Running head: WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

Why Arent Teachers Integrating Technology? A Review of the Literature

Wayne Cordy
Kennesaw State University

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

Why Arent Teachers Integrating Technology? A Review of the Literature

The role of technology in the classroom has changed in the past few years with
technology becoming more and more common in the classroom. There have been numerous
studies that have noted the benefits of using technology with students (Waxman, Len, & Michko,
2003, Cengiz Gulek & Demirtas, 2005). Technology provides educators with unique
opportunities to connect with their students in ways that were previously unavailable or not even
possible. The availability of various technologies including computers and access to the Internet
has increased within schools. However, the use of technology in todays classrooms remain
underused and the true potential of these technologies are not realized. Why arent these
technologies being used within our classrooms, although technology is more readily available
and the benefits of technology in the education process have been noted?
There are numerous reasons why technology is not being integrated within todays classrooms.
Current research has pointed out that these technologies may not be fully utilized within our
classrooms due to a variety of reasons but most focus on teachers not integrating these tools into
their classrooms. There are two types of barriers that impact teachers uses of technology in the
classroom: first and second order (Ertmer, 2005). According to Ertmer (2005), first order
barriers are external to the teacher and included resources (both hardware and software), training,
and support. While second order barriers, included those that were internal to the teacher and
included teachers confidence, beliefs about how students learned, as well as the perceived value
of technology to the teaching/learning process. Although first order barriers were previously
thought to hamper technology integration to a greater extent, studies have found that second
order barriers pose a greater challenge to technology integration (Dexter & Anderson, 2002;

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

Ertmer, 1999). This literature review will focus on the questions of why arent teachers
integrating technology and what conditions promote technology use by teachers?
Search Criteria and Themes
The articles used in this review were found using EBSCO Academic Search Complete
database using the keywords technology, teacher, and integration. Technology is defined
as an electronic tool that can be used during the learning process to develop or apply knowledge
such as a computer. Teacher is defined as any individual who works with students and helps
them develop knowledge within the classroom setting. Integration is defined as how a teacher
utilizes technology within the classroom. To limit my results, I applied the peer reviewed filter
and limited my results to studies that were conducted been 2004-present.

After reviewing the

abstracts of 40 articles, I chose 6 articles based on their relevance. I also searched for
researchers known for their research in technology integration including Ertmer and Wozney.
After reading a couple of articles, I utilized their references to find other relevant articles. This is
how I arrived at my ten articles contained within this literature review.
After reviewing the literature, I found themes that seemed to highlight the findings in
research on integration of technology by teachers. Much of the research tended to focus on
different barriers faced by teachers in their integration of technology, both external and internal
barriers. Another theme that was common among different researchers was an interest in the
role that professional learning played in the integration of technology by teachers. Based on the
identified themes, this review will be divided into three sections: attitudes and beliefs (internal
barriers), external barriers, and professional learning.
Attitudes and Beliefs

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

The research on how teachers attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about technology effect
technology integration are numerous and the literature within this section provides different
perspectives on the role that that this theme plays in the implementation of technology by
teachers.
First, Vannatta and Fordham (2004) examined an array of teacher characteristics to better

understand how these personal attributes work together to predict technology use by teachers.
This study sought to identify teacher dispositions that were predictors of technology use in the
classroom.

The researchers administered the Teacher Attribute Survey which was

administered to 177 K12 teachers from six schools. The Teacher Attribute Survey measured a
variety of teacher attributes, including teacher self-efficacy, philosophy, openness to change,
amount of professional development, and amount of technology use in the classroom. The
researchers used a forward multiple regression to identify the best combination of variables that
predict classroom technology use among K12 teachers. Vannatta and Fordham (2004) found
that the combination of the amount of technology training, time spent beyond contractual work
week, and openness to change were the best predictors of technology integration. Both factors,
time spent beyond contractual work week and openness to change, support the idea that a
teachers beliefs and attitude can shape their implementation of technology. Overall, I believe a
strength of this study is its survey instrument due to its comprehensive nature. Consequently, the
researchers acknowledged limitations of their study. Limited sample due to size and
heterogeneity, the measurement of frequency of classroom technology use and not quality of
such use, and a regression model that accounts for a small portion of variance in classroom
technology use limit the findings of this study. Another limitation of this study was that the

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

teachers were not observed in their practice. However, the factors identified by the researcher
represent barriers that technology leaders must address if true integration is to take place.
Next, Wozney, Vekatesh, and Abrami (2006) investigated the personal and setting
characteristics, teacher attitudes, and current computer technology practices among 764 teachers,
both elementary and secondary from both private and public schools. The purpose of this study
was to examine the relationship between motivational, instructional, and school factors that
impact the nature and frequency of computer technology integration in schools. The researchers
developed the Technology Implementation Questionnaire which consisted of 33 belief items
grouped under three broad motivational categories: perceived expectancy of success, perceived
value of technology use, and perceived cost of technology use. Data was also collected about
teacher demographics, teacher current uses of technology, and the availability of resources. A
strength of this study was the data analysis procedures to determine the findings. However, the
use of self-reported measures of computer use, proficiency levels, and stages of integration could
have possibly affected the reliability of data analysis. Wozney et al. (2006) found that the
expectancy of success and perceived value of technology use differentiated computer use by
teachers. Also, their study found that personal use of computers outside of teaching activities
was the most significant predictor of teacher use in the classroom. Another finding from this
study was that the teachers use of computer technologies was mainly for informative or
expressive purposes. From this study, it is clear that technology leaders must encourage success
with integrating technology by teachers and expand their beliefs about the value of technology in
education if they want to encourage meaningful integration by teachers. Technology leaders
must also provide additional time outside of classroom for teachers to explore different
technologies.

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

Equally important, Brinkerhoff (2006) conducted a study that involved teachers

completing a long term professional training that was designed to address many barriers in
technology integration by teachers. Researchers chose applicants with limited previous
technology training and recommendation letters suggesting an eagerness to expand their skills.
The teachers participated in this training for two consecutive school years. In this study, the
researchers sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the long term professional development model
offered to participants. The effectiveness of the professional learning was assessed through
surveys of participants using the Technology Beliefs and Competencies Survey which focuses on
self-assessed technology skills, beliefs regarding the use of technology in classrooms, feelings
concerning technology integration in instruction, and computer self-efficacy. Teacher interviews
were also used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. The qualitative data analysis
methods used to analyze the data aligns with the purpose of the study. However, the use of selfreporting by participants and interview data limit the findings of this study. In addition, the
limited number of participants may limit the findings of this study. The use of observation and
student samples could improve the strength of this study. Brinkerhoff (2006) found significant
gains in participants self-assessed technology skills and computer self-efficacy, with little or no
change to self-assessed technology integration beliefs and practices although interview data
indicated participants felt their teaching had changed as a result of their participation in the
training.

From this study, technology leaders can discern that it is not enough to offer

professional development, they must also cultivate teacher thinking about technology and build
positive beliefs and attitudes about the role of technology in learning. The possible connection
between attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions and professional learning will be examined within the
professional learning section.

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

In addition, Mueller, Wood, Willoughby, Ross, and Specht (2008) sought to identify
discriminating variables between teachers who fully integrate computers and teachers with
limited integration. The researchers surveyed a random sample of a heterogeneous group of 185
elementary and 204 secondary teachers. Discriminant Function Analysis of the data indicated
seven variables for elementary teachers and six for secondary teachers that discriminated
between high and low integrators. Variables included positive teaching experiences with
computers, teachers comfort with computers, beliefs supporting the use of computers as an
instructional tool, training, motivation, support; and teaching efficacy. In this study, experiences
with computers and attitudes towards computers in the classroom were strong variables that
predicted differences between teachers who successfully integrated technology from those who
did not. The use of random sampling of a heterogeneous group of teachers and the data analysis
procedures by the researchers were strengths of this study. The inclusion of observation data
would strengthen the results of this study. This study further supports the fact that teachers need
positive beliefs about the use of technology during the learning process. Again, technology
leaders must build positive beliefs within teachers about technology along with offering training
on the technology.
Furthermore, Hermans, Tondeur, and Valcke (2008) investigated the relationship
between teacher beliefs and attitudes and computer use. Specifically, this study focused on
teachers educational beliefs as a precursor for computer use. To measure primary teachers use
of computers to support the learning process, the researchers used a version of the Class Use of
Computers scale. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 525 primary school teachers
from 68 schools. The use of a heterogeneous sample size and the comprehensive data analysis
procedures add credibility to the findings of this study. The researchers found that teacher

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

beliefs about the practice of teaching were a significant factor in explaining why teachers use
computers in the classroom (Hermans et al., 2008). Specifically, constructivist teacher beliefs
were found to be a strong predictor of classroom computer use while traditional teacher beliefs
appeared to have a negative impact on computer integration. This finding demonstrates that a
teachers specific educational belief can impact their use of technology within the classroom.
Finally, Ertmer, Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Sadik, Sendurur, and Sendurur (2012) also focused
on investigating the relationship between teacher beliefs and technology integration. The
researchers chose 12 K-12 teachers based on their award-winning technology practices,
supported by evidence from personal and/or classroom websites. Interviews were completed
with the participants to examine the how teachers classroom practices aligned with their
pedagogical beliefs. This studys use of specific candidates based on a set criteria link to the
focus of the study, but the limited number of participants and the lack of additional data
including observation of the participants in practice limit the results found in the study. The
researchers found student-centered beliefs undergirded student-centered practices (Ertmer et al.,
2012). Specifically, teachers with student-centered beliefs tended to use student-centered
approaches despite technological, administrative, or assessment barriers. In addition, teachers
own beliefs and attitudes about the relevance of technology to students learning had the biggest
impact on their success with integrating technology. It is interesting to note that the researchers
found that the participating teachers noted that the strongest barriers preventing other teachers
from using technology were their existing attitudes and beliefs toward technology (Ertmer et al.,
2012). These findings support the findings of the previous researchers (Vannatta and Fordham,
2004; Wozney et al., 2006; Brinkerhoff, 2006; Mueller, 2008; Hermans et al., 2008) found in this

section and should encourage technology leaders to use methods that instill positive beliefs about

WHY ARENT TEACHERS INTERGRATING TECHNOLOGY

the use of technology. While examining these internal barriers, technology leaders cannot forget
that external barriers still exist and will be focused on in the next section.
External Barriers
Although the access to different technologies and Internet has improved in previous years,
there still exist barriers such as limited resources including time to implement technology
properly by teachers. In this section, we will examine two studies that focus on various external
barriers that impact teacher implementation of technology.
Shamburg (2004) evaluated a two-year project that provided professional development in
technology for urban early childhood teachers and sought to examine the connection between
environmental factors and the use of educational technology. The researcher conducted
interviews with 18 early childhood teachers from six schools in the program. Using the constant
comparative method the researcher identified common barriers that inhibited the effective
integration of technology. The data collection and analysis procedures used by the researcher
were strengths of this study, however, the use of observation data during and after the
professional learning along with interview data would strengthen the results found in the study.
Shamburg (2004) found four common barriers identified by teachers during his study. These
barriers included curricular and administrative demands, negotiating limited resources, relevant
professional development requests, and classroom management of different technologies.
Although each of these barriers is different, they relate each other in that each can pose a barrier
to teacher implementing technology effectively. Technology leaders must be aware of such
barriers and work with their colleagues to ensure that such barriers do not exist within their
school or if they do, technology leaders should work with their colleagues to develop the skills
necessary to overcome these barriers. By doing so, technology leaders are in a much better

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position to answer the question of what conditions could improve technology integration by
teachers?
Next, Wright and Wilson (2011) examined the perceptions of ten teachers about
technology integration and technology use in their classrooms, five years after their graduation
from a teacher education program which encouraged technology use in teaching and learning.
The researchers sought to determine what led teachers, prepared in a teacher education program
that encouraged technology use, to continue and/or build upon using technology in their content
field, continue using only pedagogical plans they were comfortable with using, or use limited
technology, if any. The participants in the study were purposely identified based on the fact that
the researchers followed these teachers from their teacher preparation program and student
teaching into their in-service teaching. The researchers examined surveys and reflections that the
participants had completed during their teaching methods class and during their student teaching
experience. Also, the researchers examined data from the interviews and classroom observations.
This data was triangulated across the data sources and analyzed for emerging patterns and trends
using constant comparative analysis. To further frame and inform their specific research of why
and how the teachers use technology, the researchers used Hooper and Riebers five stages of
technology use by teachers as their guide. This study found that participants continued to be
familiar with ways to use technology and also continued to utilize the basic technology skills and
processes learned in their teacher education program. For those teachers who moved beyond
using technology for specific tasks and for teacher-centered objectives, three themes were found:
participants continued to seek professional development, participants used technology to engage
students and felt compelled to do so for the students, and the school and community supported
use of technology through availability of resources and professional development opportunities.

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The researchers also found that teachers experienced barriers at all levels of integration. The
most common barriers to technology integration by the teachers appeared to be scheduling
conflicts and lack of equipment. This supports the findings from Shamburg (2004) and supports
the need for teachers to be provided with adequate equipment and technology development
friendly environments if teachers are expected to fully integrate these tools within their
classrooms. These structures and tools will not completely solve the problem. Technology
leaders must also develop positive beliefs and attitudes about using technology in the learning
process while ensuring that professional learning provided is relevant and useful. The amount of
data collected over the span of this study, the use of various references to related studies, data
collection and analysis methods (triangulation) employed by the researchers are strengths of this
study. To improve this study, more demographic information about the teachers would be
helpful in painting a complete picture of the participants and the findings in this study. Research
on technology integration and professional learning will be examined in the next section.
Professional Learning
Professional learning and its role in improving the integration of technology by teachers
have been noted in previous research cited in this literature review. This section will review two
studies that examined the role of professional learning in integrating technology.
Kanaya, Light, and Culp (2005) examined the relationship between the intensity
compared to the duration of a technology-focused professional development training (Intel Teach
to the Future) and personal specific characteristics of participants. The participant characteristics
of focus were teachers feelings of preparedness to support student technology use, teachers
perceptions of the usefulness of creating technology-based projects with students, teachers
perceptions of the relevance of the pedagogical approaches emphasized, and teachers prior use

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of featured software. Two outcomes were defined in the study from the training: use of new
software applications/technology skills and implementation of new technology-rich lessons.
Intel Teach to the Future used a train-the-trainer model, in which districts apply to participate in
the program and send a group of Master Teachers to trainings conducted by senior trainers. The
Master Teacher would then return to their district and conduct three trainings each within their
districts during the next three years. Participants in the program participated in a 40-hour
training and at the end of the training, survey data was collected that focused on the teachers
satisfaction with the training and the trainer, their judgments of their preparedness to use
technology in the ways emphasized in the training, their perceptions of training goals, and the
end date of the training. Survey data was collected during each of the training years, from 20012003. This studys instrument to collect data is comprehensive and the data analysis procedures
used by the researchers are strengths of this study. However, the researches acknowledge that
selection bias may have influenced the findings of their study as the 237 teachers included in the
analysis represent a small portion of the 7,000 teachers trained. The researchers found that
different combinations of the personal characteristics predicted each outcome (Kanaya et al.,
2005). For example, prior technology use and usefulness of pedagogy were significant
predictors of the outcome of use of new software applications/technology skills by teachers. In
addition, the researchers found that both teachers perceptions of the relevance of the
pedagogical approaches emphasized in the training and the intensity of the training were
significant determining factors in whether teachers achieved the outcome of implementation of
new technology-rich lessons (Kanaya et al., 2005). This finding supports the findings of
researchers (Vannatta and Fordham, 2004; Wozney et al., 2006; Brinkerhoff, 2006; Muller, 2008;
Hermans et al., 2008) that found that teacher beliefs and attitudes impacted how they implement

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technology in their classroom. For technology leaders, the findings of this study emphasizes
that technology leaders must foster positive beliefs about technology with their colleagues while
also providing more intensive learning opportunities with meaningful content rather than lengthy
spread out professional learning opportunities. This provides a possible answer to the question
about what conditions support improved implementation of technology by teachers.
Next, Buckenmeyer (2010) conducted a study to investigate the relationships between
technology adoption and conditions such as available resources to support the use of technology,
teachers attitudes toward technology, and adequacy of professional development. The research
collected data from 144 secondary-level teachers from a suburban school district who
participated in professional development and responded to a survey designed for this study,
which consisted of 75 items formatted as Likert-type statements. Seventy-four of the items
comprised four subscales and the researcher identified three subscales that were the best
predictors of technology integration, which were professional development, available resources
and support, and attitude toward technology. Technology adoption/use was the fourth subscale
and it served as the criterion variable. It was also a direct measure of the participants adoption
and use of technology for educational purposes. The instrument developed for this study and its
link to the focus of the study are strengths. The data analysis procedures described are also
strengths of the study. However, data from other sources would strengthen the results found.
The researcher found that professional development and available resources were significantly
related to technology adoption by teachers. Also, participants attitudes toward technology
showed demonstrable relationships to their adoption and use (Buckenmeyer, 2010). These
findings support previous research (Shamburg, 2004; Vannatta and Fordham, 2004; Wozney et
al., 2006; Brinkerhoff, 2006; Muller, 2008; Hermans et al., 2008) mentioned in this literature

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review about how a teachers attitude about technology impacts technology integration and that
the availability of resources plays an important role during the integration process. Coupled with
previous research, this study reemphasizes the importance of cultivating positive beliefs about
technology and its implementation during the learning process, ensuring the availability of
resources, and access to meaningful professional learning opportunities.
Conclusion
In summary, these studies focus on the themes of attitudes and beliefs, external barriers,
and professional learning and the role each of these themes play in the implementation process
by teachers. Overall, the findings by these researchers help answer the questions of why arent
teachers using technology in their classrooms and what conditions promote technology use by
teachers?

Teachers are using or not using technology consistently in their classrooms due to

their attitudes and beliefs about the role of technology in the learning process, the presence or
lack of external barriers such as a lack of resources, and inadequate or infrequent professional
learning opportunities. Given the abundance of research presented in this literature review and
available within the EBSCO Academic Search Complete database, it is clear that teachers
attitudes and beliefs play an important role in the integration of technology by teachers. Other
important factors to consider when examining technology integration by teachers are the
presence of external barriers and the types of professional learning opportunities provided to
teachers. Technology leaders must work with their colleagues to develop positive beliefs and
attitudes about the use of technology within their classrooms through modeling and offering
positive experiences with technology. In addition, educational leaders must ensure that teachers
are provided with resources including diverse tools and time to explore these tools outside of the
classroom to remove further barriers from the integration of technology.

Leaders must create a

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technology friendly environment in which teachers are allowed the freedom to use these tools in
innovative ways.

Professional learning must also be relatively available and provide teachers

with meaningful experiences that teachers feel relates to their in class practices and professional
needs. These training opportunities should be intensive and related to the interests of the
teachers. If true integration is to take place in the classroom, the findings of the research found
in this literature must be utilized by educational technology leaders to make meaningful changes
within their school environments if needed or continue to grow in their implementation process.
As these studies showcase, it all begins with the teacher. Change will not happen by
happenstance. If change is to occur in classrooms, it must begin with the teacher, not the
technology (Buckenmeyer, 2010). Thus, if change is to take place in our classrooms, we must
develop our teachers to lead the change.

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References
Brinkerhoff, J. (2006). Effects of a long-duration, professional development academy on
technology skills, computer self-efficacy, and technology integration beliefs and
practices. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(1), 22-43.
Buckenmeyer, J. A. (2010). Beyond computers in the classroom: Factors related to technology
adoption to enhance teaching and learning. Contemporary Issues in Education Research
(CIER), 3(4), 27-36.
Cengiz Gulek, J., & Demirtas, H. (2005). Learning with technology: The impact of laptop use on
student achievement. The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment, 3(2).
Ertmer, P. A. (1999). Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: strategies for
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Hermans, R., Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., & Valcke, M. (2008). The impact of primary school
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Kanaya, T., Light, D., & McMillan Culp, K. (2005). Factors influencing outcomes from a
technology-focused professional development program. Journal of Research on
Technology in Education, 37(3), 313-329.

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Mueller, J., Wood, E., Willoughby, T., Ross, C., & Specht, J. (2008). Identifying discriminating
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Waxman, H.C., Len, M., & Michko, G. M. (2003). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of
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