Researchers predicted that for classroom teachers to be effective in the 21st century with implementing technology within existing schools’ curricula, they will require assistance in organizing diverse instructional activities (Blau & Peled, 2012). This qualitative, narrative case study examined teachers’ attitudes towards technology (e. g. , wireless laptops, tablets, iPads, computers, and any form of portable technology) within a rural school district and reasons they should be used in tandem with the classroom pedagogy.
A qualitative, narrative case study research method will be applied along with the research design, population and sample, ethical research, data collection instruments, data collection technique, data collection instrument, data collection organization, data analysis, validity and trustworthiness, summary and transition. A non-probability sampling of volunteered teachers participated to examine the local problem and provide an interpretation of the findings. This method was a case study design to understand ways the participants think and ways they perceive their experiences both professionally and personally (Hatch, 2002).
Specifically, the use of a qualitative, narrative design as the research paradigm for this study was well suited to address why some classroom teachers experience difficulty with regard to integrating and utilizing technology within their curriculum. Quantitative methods have been used to determinate measurable results for differences among groups using a survey. Further, quantitative method will be used to control the phenomenon, provide treatment and generate numeric data (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). In quantitative research, an investigator relies on numerical data.
Researchers have used methods to generate data using numbers to analyze the results, as, opposed to generalizable ones (Silverstein et al. , 2006). Mixed methods design have be used to collect and analyze data through combining both quantitative and qualitative methods (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). The use of quantitative and mixed method will not be suitable for this study because this study will use a small sample instead of a large-scale sample, which is used in quantitative designs. Therefore, a narrative, case study design will be used to show and describe the presented problem using the participants’ words.
Based on the environment and participating sample size from a small rural school district, a quantitative design will not be used because quantitative methods involve one hundred or more samples (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). Unlike quantitative methods, qualitative inquiry can be used to provide several approaches. Moreover, qualitative methods enable the researcher to use the content analysis approach to identify biases, patterns, and themes using a systematic form (Hatch, 2002; Leedy & Ormrod, 2010).
Researchers have used content analysis to summarize all type of content through counting a variety of aspects of the content and takes in a wider objective when assessing the data coupled with judging against content based on the listener’s assumptions (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). The grounded approach or design is an unambiguous methodology based on Glaser and Strauss (1967); data is used to build a theory that focuses on state of the affairs and on the meaning of what is arising (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010).
In contrast, a case study approach will enable the researcher to cultivate the concepts through categorization, interpretation and description of the presented problem (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). In ethnography, the researcher examines the complexity of human practices and experiences with close and no observation of human understanding as the preliminary point for obtaining knowledge of the social world (Clark & Rossiter, 2007; O’Reilly, 2009). The action research approach encompasses developing a solution to the local problem within the environment (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010; Silverstein et al. 2006).
The phenomenological approach enables the researcher to formulate an understanding of the topic based on “reality” of the subject’s perceptions, perspectives, and the particulars involved in the study (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). These collections of qualitative approaches will be appropriate for conducting this narrative study through providing a clear description of the interview data and seek a practical way to conduct a study based on experiences of qualified researchers (Gall et al. , 2003; Leedy & Ormrod, 2010).