Pre-Service And Mentor Teachers' Perceptions Regarding The Level Of Technology Integration In The Curriculu

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore perceptions of pre-service and mentor teachers regarding the level of integrating technology in the curriculum of 21 selected classrooms in eight rural school districts in Southeast Texas. The following research questions guided this phenomenological study:;1. What are pre-service and mentor teachers' perceptions regarding the various ways technology can be used in the curriculum, according to the four levels of the SAMR technology integration model, which includes substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition?;2. What are pre-service and mentor teachers' perceptions regarding the use of technology in place of traditional strategies for lesson delivery and student activities at the substitution level of the SAMR technology integration model?;3. What are pre-service and mentor teachers' perceptions regarding the use of technology to increase student engagement and understanding at the augmentation level of the SAMR technology integration model?;4. What are pre-service and mentor teachers' perceptions regarding the use of technology to incorporate interactive features, i.e., feedback and collaboration at the modification level of the SAMR technology integration model?;5. What are pre-service and mentor teachers' perceptions regarding the use of technology to enhance student higher order thinking skills and problem-solving skills at the redefinition level of the SAMR technology integration model?;The researcher utilized focus group interviews with 21 participants. Fourteen participants were pre-service teachers. The other seven participants were mentor teachers. The researcher used interpretation as a means to step back from the study and form a larger meaning about the phenomenon based on personal views of the participants (Creswell, 2015). The study findings lead to the conclusion that pre-service and mentor teachers use a variety of devices and programs to integrate technology in the curriculum. Another conclusion was that pre-service and mentor teachers have a desire to become more efficient with their integration of technology in the curriculum. The study provides implications for practices, which districts and campuses could implement to enhance pre-service and mentor teachers' abilities to more effectively integrate technology in the curriculum.