The Role of Pedagogical Beliefs in Emerging Technology Integration: An Exploratory Case Study of Faculty Perspectives

Authors

Marianne Justus, School of Advanced Studies, University of PhoenixFollow

Abstract

The integration of social media, mobile/wireless and Web 2.0 technologies in higher education supports student engagement locally and globally to create new knowledge using innovative strategies. However, there remains a disconnect between the positive perceptions of faculty regarding the value of integrating technology and its adoption in online contexts. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to investigate the factors that influence faculty to integrate innovative and emerging technologies, and to consider whether pedagogical beliefs influence choice and adoption of technology. Participants included graduate and undergraduate faculty members who had experience teaching online; were representative of diverse disciplines and courses and were familiar with using technology in the classroom. Using qualitative content analysis, the data from in-depth interviews, questionnaires and researcher reflective journal entries were analyzed. The findings indicate that faculty are convinced of the benefits of technology and its potential impact on student success. However, their choices are influenced by those tools that align with their pedagogical beliefs and have a foundation in learning theory, that are easy to learn, and that demonstrate increased student engagement and motivation. This study contributes to the current gap in research related to low technology adoption rates by faculty, and highlights the complexity of selecting innovative technology for online global environments

Keywords

Pedagogy, Online Education, Emerging Technology, Social Networks, Web 2.0, Faculty, Qualitative Analysis

Author Bio(s)

Marianne Justus, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow in the Center for Educational and Instructional Research, School of Advanced Studies, University of Phoenix. As a faculty member, she teaches doctoral courses and serves as Dissertation Chair. Areas of research interest include virtual collaborative technologies and their potential for global learning, the impact of culture within social networking environments, fostering online communities of practice, and transformational virtual learning teams in doctoral education. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: marianne.justus@gmail.com.

Acknowledgements

This project was part of a research fellowship for the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology, a research initiative within the School of Advanced Studies at the University of Phoenix. The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Mansureh Kebritchi, Chair of the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research, for providing feedback and support throughout this project.

Publication Date

2-18-2017

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2478

Recommended APA Citation

Justus, M. (2017). The Role of Pedagogical Beliefs in Emerging Technology Integration: An Exploratory Case Study of Faculty Perspectives. The Qualitative Report, 22(2), 499-526. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2478