Examining the Quality of Technology Implementation in STEM Classrooms: Demonstration of an Evaluative Framework

Source: Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Volume 47, Issue 2, 2015, pages 105-121

In this study, the authors examined the impact of teacher professional development focused on incorporating these workplace technologies in the classroom.

For this study, they developed an expanded framework that incorporated (a) the type of technology used; (b) the degree of alignment to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) practices; (c) the use of student-centered pedagogical practices; and (d) the degree of relevance to real-world contexts.

While the framework successfully described the variation in technology implementation in ther study group, the authors found no statistically significant difference between teachers with and without extensive training on STEM workplace technologies.
The results provide evidence that the framework captures quality of technology use and point to the need for additional research on effective teacher education around technology applications.