CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by SJSU ScholarWorks San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Dissertations Master's Theses and Graduate Research Spring 2018 Digital Literacy in Early Elementary School: Barriers and Support Systems in the Era of the Common Core Delnaz Hosseini San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_dissertations Recommended Citation Hosseini, Delnaz, "Digital Literacy in Early Elementary School: Barriers and Support Systems in the Era of the Common Core" (2018). Dissertations. 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.84kt-jyz2 https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_dissertations/16 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DIGITAL LITERACY IN EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: BARRIERS AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN THE ERA OF THE COMMON CORE A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Educational Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Delnaz Hosseini May 2018 © 2018 Delnaz Hosseini ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Designated Dissertation Committee Approves the Dissertation Titled DIGITAL LITERACY IN EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: BARRIERS AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN THE ERA OF THE COMMON CORE by Delnaz Hosseini APPROVED FOR THE EDUCATIONAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY MAY 2018 Emily Slusser, Ph.D. Department of Child & Adolescent Development Kathleen McConnell, Ph.D. Department of Communication Studies Elaine Bernal, Ed.D. Internship Program Coordinator, California State University Long Beach ABSTRACT DIGITAL LITERACY IN EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: BARRIERS AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN THE ERA OF THE COMMON CORE by Delnaz Hosseini This study examines teachers’ perceptions about digital literacy instruction in early elementary school grades (e.g., Kindergarten through grade 2) so as to identify existing obstacles to digital literacy instruction as well as support systems necessary to enhance instruction. Participants (n = 37) included Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers from both Title I and non-Title I schools. Data was collected through an online survey with primarily closed-ended questions. Correlations and relationships amongst and across survey questions were analyzed. Analysis revealed that early elementary grade students in this school district are provided with more opportunities to practice computer literacy than information literacy skills. Teachers identified the high student to teacher ratio, lack of time to plan and teach technology lessons, and students’ limited self- management and independence skills as major impediments to digital literacy instruction in the early elementary grades. Conversely, they indicated that access to district-level technology coaches and on-site technology support, opportunities to observe demo technology lessons, and their own knowledge of grade-level technology standards enhance their ability to teach digital literacy skills. Findings also show that teachers’ grade-level assignment and the school’s Title I status influence teachers’ views about when and whether to introduce various digital literacy skills with clear implications for practice and future research. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Ahmad and Guisa, and to my husband, Kamran. Mommy and Bobby Joon, there are no words that can fully convey the depth and express the magnitude of my appreciation and gratitude for all that you have done for me and for our family – I am eternally thankful to you both. Your love, support, and encouragement have given me the strength and confidence to stride forward in life. I am here today because of you. Kami, I am forever grateful for your love, your unwavering support, encouragement, and confidence in me, and your scholarly advice and guidance as I navigated my way through the doctoral program. You are my inspiration. I would not be able to complete this journey without you. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my Committee Chair, Dr. Emily Slusser. From helping me to narrow down my research topic to reading the many drafts of my dissertation and providing invaluable feedback and guidance, her help and support have been instrumental in making this dissertation possible. I would also like to thank my dissertation committee, Dr. Kathleen McConnell and Dr. Elaine Bernal, for sharing their scholarly wisdom and for providing feedback and guidance in completing this dissertation. I would like to thank Dr. Arnold Danzig and the committee who accepted me into the Ed.D. Leadership Program. The doctoral journey has been one of the most intellectually stimulating and enriching experiences of my life and I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to complete this once-in-a-lifetime adventure as part of “C2.” And lastly, I am grateful to all the teachers who took the time to respond to my survey and provided me with invaluable data for this dissertation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Terms ...................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 The Digital Literacy Divide: An Educational Equity Concern ........................................... 1 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................. 4 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 6 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .................................................................................... 8 Digital Literacy Development in the Era of the Common Core ......................................... 8 What is Digital Literacy? .............................................................................................. 9 Digital literacy and the CCSS. .............................................................................. 13 Digital literacy according to the CCSS K-12 technology skills scope and sequence ................................................................................................................ 15 Digital literacy: A cornerstone of 21st century skills. ........................................... 16 Why is Digital Literacy Important? ............................................................................ 20 The significance of digital literacy development in the early elementary grades. ................................................................................................................... 22 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 25 The Roadblocks: Obstacles to Technology Integration in K-12 Classrooms ............. 26 First-order barriers. ............................................................................................... 27 Resources. ............................................................................................................. 27 Access to technology and technical support. .................................................... 27 Time. ................................................................................................................. 28 Institution: Leadership and vision ......................................................................... 28 Second-order barriers ............................................................................................ 29 Attitudes and beliefs ............................................................................................. 29 Orientation of teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and its relation to technology integration ......................................................................................................... 31 Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about the CCSS. .............................................. 31 Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about digital literacy. ....................................... 32 Teacher beliefs across grade levels ................................................................... 33 Students’ socioeconomic status and teachers’ beliefs ...................................... 34 Knowledge and skills ............................................................................................ 36 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 39 The Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................ 39 Summary ....................................................................................................................