Master of Information Technology Leadership
CORRELATION BETWEEN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL
TEACHERS’ TEACHING STYLES AND
FREQUENCY AND VARIETY OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY USE
A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA
November, 2014
ANDREAS BERKO
Bachelor of Secondary Music, University of Calgary, 1999
Bachelor of Education, University of Calgary, 2001
Master of Education, University of Lethbridge, 2015
Abstract
Kindergarten to grade nine teachers (n=61) in a large urban school district in Alberta were surveyed on their teaching styles and variety and frequency of technology use. Teacher responses to a Teaching Styles Inventory were used to assign teaching styles and were compared to responses from a Technology Inventory that measured the approximate frequency and variety of technology use of each teacher. Using bivariate analysis, significant positive Pearson’s correlation coefficients were found between the Facilitator and Delegator teaching styles (p < .01), Technology use was negatively associated with the Expert teaching style (p < .10) and Formal Authority teaching style (p < .05). No significant correlation was found between the Personal Model teaching style and technology use. Technology use may be influenced by a teacher’s teaching style in that teachers with a more traditional or teacher-directed style may use technology less frequently while teachers with a more student-directed approach may choose technology as an instructional tool with more frequency and variety.