popular Computing, 1, 142-147.

Fulton, K. (1989). Technology training for teachers: A federal perspective . Educational Technology, 29(3), 12-19.

Glaser, B.G. , & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company.

Glass, G.V. , & Hopkins, K.D. (1984). Statistical methods in education and psychology , second edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

10.

Goh, S. (1984). Computer applications in special education: A summer teacher training institute. Final report. Department of Special Education and the Center for Innovation in Teaching the Handicapped, Indiana University, Bloomington.

11.

Gorden, R.L. (1975). Interviewing: Strategies, techniques, and tactics . Homewood, IL: The Dorsey Press .

12.

Hasselbring, T.S. (1987). Effective computer use in special education: What does the research tell us? Unpublished manuscript, Apple Computer, Cupertino, California.

13.

Hofmeister, A.M. (1984). Microcomputer applications in the classroom. New York: Holt, Rhinehart, & Winston .

14.

Holsti, O.R. (1969). Content analysis for the social sciences and humanities . Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

15.

Keppel, G. (1983). Design and analysis: A researcher's handbook (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

16.

Moore, P. (1990). Integrating Computers into Special Education Classrooms: Analyses of Changes in Teacher and Student Behaviors and the Classroom Instructional Program. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

17.

Moore, P.R. , & Hasselbring, T.S. (1993). Technology and Teacher Education (Tech. Rep. No.1). Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University, Learning Technology Center.

18.

Okolo, C.M. (1985). Teacher activities in resource room programs for mildly handicapped adolescents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Indiana University, Bloomington.

19.

Okolo, C.M. , Bahr, C.M. , & Rieth, H.J. (1993). A retrospective view of computer-based instruction . Journal of Special Education Technology, 12(1), 1-27.

20.

Okolo, C.M. , Rieth, H.J. , & Bahr, C.M. (1989). Computer implementation in secondary special education programs: A study of special educators', mildly handicapped adolescents', and administrators' perspectives. The Journal of Special Education , 23(1), 107-117.

21.

Office of Technology Assessment. (1988). Power On! New Tools for Teaching and Learning. Washington, DC: Unites States Congress, Office of Technology Assessment .

22.

Panyan, M.V. , Hummel, J. , & Jackson, L.B. (1988). The integration of technology in the curriculum . Journal of Special Education Technology, 9(2), 109-119.

23.

Rieth, H.J. (1989). A Program to Train Teachers of Mildly Handicapped Pupils to Effectively Use Technology. (Grant N. H029B90146). Washington, DC: Office of Special Education Programs .

24.

Rieth, H. , Bahr, C. , Polsgrove, L. , Okolo, C. , & Eckert, R. (1987). The effects of computers on the secondary special education classroom ecology. Journal of Special Education Technology, 8(4), 36-45.

25.

Seidel, J.V. , Kjolseth, R. , & Seymour, E. (1988). The Ethnograph Ver. 3.0 [Computer program]. Littleton, Colorado: Qualis Research Associates .

26.

Stowitschek, J.J. , & Stowitschek, C.E. (1984). Once more with feeling: The absence of research on teacher use of computers. Exceptional Education Quarterly, 4(4), 23-39.

27.

Sutphin, D. (1987). Educating teachers on instructional applications of computers. Technological Horizons in Education, 14(6), 54-58.

28.

Woodward, J. , Carnine, D. , Gersten, R. , Gleasen, M. , Johnson, G. , & Collins, M. (1986). Applying instructional design principles to CAI for Mildly Handicapped Students: Four recently conducted studies. Journal of Special Education Technology, 8(1), 13-26.