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A comparative study of implementation strategies for microcomputer use in public elementary schools
Abstract
The past decade brought dramatic increases in numbers of microcomputers available for use in schools with high expectations for their potential to improve education. Much of the current literature shows little change in spite of the potential. Successful implementation of technological innovations does not just happen. This is a study of the implementation of microcomputer activities for instruction in selected elementary schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, essentially a case study approach with some tabulation, it attempts to describe and analyze how implementation is taking place. A survey of 41 computer using educators and 6 in-depth interviews provided the data. Analysis was based on implementation models defined by Anderson (1989), and Hall's (1989) Concerns Based Adoption Model (C-BAM) concepts to identify evidence of the models, examples of strategies and levels of success of various approaches used to provide sufficient hardware, software, training, technical assistance and time needed to get educators using the technology. The findings describe the roles of the people involved, conditions in their schools, perceptions of support, problems or concerns, suggestions for successful implementation strategies, and criteria for software selection. The data also show that many different staff members shared the responsibilities for computer related tasks. These educators had microcomputer hardware available to use in classrooms and computer labs. The most prevalent model identified is that of the Single Person. The interviews indicate that most schools had more than one model functioning at various times during the growth of the innovation. An analysis of problems or concerns revealed that most people were functioning at the Task Level, concerned with managing the innovation and its consequences for their students. More research needs to be done to understand and utilize the contribution of the Single Person Model and how to make it more effective for schools. Educators need to develop better methods to determine strategies which will move teachers to higher levels of use as well as to spread the innovation to more groups of teachers.
Subject Area
Educational technology|Elementary education|Teacher education
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Jean C, "A comparative study of implementation strategies for microcomputer use in public elementary schools" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9110189.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9110189