A Phenomenological Qualitative Inquiry: Assistive Technology Use or Discontinued Use in the School Setting

Bittner, Kendra

Bittner, K. (2021). A Phenomenological Qualitative Inquiry: Assistive Technology Use or Discontinued Use in the School Setting. Retrieved from Slippery Rock, PA

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Title	A Phenomenological Qualitative Inquiry: Assistive Technology Use or Discontinued Use in the School Setting
Abstract	This phenomenological qualitative inquiry was designed to explore the phenomenon of using assistive technology (AT) or putting AT “on the shelf” in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to identify factors involved in educators’ use or discontinued use AT in the school setting. The researcher wanted to learn more about educator efficacy with implementing AT and interviewed 10 participants of various stakeholder roles in the AT decision-making process. Participants shared their insight through one of two options: a live interview or a written questionnaire. Key findings were generated through emergent themes from the sample’s responses. Findings indicated that participants used AT continuously when there was buy-in from IEP team members. AT was discontinued by this sample due to lack of buy-in and challenges with the technology. Further research stemming from this study includes the exploration of instructional coaching as an approach to support educators with the use of AT in the school setting.
Date	2021

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Title: A Phenomenological Qualitative Inquiry: Assistive Technology Use or Discontinued Use in the School Setting
Author: Kendra Bittner
Abstract: This phenomenological qualitative inquiry was designed to explore the phenomenon of using assistive technology (AT) or putting AT “on the shelf” in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to identify factors involved in educators’ use or discontinued use AT in the school setting. The researcher wanted to learn more about educator efficacy with implementing AT and interviewed 10 participants of various stakeholder roles in the AT decision-making process. Participants shared their insight through one of two options: a live interview or a written questionnaire. Key findings were generated through emergent themes from the sample’s responses. Findings indicated that participants used AT continuously when there was buy-in from IEP team members. AT was discontinued by this sample due to lack of buy-in and challenges with the technology. Further research stemming from this study includes the exploration of instructional coaching as an approach to support educators with the use of AT in the school setting.
Advisor: Dr. Ashlea Rineer-Hershey
Committee Members: Dr. Brian Danielson
Dr. Richard Busi
Date Issued: 2021
Degree Granting Institution: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
College of Education
Special Education
Degree Name: Degree of Doctor of Education (Ed. D.)
Degree Level: Doctorate Degree
Degree Discipline: Special Education
Genre: Dissertation/Thesis
Topics: Assistive technology
School
Abandonment
Discontinued use
Implementation
SETT
Assistive technology process
Copyright Statement: The copyright to this item is owned by the author and falls under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)