Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Rob Foshay

Abstract

AbstractEducators have increasingly incorporated technology tools such as the iPad into classroom learning. Available evidence suggests the potential efficacy of the iPad, but the attitudes and beliefs of parental stakeholders have often been omitted from empirical studies. There was a need to better understand parents’ attitudes about adoption of the iPad and its apps as a tool for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for high school students and parents’ beliefs regarding the iPad’s ease of use for meeting students’ communication needs. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine those parental attitudes and beliefs. The conceptual framework was the technology acceptance model. The two research questions focused on parents’ attitudes toward the adoption of the iPad and its apps and their beliefs about its ease of use. A purposive sample of eight parents of high school students with communication needs participated in semistructured interviews. Data were open coded to determine significant statements and then grouped into themes. The six themes related to adoption of the iPad were parents’ belief that it is empowering, concerns for other children, the iPad’s usefulness, other iPad uses, and pros and cons of using the iPad. The three themes related to ease of use were ease of use, required support from others, and iPad versus other devices. Findings reinforce that educators should tailor the iPad and its apps as an AAC to appeal to students’ parents, who are significant contributors to their student’s communication needs. Doing so may help improve the learning conditions for students enrolled in speech-language special education classrooms who have speech impairments of differing severity and type.

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