Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2006
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Patricia H. Grimes Smith
Committee Member
Carolyn S. Buckenmaier
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
Adult Education/ Professional Development/Adult Learning/Andragogy/Educational Technology
Abstract
The purpose of the applied dissertation was to develop, implement, and determine the effectiveness of a professional development component for adult educators. Given a new state requirement for technology proficiency, the lack of a comprehensive professional development system to meet this need, and the large percentage of adult educators who had a medium or low level of comfort using technology in the classroom, there was a critical need for professional development. Three research questions guided this study: (a) will professional development designed to help adult education instructors integrate technology into the curriculum increase teachers’ knowledge in this area? (b) will professional development designed to help adult education instructors integrate technology into the curriculum increase teachers’ use of technology in the classroom? and (c) will professional development designed to help adult education instructors integrate technology into the curriculum have a positive impact on their technology skills and competency?
The researcher designed and facilitated a 45-hour professional development activity for adult educators to address the problem. The researcher based the content upon research from the fields of adult learning theory, adult development theory, professional development, and educational technology. The research questions were analyzed through the use of pre- and posttest surveys containing both open-ended and Likert-scale questions administered to an experimental and a control group. All 25 experimental group participants demonstrated increased knowledge in the area of technology integration. Eighty-four percent of the experimental group members demonstrated a positive change in action related to the use of technology in the classroom. Eighty percent of experimental group participants demonstrated a positive change in the level of technology use and 96% of the experimental group demonstrated a positive change in technology skills and proficiency.
This study provides evidence that adult educators’ (a) knowledge about technology, (b) proficiency with technology, and (c) use of technology can respond favorably to research-based professional development activities. The state’s Office of Adult and Community Education has adopted ITAEC, the professional development activity developed and facilitated by the researcher, as one of three core courses in its professional development plan for adult educators. Recommendations for future research include exploring the impact that similar activities over longer periods of time might have on the integration of technology into the classroom and studying the impact that technology integration has on student learning.
NSUWorks Citation
Mary A. Gaston. 2006. A Professional Development Program Designed to Integrate Technology Into the Adult Education Classroom. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (910)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/910.