| In this study, the beliefs and practices of eight high school social studies teachers were examined regarding the use of digital primary sources and the factors that facilitate or inhibit their use. This qualitative study involved surveys, interviews, and observations. The findings demonstrated the following: world history and world geography teachers desire to utilize digital primary sources because they feel they add value to instruction; access to equipment (namely computer projectors and school computing facilities) is paramount in terms of digital primary source use; formal technology training does not necessarily lead to an increased use of digital primary sources; the Virginia Standards of Learning negatively impact digital primary source use; and level of student achievement influences teachers' desire to use digital primary sources. This study highlighted the relationship of access to equipment to digital primary source use. Teachers who had access to equipment were high-frequency users of digital primary sources while those without access were not. Without access to equipment, any other factors that might lead to teachers using digital primary sources in their instruction, such as formal training, were mitigated. Additionally, teachers who had a high level of access to equipment without formal training tended to use digital primary sources as a supplement to their lesson, while teachers with formal technology training in combination with a high level of technology access led teachers to use digital primary sources in order to engage students in historical thinking. Applications of these findings and directions for future studies are discussed. |
