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An investigation of middle school science teachers and students use of technology inside and outside of classrooms: considering whether digital natives are more technology savvy than their teachers

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Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate the popular assumption that the “digital natives” generation surpasses the previous “digital immigrants” generation in terms of their technology experiences, because they grow up with information and communication technology. The assumption presumes that teachers, the digital immigrants, are less technology savvy than the digital natives, resulting in a disconnect between students’ technology experiences inside and outside of the formal school setting. To examine the intersection of these generations and their technology experiences, this study used a mixed-methods approach to survey and compare middle school science teachers’ (n = 24) and their students’ (n = 1,060) inside–outside school technology experiences, and conducted focus group interviews to investigate any barriers that prevented them from using technology in school. The findings imply that the concept of digital natives may be misleading and that the disconnect between students’ inside–outside school technology experiences may be the result of the lack of sufficient teacher training concerning technology integration strategies.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was obtained from the National Science Foundation, award #DRK12 1401350 & 1020091. All work associated with this study is that of the authors. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following advisory board members: Dr. Kent Crippen, Dr. Shelley Phelan, Dr. Thomas Reeves, and Ms. Susan Brustein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, New York Institute of Technology, Northern Blvd, Old Westbury, PO Box 8000, New York, NY, 11568-8000, USA

    Shiang-Kwei Wang & Hui-Yin Hsu

  2. Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, USA

    Todd Campbell

  3. College of Science, Utah State University, Logan, USA

    Daniel C. Coster

  4. School of Teacher Education and Leadership, Utah State University, Logan, USA

    Max Longhurst

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  1. Shiang-Kwei Wang
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Correspondence to Shiang-Kwei Wang.

Formal/informal technology use survey

Formal/informal technology use survey

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Wang, SK., Hsu, HY., Campbell, T. et al. An investigation of middle school science teachers and students use of technology inside and outside of classrooms: considering whether digital natives are more technology savvy than their teachers. Education Tech Research Dev 62, 637–662 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-014-9355-4

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