AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHER GRIT, TECHNOLOGY SELF-EFFICACY, AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

The use of educational technology applications has grown tremendously in the
last decade. Instructors are now equipped with hardware and software applications
previously unavailable, such as mobile and interactive technologies. These tools can have
tremendous impact on students’ learning and teacher practices. Teachers can improve
their assessment capabilities through technology integration, provide better learning
opportunities for students with learning disabilities, and promote deeper learning
practices. Due to these benefits, budgets at the federal, state, and local levels of the
United States now have specific allocations regarding technology-related purchases.
Nevertheless, barriers remain regarding the effective integration of technologies in public
schools.
Student and teacher access to technology can be limited when at school versus at
home. Internet access or slow speeds can drastically impact educational access in rural
communities. Such differences in access can limit teachers' and students' experiences
with technologies, restricting instructor technology background and student learning
outcomes. School district policies regarding testing requirements can constrain teachers'
use of technology for instruction. Additionally, professional development opportunities
for technology training can focus solely on introducing new technologies and not on
effective integration strategies. While some of these variables can be addressed by
increasing access to technology and shifting technology policies to increase teachers’
daily use, non-cognitive factors, such as teacher levels of technology self-efficacy and
grit, may play a role in helping teachers use technology more effectively. This study
addressed non-cognitive factors of self-efficacy and grit and their role in teacher levels of
technology integration.
A rural school district was chosen to evaluate high school teachers' level of
technology integration, technology self-efficacy, and grit. Exploratory Factor analysis,
Correlation analysis, and hierarchical linear regression modeling were used to determine
the correlations of grit and self-efficacy with technology integration. While self-efficacy
correlates with technology integration for providing students with content, grit is
correlated with how teachers use technology for tasks relating to higher-order thinking
processes such as student publication. This study offers a foray into understanding the
relationship between grit and technology integration across multiple high school locations
in a rural district. The application of non-cognitive psychometrics on technology
integration may support educators in advancing student use of technology to become
deep-conceptual, metacognitive learners.