Resumen de “It is just easier to do what you did before…”: An Update on Internet Use in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms in Indiana
Phillip J. VanFossen, Robert A. Waterson
This study replicated a 1999 survey study of classroom Internet use by social studies teachers (6–12) in Indiana. The 1999 study indicated that although 80% wished to be using it more often, respondents' Internet use was little more than “glorified information gathering.” The present study modified the same instrument to survey a random sample of secondary social studies teachers in Indiana in order to determine what, if any, changes had occurred in the intervening 6 years. Data indicated improvement across most barriers (e.g., connectivity, training, access to equipment) identified in the previous study, but 70% of respondents still wished to be using the Internet more often. The Internet was still most commonly used to “gather background information for the lessons I teach.” The present study created the Internet Use Scale (IUS) and the IUS score was used to divide respondents into quartiles. The first quartile (higher-order users) was compared to the fourth quartile (lower-order users). Significant differences were found for: hours of training, experience, number of fast-connection computers in their instructional lab, and access to LCD projectors. Results of the present study support Ertmer's (2005) finding that teachers' pedagogical beliefs are the single most important factor in implementing technology in the classroom.
