HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT CELL PHONE USE IN THE CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY by Summer Dawn DuPont Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University 2021 2 HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT CELL PHONE USE IN THE CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY by Summer Dawn DuPont A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 2021 APPROVED BY: Jerry Woodbridge, Ph D, Committee Chair Justin Necessary, Ph D, Committee Member 3 ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study discovered high school teachers’ perceptions of student cell phone use in the classroom at Battery Creek High School. The theory which guided this study is based on Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and social constructivism as it pertains to the environment children grow up in affects how they think and what they think about. The case study utilized semi-structured interviews of teachers, a teacher survey, and followed by focus groups created from common themes found. The data gathered was analyzed through the method of open coding and selective coding using bold/italics and then color coding. The coding helped determine the findings were consistent or not consistent from existent research. The central research question: How do high school teachers perceive students’ cell phone use during class? The 12 research participants included the perception of high school teachers from southeastern South Carolina about how students integrated and used cell phones during classroom instruction. The student cell phone use in classroom themes developed from this study included: Frustration from parents or jobs calling students during class, cheating, not being able to separate from devices, researching faster, social media/SnapChat, playing games/listening to music. Keywords: cell phone, teacher, student, instruction, perception 4 Dedication To my God, who continuously places me on the right path, even when personally my steps and direction are unsure. To my always faithful and gracious husband, John, with your knowing smile and trust that I Really don’t need edits, thank you for creating a space that makes me strive to be more, supporting me all the while. To my children, John Henry IV and Claire Elisabeth, may you eternally and internally know that you are loved and appreciated. Thank you for your support and sacrifice on this journey. And, to Papa and Momo, your gifts of quiet time during this process can never be measured or repaid, hopefully my eternal gratitude and love for you and our Fly will suffice. 5 Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Jerry Woodbridge for taking me on as my dissertation chair. I am not easy, love parenthetic insertion, and write as verbosely as I speak. Dr. Woodbridge has been more than gracious and shaping. She is exceptional in many ways and I am so very grateful for her. Dr. Justin Necessary, thank you for your valuable and ever practical advice and input as my Methodologist. Thank you to all of my research participants. I appreciate each and every one of you and your contribution to my journey very much. Thank you for your grace and your patience. A special thank you to Ryan Copeland - not only did you help me work through editing on Many levels, you also were always gracious to my frustrations and had a funny story to defuse the current situation to help guide me back to being productive. I value you more than I have words. And, to all of my family, friends, and fellow teachers in the trenches - I love you, I appreciate you, and I could not be me without you. Your encouragement is priceless. Thank you from the bottom of my hug-loving heart. 6 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ...........................................................................................................................3 Dedication ..............................................................................................................................4 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................5 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................9 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................10 List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................11 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................12 Overview ....................................................................................................................12 Background ................................................................................................................12 Situation to Self..........................................................................................................16 Problem Statement .....................................................................................................19 Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................20 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................................21 Research Questions ....................................................................................................22 Definitions..................................................................................................................23 Summary ....................................................................................................................25 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................26 Overview ....................................................................................................................26 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................................27 Related Literature.......................................................................................................29 Summary ....................................................................................................................56 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ..........................................................................................58 7 Overview ....................................................................................................................58 Design ........................................................................................................................58 Research Questions ....................................................................................................59 Site .............................................................................................................................60 Participants .................................................................................................................60 Procedures ..................................................................................................................62 The Researcher’s Role ...............................................................................................64 Data Collection ..........................................................................................................65 Interview ........................................................................................................65 Survey ............................................................................................................67 Focus Group ...................................................................................................72 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................73 Trustworthiness ..........................................................................................................76 Credibility ......................................................................................................76 Dependability and Confirmability .................................................................76 Transferability ................................................................................................77 Ethical Considerations ...............................................................................................77 Summary ....................................................................................................................78 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .............................................................................................79 Overview ....................................................................................................................79 Participants .................................................................................................................79 Results ........................................................................................................................83 Theme Development………………………………………………………………...84 8 Research Question Responses...……………………………………………………..94 Research Question One ...................................................................................94 Research Question Two ..................................................................................97