Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools

Hersh C. Waxman; Anna Witt Boriack; Yuan-Hsuan Lee; Angus MacNeil

doi:10.30935/cedtech/6102

Hersh C. Waxman ¹ ^*, Anna Witt Boriack ¹, Yuan-Hsuan Lee ², Angus MacNeil ³

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 3, pp. 187-196

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

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Abstract

A sample of 311 principals from a large metropolitan area in the southwest region of the U. S. responded to a questionnaire that addressed public school principals’ perceptions related to the major functions of technology in their schools. Principals reported that the major functions of technology were: (a) communication, (b) instruction, (c) data sharing and management, (d) a resource, (e) administrative tasks, and (f) student learning. Male principals felt that technology was used as a resource and for administrative tasks more than female principals. Furthermore, principals with 12 or more years of experience perceived that technology was used for instruction, data sharing and management, and administrative tasks more than principals with less than 12 years of experience. These results indicate that both gender and years of experience influence how principals perceive the functions of technology in their schools. This could affect the technology leadership of principals, which may influence the success of technology implementation in schools.

Keywords: Technology use, Principals’ use of technology, Educational technology, ICT in schools, Technology integration

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Citation

Waxman, H. C., Boriack, A. W., Lee, Y.-H., & MacNeil, A. (2013). Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools. Contemporary Educational Technology, 4(3), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

Waxman, H. C., Boriack, A. W., Lee, Y.-H., and MacNeil, A. (2013). Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools. Contemporary Educational Technology, 4(3), pp. 187-196. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

Waxman HC, Boriack AW, Lee YH, MacNeil A. Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2013;4(3), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

Waxman, Hersh C., Anna Witt Boriack, Yuan-Hsuan Lee, and Angus MacNeil. "Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools". Contemporary Educational Technology 2013 4 no. 3 (2013): 187-196. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

Waxman, Hersh C. et al. "Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 4, no. 3, 2013, pp. 187-196. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102

Waxman HC, Boriack AW, Lee YH, MacNeil A. Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2013;4(3):187-96. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6102