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The Role of Technology in Gifted Education Coordinators’ Approaches to Informed Decision Making

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The Role of Technology in Gifted Education Coordinators’ Approaches to Informed Decision Making LINKED LEADERSHIP: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN GIFTED EDUCATION COORDINATORS’ APPROACHES TO INFORMED DECISION MAKING Eric Calvert A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 2012 Committee: Terry L. Herman, Advisor John Tisak Graduate Faculty Representative Mark A. Earley Lisa Huelskamp Patrick D. Pauken ii © 2011 Eric C. Calvert All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Terry L. Herman, Advisor The purpose of this study was to explore the role of technology in the professional leadership practice of gifted education coordinators. An adapted version of the Teacher Technology Integration Scale (TTIS) was administered to 36 gifted coordinators recruited at meetings of regional gifted coordinator groups affiliated with the state professional and advocacy organization for gifted education. The adapted TTIS gathered self-report data on gifted coordinators’ perceived technology skills, attitudes and beliefs toward technology, and frequency of using various technology tools in their professional roles through 49 rating scale items. Short answer items were added to the original instrument to gather demographic data and information regarding how participants used technology to perform specific common job duties of gifted coordinators. Five gifted coordinators also participated in semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to describe the sources of information and expertise they accessed to assist them in making a recent high-stakes decision or recommendation about a gifted education program they administered and what, if any, role technology played in that process. Additional interview questions focused on the role of technology in participants’ informal learning and communication and collaboration with colleagues and peers. As Wenger and Lave’s research on communities of practice provided a theoretical framework for the study, interview participants were also asked to reflect on whether or not they felt they were members of “communities of practice” related to gifted education, and, if so, how they used technology in their interactions with those communities. iv Leadership both within the gifted coordinators’ school districts and regional gifted education organizations were found to influence participants’ use of technology in informal learning and leadership. Although support for the idea that technology can be a powerful tool for professional learning was nearly universal, gifted coordinators who believed there was a vision for the use of technology in education in their school district and who perceived high levels of support for technology integration also expressed higher levels of technology-self efficacy and more extensive use of technology. Additionally, gifted coordinators who gave high ratings to their own technology skills also reported frequent use of online resources to support their informal learning and professional practice. Uneven technology skills among peers and a lack of leadership for embracing online tools were cited as barriers to making greater use of Web as a platform for professional collaboration. The researcher provides further discussion and recommendations for learning designers and school and professional association leaders for leveraging technology to better support communities of practice to enhance gifted coordinators’ professional learning and capacities for leadership. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank the members of my committee for their support, encouragement and feedback: Dr. Patrick Pauken, Dr. Lisa Huelskamp, Dr. Mark Earley, and Dr. John Tisak. In particular, I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Terry Herman for taking me on as a student late in my program and providing so many opportunities to explore my interests in the possibilities of technology as a force for promoting learning and expanding human potential. I am also grateful to Ohio’s community of gifted educators for their contributions to my professional learning and growth since my arrival in Ohio. I am especially grateful to the dozens of gifted coordinators who gave generously of their time and expertise to assist in this study as research participants, pilot study consultants, critical friends, and creative contributors. I would also like to say “thank you” for the friendship and camaraderie of my peers in the illustrious and/or infamous Bowling Green State University Leadership Studies Doctoral Cohort 9: Julie, Margo, Melissa, Lamandren, David, Shanda, Kim, Angie, Alex, and Sarah. You are truly a weird and wonderful group of people who all lead by standing out from the crowd. Finally, and most of all, I am grateful to my family for their love and support and for teaching me to value education. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1! Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 6! Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 8! Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 8! Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 8! CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 11! Professional Practice in Gifted Education Administration ............................................... 11! The Internet and Informed Decision Making ................................................................... 12! Communities of Practice ................................................................................................... 14! Connectivism and Personal Learning Networks ............................................................... 19! Technology Adoption Factors .......................................................................................... 21! CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODS .................................................................................... 23! Research Design ............................................................................................................... 23! Participants ........................................................................................................................ 25! Data Collection Instruments ............................................................................................. 25! Data Analysis Procedures ................................................................................................. 32! Survey Data Analysis ............................................................................................ 32! CHAPTER IV. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 37! Descriptive Results ........................................................................................................... 37! “Assisting School Personnel in the Design of Gifted Education Services” .......... 52! “Assisting School Personnel in Ensuring Compliance with Data Reporting and Accountability” ..................................................................................................... 53! vii “Assisting School Personnel in Evaluating the Effectiveness of Gifted Education Services” ............................................................................................................... 55! “Assisting School Personnel in Creating and Updating District Identification Plans and Written Service Placement Criteria” .................................................... 55! “Assisting School Personnel in Developing, Appropriately Sharing, and Maintaining Written Education Plans for Gifted Students” ................................. 56! Case Studies ...................................................................................................................... 58! Steven .................................................................................................................... 59! Carly ...................................................................................................................... 63! Megan ................................................................................................................... 66! Bev ........................................................................................................................ 72! Lara ....................................................................................................................... 76! CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................... 78! Case Study Summary ........................................................................................................ 78! “Higher Technology” Case Synthesis ................................................................... 78! “Lower Technology” Case Synthesis ................................................................... 80! Quintain Comparisons .......................................................................................... 81! Summary of Findings by Research Question ................................................................... 82! Discussion ........................................................................................................................
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