Problem and Purpose Statement- Doctoral Journey Part III

My instuctor has returned my paper three times. I understand that this process is itirative, but after reading his feedback and trying to make the suggested changes, my frustration is building. A good friend of mine said that I need to be more understanding about this process, and that the standards I have for myself might be too rigid.

The problem statement in a disseratation captures the gap or lack of understanding of a topic or subject. In my research, I want to know why  I hope to better understand the factors that influence the perceptions that teachers have of educational technology and why they resist or embrace utilization in lessons for students. So, here it is:

Problem Statement

Mobile information and communication technology (m-ICT) use by teachers and students in the classroom has an impact on student engagement, academic performance, and college and career readiness (Savage & Brown, 2014; Mango, O. 2015). Several authors have suggested that there is a need to conduct more research on teacher perception and use of m-ICT to unpack the potential benefit that this technology can provide to students (Biddix, Chung & Park, 2016; Montrieux, Vanderlinde, Schellens, & De Marez, 2015; Teo, 2015; Albirini, 2006). Teacher perception of m-ICT affects the level of utilization in class lessons. It is not yet known what affects an elementary teachers perception of m-ICT. A gap in understanding exists concerning how elementary school teachers know they are ready to use m-ITC in lessons. 

The purpose statement is made to address the gap in understanding and to increase what is known about the topic. Here is my purpose statement:

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of teachers readiness to use of mobile information and communication technology (m-ITC) by rural elementary school teachers during classroom lessons. This study will increased understanding of the factors that impact a teacher’s perception of m-ICT and decision to use it in lessons. In a similar study, there is a reasonable correlation between the technological acceptance and usage levels of teachers (Teo, 2015). Building upon this understanding will help key stakeholders to support future efforts to increase the level of  m-ICT use which has been corolated with increased academic performance through access to resources for students. Researchers found statisitically significant influence on increased levels of student of engagement, access to content, and test scores when m-ICT is integrated properly using best practices in the classroom (Waters, Lubke, & Rearden, 2017; Al-Zaidiyeen, Mei, & Fook, 2010; Laronde, MacLeod, Frost, & Waller, 2017)