Advisory Committee Chair
D Keith Gurley
Advisory Committee Members
Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif
Amy Dagley
James Ernest
Gary B Peters
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2022
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Education (EdD) School of Education
Abstract
School leaders occupy a crucial position to implement new initiatives in schools. Due to advancing education technology, school administrators are expected to adjust and improve their competencies to meet the current educational technology demands. This research study aims to investigate Alabama school administrators’ technological leadership behaviors based on their self-reported perceptions. Also, differences in leadership behaviors across demographics were explored. The research study involved a quantitative non-experimental research design using Schoenbart’s (2019) research study approach as the study template. Participants included Alabama elementary, middle, and high school administrators. Data were collected using the online ELTS questionnaire version. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential (comparative) statistics. One hundred and forty administrators, 61 (43.6%) males and 79 (55.7%) females, participated in the research study. The median age was between 40 and 49 years, the median experience was 21 to 25 years, and the median administrative serving year was five to nine. All participants had access to technology; 85.7% reported full access while 13.2% reported limited access. Based on socioeconomic status, 42.1% in-school high technology needs while 15.7% reported low need. The ELTS had a high degree of internal reliability. The majority of participants reported high-level technology leadership iv roles based on ISTE-EL standards. There were no statistical differences in technology leadership behaviors across the demographics (p > 0.05). The research findings indicated that many Alabama school administrators demonstrated high-level technological behaviors irrespective of their demographics. The research findings cannot be generalized and are potentially biased by self-reported data. Hence, a research study involving experimental design is recommended
Recommended Citation
Obert, Caroline M., "Leaders of 21st Century Education: A Study of School Administrator Perceptions of Technology in Alabama" (2022). All ETDs from UAB. 357.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/357
