Date of Award

12-1-1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Educational Administration and Supervision

Abstract

In order to prepare students to be life long learners in a rapidly changing global and technological society, educators need to promote the use of appropriate technology to support quality learning. Art students, as well as all of today's students, need to be effective communicators, creative problem solvers, and be able to access and manage information in an electronic world. Although Nebraska is already a national leader in telecommunications and telecomputing, the extent to which technology is used and will be used in specific disciplines is as yet unclear. An important first step in supporting the future use of Internet in the art classrooms of Nebraska is to determine the current use and perceptions by art teachers. The purpose of the present study is to explore the perceptions and usage of the Internet by current art teachers in the state of Nebraska. A survey was distributed in March 1995 to approximately 588 public school art teachers who were certified in the state of Nebraska. All participants were presently teaching art all or part of the day. The survey combined a series of Likert scale and open ended questions to determine usage and perceptions of the Internet, as well as some more traditional computer tools. By March 24, 1995, a total of 294 surveys were returned, which represented a 50 percent return rate. To help validate the survey responses, 20 structured interviews were conducted. Survey and interview data revealed positive perceptions of Internet; but low usage, limited access, frustration with using this new technology, and a general lack of knowledge on how to successfully integrate Internet technology into the art curriculum. The study results also indicated greater need for Internet access in the classroom, enhanced and specialized Internet training for art teachers, and more specialized curriculum development that reflects the potential use of the Internet in the art classroom. This study also revealed positive perceptions towards Internet implementation despite teacher frustration in learning and using these new technologies. If effective training is provided for Art and Internet integration, art teachers seem willing to use Internet in the classroom to enhance student learning. The results of this study encourage longitudinal research regarding perceptions and usage of Internet in the art classroom, as well as research investigating Internet usage in all academic disciplines.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the College of Education and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska at Omaha In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Secondary Education University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 1995 Donalyn Heise.

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