Investigating Teachers’ Pedagogical Experiences with Tablet Integration in Korean Rural Schools

Abstract

The goal of this study is to explore the perceptions of teachers in Korean rural schools regarding teaching and learning, including technology preparedness, performance, demanding activities, difficulties, and continuing integration in tablet-based interactive classrooms. A survey instrument was designed, and responses were analyzed from 54 teachers who participated in a social contribution project for rural schools. The results indicate that student preparedness is significantly correlated with the frequent integration of tablets in classroom lessons. Furthermore, the most frequent types of pedagogical activities performed using tablets in the classroom are activities intended to motivate students. Teachers noted that their continuing integration of lessons with tablets was correlated with their beliefs about the applicability of tablets for lessons, students’ satisfaction with previous lessons, students’ expectations and requests, and the teacher’s personal interests. This research contributes to the literature on tablet integration by extending existing findings to the study of rural schools with limited educational resources. Moreover, this study provides implications for educators and school administrators who are interested in supporting teachers and their instruction using tablets and relevant technologies.