An Investigation of Factors Influencing Student Use of Technology in K-12 Classrooms Using Path Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of teachers' characteristics, school characteristics, and contextual characteristics on classroom technology integration and teacher use of technology as mediators of student use of technology. A research-based path model was designed and tested based on data gathered from 732 teachers from 17 school districts and 107 different schools in the state of Florida. Results show that a teacher's level of education and experience teaching with technology positively and significantly influence his/her use of technology. Teacher use of technology strongly and positively explains classroom technology integration and student use of technology. Further, how a teacher integrates technology into the classroom explains how frequently students use technology in a school setting. The findings provided significant evidence that the path model is useful in explaining factors affecting student use of technology and the relationships among the factors.