Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Instructional Technology

First Advisor

Monica Tracey

Abstract

According to the U.S. Department of Education, students need to be prepared for higher education and remain competitive in a globally changing society schools should intertwine 21st century skills including collaboration in the classroom. The purpose of the study is to examine the current use of online tools for group collaboration among high school students. Social constructivists assume learning is collaborative and meaning comes from multiple perspectives. In a social constructivist environment, the goal is for student learning to be maximized. Many states have set guideline and standards that require schools to incorporate collaboration across the curriculum. A nonexperimental, correlational research design was used in this study. An adapted version of the Student Information Technology Use and Skills in Higher Education: Survey Questionnaire was used in this study. A total of 140 students in a single high school completed the online survey. The participants were in the 10th through 12th grades and were enrolled in business classes. Collaboration among the students was low and their skill levels with programs and apps varied depending on how much they were used for at school and home. The largest group of students preferred having a moderate level of technology in their classes. The findings for the three research questions posed for the study indicated that use of collaborative technology helped students and skill level with applications could predict experiences in collaborating with other students. Students perceptions of the benefits and barriers associated with collaboration were related to the self-reported experiences with technology. Students with more experiences tended to perceive benefits in a positive way and barriers negatively. A MANOVA using benefits and barriers of collaboration as the dependent variables and self-reported learning styles as the independent variable was not statistically significant. The implications for this study is to begin collaboration early, preferably in elementary school, and continue through high school and into college. Further research is needed to determine if the students are meeting the standards set by state departments of education and the U. S. Department of Education.

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