Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Nicolae Nistor

Abstract

Students at an inner city school have low test results despite making progress. The study examines the problem that technology plans implemented by the Board of Education could not improve student achievement. Educational policy recommends to increasingly sustain teaching by educational technology. Therefore, this research examines the teacher knowledge necessary for technology integration in classes, and the ways this knowledge can be fostered. The theoretical framework of this study integrates 2 prominent theories of instructional science: learning by design (LBD) and technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). The relationship between LBD, TPACK, and technology integration in the classroom was examined. The assumption was made that LBD and TPACK predict technology integration, and that TPACK mediates the relationship between LBD and technology integration. A correlational study was carried out with a sample of N = 109 in-service, secondary, mathematics teachers from an inner city school. The data were collected using a previously validated questionnaire survey and initially analyzed by multiple regression analysis. However, the measured variables displayed nonlinear relationships, suggesting that, while TPACK partially mediates the LBD-TI relationship as hypothesized, technological knowledge had a saturation effect on TI, and thus high scores of both LBD and TPACK decreased TI. The study shows at a theoretical level how teachers can benefit from LBD experiences resulting in TPACK and how likely they combine technology with teaching. For the practice of teacher leadership, this study will suggest effective forms of professional development, thus improving teaching quality and enabling positive social change.

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