ERIC Number: ED645575
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 157
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8340-2256-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teacher Perceptions and Implementation of Digital Citizenship in Elementary Classrooms: A Mixed Methods Study
Ashley Haase
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas
This descriptive study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to explore what elementary educators report about implementing digital citizenship as well as their perceptions regarding its value in elementary classrooms. In April 2021, 92 educators who worked directly with students on a daily basis during the 2020-2021 school year completed a questionnaire that contained both Likert-style and open-ended questions pertaining to digital citizenship implementation and its perceived value. There appears to be a level of design and intentionality missing from implementation of digital citizenship education. Though many participants had explicitly or informally addressed elements of digital citizenship in their classrooms, few reported that the elements were written into their curriculum. Also, it was more common for elements to be informally addressed than explicitly taught. The participants reporting the highest levels of implementation across eight elements of digital citizenship were intermediate teachers and teachers with 6-10 years of experience. Those who had taught in a virtual environment the longest reported the most agreement that they had the skills (73.08%) and resources (64%) to address digital citizenship and that they had effectively addressed it (53.85%). Most participants (97.8%) agreed that digital citizenship has value in an elementary classroom, but fewer (80.43%) agreed it has value in their specific grade or content area. Digital etiquette, digital security and privacy, and digital health and welfare were the elements valued most, whereas digital commerce was valued least. Among those who reported higher perceived value of digital citizenship were primary and intermediate teachers, those with fewer years of teaching experience, and those who had been teaching in a virtual environment for nine months or more. Virtual learning impacted participants' implementation of and beliefs about the value of digital citizenship. Those who had been teaching in a virtual environment the longest reported the most implementation and perceived value among the individual digital citizenship elements. Notably, digital health and welfare was addressed more than in pre-pandemic studies. Future research could include surveying educators in a specific school, targeting a larger participant group, or conducting the study with different participant groups such as administrators or parents. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Elementary School Teachers, Computer Mediated Communication, Teacher Attitudes, Curriculum Implementation, Value Judgment, Electronic Learning, Technological Literacy, Citizenship, Digital Literacy
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A