An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms

Karthigeyan Subramaniam

doi:10.29333/ejmste/10977

Full Text (PDF)

Karthigeyan Subramaniam ¹ ^*

More Detail

¹ University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study investigated the organizational impact of computer technology on four secondary science teachers’ teaching actions using the construct of community of practice. The organizational impact of computer technology refers to teachers’ styles and creativity in constructing personally pertinent individual models of teaching when using computer technology: social participation structures. Analysis of data (observations and interviews) revealed three social participation structures that collectively orchestrated students’ science content learning: (1) students’ membership, (2) access to the structured tasks, and (3) confirmation of students’ learning of science concepts. This study indicated that the transformative potential of computer technology for teaching science is a complex interplay between social participation structures, institutional context, and teachers’ knowledge of what is good practice.

Keywords

computer technology
communities of practice
organizational impact
participation structures
science teachers
transformative potential

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 17, Issue 7, July 2021, Article No: em1979

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

Publication date: 13 Jun 2021

Article Views: 1892

Article Downloads: 1507

Open Access Disclosures References How to cite this article

Disclosure

Declaration of Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest is declared by author(s).

Data sharing statement: Data supporting the findings and conclusions are available upon request from the corresponding author(s).

References

Anfara, V. A., Brown, K. M., & Mangione, T. L. (2002). Qualitative analysis on stage: Making the research process more public. Educational Researcher, 31, 28-38. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X031007028
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (1998). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods. (3rd Ed.). Allyn and Bacon.
Chien, S-P., & Wu, H-K. (2020). Examining influences of science teachers’ practices and beliefs about technology-based assessment on students’ performances: A hierarchical linear modeling approach. Computers & Education, 157, 103986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103986
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6^th ed.). Routledge-Falmer. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203029053
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2010). Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551
Fang, S.-C., & Hsu, Y.-S. (2017). Understanding science teachers’ enactments of a computer-based inquiry curriculum. Computers & Education, 112, 69-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.05.004
Kalogiannakis, M. (2003). Information and Communication Technologies in class practice: a case study of secondary physical sciences teachers. Welsh Journal of Education (Special Issue on ICT), 12(1), 64-74. https://doi.org/10.16922/wje.12.1.7
Kalogiannakis, M. (2004). A virtual learning environment for the French physics teachers. Education and Information Technologies, 9(4), 345-353. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EAIT.0000045292.59105.a2
Kerr, S. T. (1996a). Toward a sociology of educational technology. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of research for educational communications and technology (pp. 143-169). Simon and Schuster Macmillan.
Kerr, S. T. (1996b). Visions of sugarplums: The future of technology, education, and the schools. In S. T. Kerr (Ed.), Technology and the future of schooling (pp. 1-25). The University of Chicago Press.
Kerr, S. T. (2005). Why we all want it to work: Towards a culturally based model for technology and educational change. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(6), 1005-1016. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2005.00570.x
Kramarski, B. & Michalsky, T. (2010). Preparing preservice teachers for self-regulated learning in the context of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Learning and Instruction, 20, 434-447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.05.003
Krueger, R. A. & Casey, M. A. (2009). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1999). Legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice. In R. l. Cross, Jr. & S. B. Israelit (Eds.), Strategic learning in a knowledge economy: Individual, Collective and organizational learning process (pp. 167-184). Butterworth Heinemann. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-7506-7223-8.50010-1
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (2000). Learning and pedagogy in communities of practice. In J. Leach & B. Moon (Eds.), Learners and pedagogy (pp. 21-33). Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.
Nielsen, W., Miller, K. A., & Hoban, G. (2015). Science Teachers’ Response to the Digital Education Revolution. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24, 417-431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-014-9527-3
Petko, D. (2012). Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their use of digital media in classrooms: Sharpening the focus on the “will, skill, tool” model and integrating teachers’ constructivist orientations. Computers & Education, 58, 1351-1359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.013
Rico, R., & Ertmer, P. A. (2015). Examining the Role of the Instructor in Problem-Centered Instruction. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 59(4), 96-103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-015-0876-4
Seale, C. (1999). The quality of qualitative research. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020093
Subramaniam, K. (2010). Understanding changes in teacher roles through collaborative action research. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 21(8), 937-951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-010-9217-9
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2017). Understanding the Relationship between Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Technology Use in Education: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(3), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9481-2
Walker, A., Recker, M., Ye, L., Robertshaw, M., Sellers, L., & Leary, H. (2012). Comparing technology-related teacher professional development designs: a multilevel study of teacher and student impacts. Educational Technology Research & Development, 60(3), 421-444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-012-9243-8
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803932
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246. https://doi.org/10.1177/135050840072002
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice; A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.
Ye, L., Recker, M., Walker, A., Leary, H., & Yuan, M. (2015). Expanding approaches for understanding impact: integrating technology, curriculum, and open educational resources in science education. Educational Technology Research & Development, 63(3), 355-380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9377-6
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage.

How to cite this article

APA

Subramaniam, K. (2021). An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 17(7), em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

Vancouver

Subramaniam K. An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2021;17(7):em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

AMA

Subramaniam K. An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2021;17(7), em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

Chicago

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan. "An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2021 17 no. 7 (2021): em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

Harvard

Subramaniam, K. (2021). An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 17(7), em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977

MLA

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan "An Investigation of the Organizational Impact of Computer Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 17, no. 7, 2021, em1979. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10977