Open AccessThe Role of Pedagogical Beliefs in Emerging Technology Integration: An Exploratory Case Study of Faculty Perspectives
Author(s) -
Marianne Justus
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2478
Subject(s) - technology integration , exploratory research , qualitative research , social media , psychology , educational technology , higher education , student engagement , pedagogy , sociology , computer science , political science , social science , anthropology , world wide web , law
The integration of social media, mobile/wireless and Web 2.0 technologies in higher education supports student engagement locally and globally to create new knowledge using innovative strategies. However, there remains a disconnect between the positive perceptions of faculty regarding the value of integrating technology and its adoption in online contexts. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to investigate the factors that influence faculty to integrate innovative and emerging technologies, and to consider whether pedagogical beliefs influence choice and adoption of technology. Participants included graduate and undergraduate faculty members who had experience teaching online; were representative of diverse disciplines and courses and were familiar with using technology in the classroom. Using qualitative content analysis, the data from in-depth interviews, questionnaires and researcher reflective journal entries were analyzed. The findings indicate that faculty are convinced of the benefits of technology and its potential impact on student success. However, their choices are influenced by those tools that align with their pedagogical beliefs and have a foundation in learning theory, that are easy to learn, and that demonstrate increased student engagement and motivation. This study contributes to the current gap in research related to low technology adoption rates by faculty, and highlights the complexity of selecting innovative technology for online global environments.