| This study developed and investigated a model of K-12 teachers' technology adoption decision-making using a diffusion of innovations theoretical framework. This study examined the ability of a 15-factor model to indicate teachers' decisions to participate in a field trial of a software innovation and to implement the innovation in their classrooms. Teachers (N=60) from a K-12 school district participated in an introductory workshop where they examined RepliGo(TM) digital annotation software (the innovation). Surveys and interviews were used to collect data on teacher characteristics (i.e., age, educational attainment, career moves, individual innovativeness, perceived organizational innovativeness) and teachers' perceptions of the innovation (i.e. relative advantage over other ways of assessing reading comprehension, compatibility with current and preferred work practices, compatibility with values, compatibility with prior experiences, ease of use, image enhancement, ease of communicating the results of using the innovation, impact of using the innovation, degree of experimentation permitted) immediately before and after teachers made their field trial participation decision. In addition, interviews were conducted with two teachers who engaged in the four-week field trial of the innovation in their classrooms. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the model. Qualitative analysis analyzed teachers' perceptions of the innovation and to what degree the innovation replaced, amplified, or transformed their instruction, curriculum, and student learning. Teachers' perceptions of the innovation's compatibility with current work practice and relative advantages were significant indicators of adoption and implementation of the innovation. Results indicated that teacher characteristics were not indicators of the field trial participation decision. The two teachers used digital iv annotation during the field trial to amplify and transform their instruction, especially the formative assessment of students' vocabulary knowledge. This study's results contribute to our understanding of how teachers make technology adoption decisions with implications for school leaders seeking to have their teachers make fullest possible use of technology innovations, for learning technology researchers developing future innovations, and for researchers inquiring into technology-enabled formative assessments of reading comprehension. |
