Technology use of Hispanic bilingual teachers: a function of their beliefs, attitudes and perceptions on peer technology use in the classroom.

This study describes survey responses of 103 bilingual elementary school teachers along the southmost borderlands of Texas and Mexico. The teachers responded to items regarding their (1) beliefs about and utilization of technology when incorporating cultural components, (2) general attitudes toward technology and self-efficacy towards utilizing technology, and (3) perceptions about their peers' utilization of technology. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was employed to measure teacher technology use. The total variance explained was 50.6 percent (adjusted [R.sup.2]=.506, R=.738,p< .05). Means, standard deviations and standard errors of means statistics are presented. Results indicate that the use of technology is a function of the bilingual teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and the extent to which their colleagues use technology in the classroom.

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Bilingual teachers in south Texas, like many other teachers in diverse settings, have to gain knowledge about cultures in order to provide a supportive educational environment for their students. A common scenario in the region is that many students live in poverty, are surrounded by adults who have had limited educational opportunities, are language deficient in English, or are first or second generation immigrants, thus, bringing with them cultural aspects that are different from where they now live. To develop lessons containing multicultural or even bicultural experiences requires extra work by the teachers. Added to this effort are state mandated technology requirements that demand that teachers have developed knowledge and skills to master technologies. Therefore, the goal of some educators is to incorporate these skills and knowledge of technology while addressing and incorporating culture in their classroom activities.

Studies have been conducted to describe teacher technology use (e.g., Sydow and Kirkpatrick, 1992), attitudes (e.g., Christensen, 2002), and self-efficacy (e.g., Ropp, 1999; Sexton et al., 1999) without including a multicultural component in their framework. Studies on bilingual teachers and technology practices regarding incorporating cultural aspects in the curricula using technology are scarce. Therefore, for this study, bilingual teachers, along the southmost borderlands of Texas and Mexico, were surveyed in an attempt to describe what their beliefs regarding and utilization of technology are in addressing cultural aspects in the curriculum, and, to describe how the bilingual teachers' general attitudes toward technology and their self-efficacy towards utilizing technology in general are associated with their technology use.

Review of the Literature

Research on multicultural education, technology implementation and bilingual teachers, in combination, is limited. The available research focuses predominantly on preservice teachers. However, each respective component has been investigated intensively, and pair-wise. For instance, multicultural education has been recognized as a useful approach to increase interactions between minority and non-minority students. And, using technology has provided for culturally sensitive and intellectually stimulating learning environments through, for instance, cultural pluralism (Branch, 1997), global learning networks (Cummins and Sayers, 1996), multicultural awareness (D'Andrea, 1995), and supplement multicultural education in terms of historical and religious education (Hammer and Kellner, 2000). In yet another study cultural differences of the students were considered when implementing technology (DeVoogd, 1998).

Student performance at various educational levels has been reported as well as an impact of integrating technology in the classroom. Scrase (1997) studied children with reading problems using scanners connected to computers with speech synthesizers and found it benefits those with overall reading delays whereas children with specific reading difficulties had much limited benefits. Schetz studied teachers perceptions of students' improvement in articulation, language and concepts after computer assisted enrichment had been implemented (1989).

The use of computer technology by elementary teachers was described by Berg, Benz, Lasley II and Raisch (1998). The teachers responded to a survey instrument, and determined among other things, the importance of various computer use (personal and student) as well as the frequency of use of certain software or methods. Mathews and Guarino (2000) researched the use of technology in the classroom and found that the gender of the teacher, years of teaching experience, number of computers in the classroom and computer ability had an effect on computer usage, whereas academic degree and school level did not. Dorman (2001) stated that teachers who teach in schools with a large proportion of minority students, that also have a large proportion of poverty, were less likely to use technology than teachers in who teach in schools with a small proportion of minority students. Also, teachers with fewer years of teaching experience tended to use computers more than those teachers who had had more experience in the classroom. Additionally, the number of computers the teacher has available in the classroom may impact the frequency of usage by students (Dorman, 2001; Lam, 2000).

Researchers have explained the association among self-efficacy and attitudes toward technology, desirability of learning technology, gender, age, computer experience, proficiency, computer anxiety, computer liking, and usefulness (e.g., Delcourt and Kinzie, 1993; Atkins and Storey Vasu, 2000; Zhang and Espinoza, 1998). Researchers concluded that teachers with higher degrees of technology self-efficacy integrated more technology in their classroom teaching activities (e.g., Lam, 2000; Zhang and Espinoza, 1998). Sources that impact an individuals' judgment of self-efficacy in general may relate to an individuals' prior experiences, identification with other persons, and encouragement from others, and feeling confident (Bandura, 1982).

Teacher technology training is an important consideration to the implementation of technologies in the classroom. According to Bybee and Loucks-Horsley (2000) there are four features of effective professional development for teachers. These four features are to gain knowledge and skills regarding technology, learn how to teach a content area using technology, find ways that allow continuous maintenance of knowledge and skills, and provide for long-term professional development programs. Parr (1999) emphasized that assisting teachers by supporting the use of a computer for personal use is not enough. Strong school support that will assist teachers in technological and pedagogical knowledge is also necessary.

Methods

This study was a part of a larger study (n=323) conducted during the 2000-2001 academic school year. The data consist of survey information collected from 103 elementary school (grades pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade) bilingual education teachers who are working with a predominantly Hispanic student population in two large (13,000 or more students) school districts in southern Texas. These school districts were selected because of their size, and availability of technology professional development opportunities for their teachers, i.e., software application training.

In the year previous to the study, the school districts had a Hispanic student population of 96.90 percent and 87.50 percent respectively. Thirty-five percent of the student body was considered limited English proficient (LEP). A large proportion of the students (74.10 percent) lived in economically disadvantaged households. Over 2200 teachers (all grade levels) are employed in these school districts: Approximately 70.70 percent of teachers are females. The average years of teaching experience among the teachers were 11.30 and the average number of years the teachers have worked within the school district is 8.45. The ethnic composition of the teacher population is 66.95 percent Hispanic and 32.15 percent White (Texas Education Agency, 2001).

Sample

Twenty-five elementary school campuses in the two school districts in this study were invited to participate in the study. Fourteen campus administrators responded to the invitation and 103 usable bilingual teacher surveys were returned. The composition of elementary school bilingual educators was the following: 9.7 percent (n=10) of the teachers were teaching pre-kindergarten, 22.3 percent (n=23) kindergarten, 18.4 percent (n=19) first grade, 15.5 (n=16) second grade, 10.7 percent (n=11) third grade, 11.7 percent (n=12) fourth grade and 5.8 percent (n=6) fifth grade. Six teachers did not report which grade level they taught.

The percent of teachers under age 30 was 28.1 percent (n=25), between ages 30 to 40 was 28.3 percent (n=29), between ages 40 to 50 was 19.5 percent (n=20), and over age 50 was 14.5 percent (n=15). Fourteen teachers opted not to report their age. Approximately 33 percent (n=33) of the teachers had less than five years of teaching experience, 20.4 percent (n=21) had five through nine years, 18.3 percent (n=19) had 10 through 19 years, and 24.2 percent (n=25) had over 20 years of experience. Five teachers did not answer this survey item. The ethnic distribution of the teacher sample in the school districts were 96.1 percent (n=99) Hispanic, one teacher categorized herself as other, and the remaining three opted not to address the item. About 89.3 percent (n=92) of the respondents were female.

Instrumentation

A multiple-item survey instrument was constructed to capture information about teacher background attributes (e.g., gender, race, age, and teaching experience), teacher beliefs in and use of integrating technology in teaching minority students, school characteristics and culture (technology resources, professional development opportunities, collegial collaborations, administrative support and attention to technology integration), self-efficacy and general attitudes towards technology. The instrument was field tested for reliability and content validity.

The subscale items for the four main survey items related to teacher technology beliefs were averaged and analyzed for reliability. The same procedure was implemented for each of the remaining constructs: teacher technology self-efficacy, teacher technology attitudes, school culture beliefs, school culture use, and teacher technology use.

The teacher technology belief construct included what the teachers' beliefs were with regard to integration of cultural information, construction of cultural knowledge, cultural attitudes and values, and effective pedagogy using technology. The belief subscale consist of 32 items which yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .9631 (N=94). The response categories were as follows: never, rarely, once in a while, pretty often, and almost always.

The teacher technology self-efficacy construct included how confident the teachers felt using various technologies. The self-efficacy subscale consist of 9 items which yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .9184 (N=101). The response categories were as follows: no confidence, below average confidence, average confidence, above average confidence, and a lot more than average confidence.

The teacher technology attitude construct included descriptions of general attitudes towards technology. The attitude subscale consist of 5 items which yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .7346 (N=103). The response categories were strongly disagree, disagree, no opinion, agree, and strongly agree.

The school culture construct was measured in terms of how the respondent viewed colleagues' beliefs and uses of technology. The school culture belief subscale consist of 8 items, yielding a Cronbach's alpha of .9560 (N=103). The response categories for belief were as follows: never, rarely, once in a while, pretty often, and almost always. The school culture use subscale consist of 8 items, yielding a Cronbach's alpha of .9447 (N=100). The response categories for use were as follows: never, rarely, once in a while, pretty often, and almost always.

The teacher technology use construct included what technology teachers' use with regard to integration of cultural information, construction of cultural knowledge, cultural attitudes and values, and effective pedagogy using technology. This construct included two subscales, use of technology methodology and use of technology media. The use of technology methodology subscale consist 26 items and yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .9322 (N=97), and the use of technology media subscale consist of 38 items and yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .9688 (N=93). The response categories were as follows: never, rarely, once in a while, pretty often, and almost always.

Data Analysis Procedures

Factor scores were generated for the above mentioned subscales utilizing Principal Component Analysis as the extraction method, Varimax with Kaiser Normalization as the rotation, and missing cases were deleted pairwise. The dependent variable, teachers' use of technology, consisted of two orthogonal factors, namely the technology related methods teachers used, and the technology media teachers used. These factor scores were added to yield one factor for teacher technology use. The following factor or independent variables' scores were considered in the analyses: teacher technology belief, teacher technology self-efficacy, teacher technology attitudes, school culture use, school culture belief, and age. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were employed to measure the dependent variable, teacher technology use, as a function of the previously mentioned independent variables.

In addition, percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding their beliefs about which technologies will facilitate them in teaching cultural contents, their general attitudes towards technology, what technology they perceive their fellow teachers and administrators use, the methods used to provide students with a variety of cultural information, and the teachers' technology use to disseminate cultural contents were generated.

Results

Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were employed to measure teacher technology use as a function of belief, self-efficacy, attitudes, school culture use, school culture belief, and age. The following independent variables are a significant (p < .05) function of teacher technology usage in the classroom: teacher technology belief, teacher technology attitudes, and school culture use. The total variance explained was 50.6 percent (adjusted R square=.506, R=.738). Means, standard deviations and standard errors of means statistics for teacher technology use, teacher technology beliefs, teacher technology attitudes and school culture beliefs are presented in Table 1.

The following linear regression equation evolves: Teacher technology use factor score = 0.493 (teacher technology belief factor score) + 0.471 (school culture use factor score) + 0.319(teacher technology attitude factor score) -.698. Expressed in Beta weights, the Z teacher technology use = 0.364 (Z teacher technology belief) + 0.355 (Z school culture use) + 0.227 (Z teacher technology attitudes).

The percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding their beliefs about which technologies will facilitate them in teaching cultural contents is displayed in Table 2.

The percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding their general attitudes towards technology is displayed in Table 3. The percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding what technology they perceive their fellow teachers and administrators use in teaching cultural content is displayed in Table 4.

The percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding the technology media teachers use to disseminate cultural contents is displayed in Table 5.

The percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding the technology methods teachers use to provide students with a variety of cultural information is displayed in Table 6.

Conclusions and Discussion

In this study the characteristics of elementary bilingual teachers, who, at various levels were investigated. Three of six variables that were used in the regression analysis to measure their technology usage were significant: their beliefs about how useful technology would be when addressing cultural aspects in their teaching, their general attitudes toward technology, and their perceptions regarding the extent to which their colleagues use technology when teaching. Comparisons of the beta weights of these variables indicate that the indicators are equally important as predictors. Previous research had not been conducted by combining multicultural education, technology, bilingual teaching. However, previous researchers had found an association between technology use and attitudes among teachers (e.g., Christensen, 2002; Delcourt and Kinzie, 1993). Other researchers had established that age (Lam, 2000), and self-efficacy (Delcourt and Kinzie, 1993; Zhang and Espinoza, 1998), however, the results of this study did not indicate that.

Secondary findings of this study indicate the majority of bilingual teachers believe that technology will help them integrate a variety of cultural information to illustrate key concepts. Specifically, they believed (84.5% agreed or strongly agreed) that educational games will help them integrate a variety of cultural information to illustrate key concepts, principles, and theories. Also, they believed (73.7% agreed or strongly agrees) that web browsers will help students understand how knowledge is created and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic and social-class positions of individuals and groups. Furthermore, they believed (76.7% agreed or strongly agreed) that educational games will facilitate students to develop more positive racial attitudes and values. Lastly, they believed (88.3% agreed or strongly agreed) that educational games will help them to develop more effective pedagogy to facilitate the academic achievement of minority students.

The general attitudes toward technology of the bilingual teachers show that 93 percent found working with computers stimulating, 96 percent found computers useful, 32 percent felt positive about working with sound editing, and 21 percent enjoyed working with video editing. When responding to what technology fellow teachers and administrators in their school use to create a school culture that empowers students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups, the top three technologies were educational games, multimedia resources and web browsers (approximately 62%, 52% and 49% of responses were above "once in a while").

Descriptive findings from the data for the actual use of technology by bilingual teachers to disseminate cultural contents indicate that educational games, web browsers and word processing applications were used "once in a while" or more frequent (approximately 82%, 66% and 65%) when illustrating key concepts, principles and theories of cultures. Educational games, multimedia resources, and web browsers were used "once in a while" or more frequently (approximately 62%, 48% and 47%) to help students understand how knowledge is created and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic, and social-class positions of individuals and groups. Educational games, CD-ROM references, and multimedia resources were used "once in a while" or more frequently (approximately 65%, 47% and 47%) to facilitate students to develop more positive racial attitudes and values. Educational games, CD-ROM references, word processing applications and multimedia resources were used "once in a while" or more frequently (approximately 77%, 64%, and 57%). Lastly, the predominant method used to provide students with a variety of cultural information as reported by bilingual teachers was looking up information on the intenet: seventy-three percent of the teachers reported that they do that "once in a while" or more frequently.

Importance of the Study

Proponents of mnlticultural education and technology integration in the schools, such as educational leaders, technology specialists and teachers may use the findings of this study to improve training or professional development activities for bilingual teachers, and attempt to increase teacher usage of technology when teaching multicultural education. Bilingual teacher technology use has been described as a function between the teachers' beliefs, attitudes and the school culture. The teachers' beliefs and attitudes are interrelated. Attitudes may be improved by giving teachers more exposure to technology and multicultural education, as negative attitudes sometimes are based on misconceptions or lack of experiences. Providing a supportive school culture may also increase teacher technology use. With a growing use of technology integration among faculty, the school support or culture as perceived by teachers may look stronger, thus, influence technology use. Professional development activities that are addressing specific components of technology integration may be of extreme importance.

Table 1.

Descriptive means of factor scores

Variables                          Mean      S.D.     S.E.    N=103

Teacher technology beliefs       0.0097     .9919    .1018       95
Teacher technology attitudes     0.0000    1.0000    .0985      103
School culture use              -0.0007    1.0057    .1006      100
Teacher technology use           0.0069    1.4494    .1528       90

Table 2.

Percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding their beliefs
about which technologies will facilitate them in teaching cultural
contents specified in a-d.

                         Strongly    Disagree    Neither    Agree
Specific Technology      Disagree

a) Technology will help to integrate a variety of cultural information
   to illustrate key concepts, principles, and theories.

Educational Games           3.9         4.9          6.8     34.0
CD-ROM References           3.9         3.9         13.6     35.9
Word Processing             2.9         2.9         18.4     42.7
Presentation Software       1.9         2.9         17.5     46.6
Spreadsheet/Database        2.9         3.9         32.0     41.7
Multimedia Resources        1.9         1.0         13.6     41.7
WWW Browser                 1.0         3.9         15.5     40.8
E-mail                      2.9         5.8         22.3     35.0

b) Technology will help students to understand how knowledge is created
   and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic and social-class
   positions of individuals and groups.

Educational Games           3.9         2.9         21.4     31.1
CD-ROM References           2.9         1.0         30.1     37.9
Word Processing             2.9         3.9         34.0     33.0
Presentation Software       1.0         2.9         27.2     39.8
Spreadsheet/Database        3.9         1.9         38.8     35.9
Multimedia Resources        2.9         0.0         22.3     10.8
WWW Browser                 3.9         1.0         20.4     41.7
E-mail                      3.9         3.9         30.1     35.9

c) Technology will facilitate students to develop more positive racial
attitudes and values.

Educational Games           1.9         2.9         18.4     34.0
CD-ROM References           1.0         1.9         28.2     37.9
Word Processing             1.9         7.8         34.0     32.0
Presentation Software       1.9         2.9         26.2     36.9
Spreadsheet/Database        1.9         6.8         43.7     30.1
Multimedia Resources        1.0         0.0         30.1     35.9
WWW Browser                 1.9         1.9         25.2     33.0
E-mail                      1.9         5.8         35.0     27.2

d) Technology will help me to develop more effective pedagogy to
   facilitate the academic achievement of minority students.

Educational Games           1.9         1.0          7.8     42.7
CD-ROM References           1.9         1.9         14.6     41.7
Word Processing             1.9         3.9         19.4     43.7
Presentation Software      11.7        11.7         16.5     37.9
Spreadsheet/Database        2.9         3.9         35.0     35.9
Multimedia Resources        1.9         1.0         10.7     45.6
WWW Browser                 1.9         1.0         10.7     42.7
E-mail                      1.9         0.0         28.2     40.8

                         Strongly      N
Specific Technology       Agree

a) Technology will help to integrate a variety of cultural information
   to illustrate key concepts, principles, and theories.

Educational Games            50.5    103
CD-ROM References            42.7    103
Word Processing              33.0    103
Presentation Software        31.1    103
Spreadsheet/Database         19.4    103
Multimedia Resources         40.8    102
WWW Browser                  38.8    103
E-mail                       34.0    103

b) Technology will help students to understand how knowledge is created
   and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic and social-class
   positions of individuals and groups.

Educational Games            39.8    102
CD-ROM References            27.2    102
Word Processing              25.2    102
Presentation Software        27.2    101
Spreadsheet/Database         18.4    102
Multimedia Resources         33.0    102
WWW Browser                  32.0    102
E-mail                       25.2    102

c) Technology will facilitate students to develop more positive racial
attitudes and values.

Educational Games            42.7    103
CD-ROM References            30.1    102
Word Processing              23.3    102
Presentation Software        31.1    102
Spreadsheet/Database         15.5    101
Multimedia Resources         32.0    102
WWW Browser                  37.9    103
E-mail                       30.1    103

d) Technology will help me to develop more effective pedagogy to
   facilitate the academic achievement of minority students.

Educational Games            45.6    102
CD-ROM References            37.9    101
Word Processing              29.1    101
Presentation Software        20.4    101
Spreadsheet/Database         20.4    101
Multimedia Resources         37.9    100
WWW Browser                  42.7    102
E-mail                       27.2    101

Table 3.

Percentages of bilingual teacher responses regarding their general
attitudes towards technology.

                           Strongly    Disagree    Neither
                           Disagree

Working with computers          0.0         1.9        4.9
is stimulating.

A computer is useful            0.0         1.0        2.9
to me.

I enjoy working with            1.0         2.9       64.1
computer sound editing.

I enjoy working with            2.9         3.9       71.8
computer video editing.

                           Agree    Strongly      N
                                       Agree

Working with computers      53.4        39.8    103
is stimulating.

A computer is useful        28.2        68.0    103
to me.

I enjoy working with        20.4        11.7    103
computer sound editing.

I enjoy working with        15.5         5.8    103
computer video editing.

Table 4.

Percentages of bilingual teacher responses about what technology they
perceive their fellow teachers and administrators use

Teachers and administrators in our school use the following
technologies will help them to create a school culture that empowers
students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups

Specific Technology      Never    Rarely    Once in    Pretty
                                            a While     Often

Educational Games          2.9       9.7       25.2      39.8
CD-ROM References          1.9      19.4       34.0      23.3
Word Processing            6.8      19.4       27.2      28.2
Presentation Software     10.7      14.6       28.2      31.1
Spreadsheet/Database      17.5      17.5       22.3      25.2
Multimedia Resources       9.7      11.7       25.2      35.9
WWW Browser                8.7       9.7       31.1      34.0
E-mail                    17.5      15.5       25.2      24.3

Specific Technology      Almost      N
                         Always

Educational Games          22.3    103
CD-ROM References          19.4    101
Word Processing            17.5    102
Presentation Software      13.6    101
Spreadsheet/Database       15.5    101
Multimedia Resources       16.5    102
WWW Browser                14.6    101
E-mail                     14.6    100

Table 5.

Percentage of responses of bilingual teachers' technology practice or
use to disseminate cultural contents specified in a-d.

                         Never    Rarely    Once in    Pretty
Specific Technology                         a While    Often

a) I use technology to help integrate a variety of cultural information
   to illustrate key concepts, principles, and theories in my teaching.

Educational Games          7.4       9.5       30.5      32.6
CD-ROM References         17.9      17.9       34.7      22.1
Word Processing           18.9      12.6       23.2      30.5
Presentation Software     28.4      22.1       32.6      12.6
Spreadsheet/Database      31.6      28.4       27.4       8.4
Multimedia Resources      20.0      13.7       31.6      22.1
WWW Browser               15.8      16.8       31.6      24.2
E-mail                    25.3      23.2       26.3      17.9

b) I use technology to help students understand how knowledge is
   created and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic and
   social-class positions of individuals and groups.

Educational Games         20.0      14.7       26.3      20.0
CD-ROM References         30.5      21.1       25.3      12.6
Word Processing           35.8      16.8       25.3      11.6
Presentation Software     35.8      25.3       26.3       6.3
Spreadsheet/Database      41.1      26.3       21.1       6.3
Multimedia Resources      29.5      18.9       27.4      12.6
WWW Browser               31.6      17.9       30.5       9.5
E-mail                    40.0      22.1       22.1       6.3

c) I use technology to facilitate students to develop more positive
   racial attitudes and values.

Educational Games         21.1      11.6       27.4      24.2
CD-ROM References         31.6      17.9       32.6       7.4
Word Processing           37.9      16.8       25.3      10.5
Presentation Software     38.9      22.1       24.2       6.3
Spreadsheet/Database      45.3      22.1       20.0       7.4
Multimedia Resources      31.6      16.8       30.5      10.5
WWW Browser               35.8      16.8       27.4      11.6
E-mail                    43.2      24.2       18.9       5.3

d) I use technology to develop more effective pedagogy to facilitate
   the academic achievement of minority students.

Educational Games          9.5      10.5       27.4      26.3
CD-ROM References         24.2       8.4       32.6      14.7
Word Processing           25.3      14.7       27.4      16.8
Presentation Software     28.4      24.2       23.2      11.6
Spreadsheet/Database      33.7      27.4       20.0      11.6
Multimedia Resources      24.2      14.7       25.3      23.2
WWW Browser               25.3      14.7       25.3      20.0
E-mail                    38.9      16.8       24.2      11.6

                         Almost     N
Specific Technology      Always

a) I use technology to help integrate a variety of cultural information
   to illustrate key concepts, principles, and theories in my teaching.

Educational Games          18.9    94
CD-ROM References           5.3    93
Word Processing            11.6    92
Presentation Software       3.2    94
Spreadsheet/Database        2.1    93
Multimedia Resources       10.5    93
WWW Browser                10.5    94
E-mail                      7.4    95

b) I use technology to help students understand how knowledge is
   created and how it is influenced by the racial, ethnic and
   social-class positions of individuals and groups.

Educational Games          15.8    92
CD-ROM References           7.4    92
Word Processing             7.4    92
Presentation Software       3.2    92
Spreadsheet/Database        2.1    92
Multimedia Resources        8.4    92
WWW Browser                 7.4    92
E-mail                      6.3    92

c) I use technology to facilitate students to develop more positive
   racial attitudes and values.

Educational Games          13.7    93
CD-ROM References           7.4    92
Word Processing             5.3    91
Presentation Software       4.2    91
Spreadsheet/Database        1.1    91
Multimedia Resources        6.3    91
WWW Browser                 4.2    91
E-mail                      4.2    91

d) I use technology to develop more effective pedagogy to facilitate
   the academic achievement of minority students.

Educational Games          23.3    92
CD-ROM References          16.8    92
Word Processing            12.6    92
Presentation Software       9.5    92
Spreadsheet/Database        4.2    92
Multimedia Resources        8.4    91
WWW Browser                10.5    91
E-mail                      4.2    91

Table 6.

Teacher responses on methods used to provide students with a variety of
cultural information.

Method                       Never    Rarely    Once in    Pretty
                                                a While    Often

Look up information on        15.8       7.4       28.4      31.6
the internet
E-mail information to         67.4      22.1        5.3       2.1
students as attachments
Convert a document to         73.7      18.9        2.1       1.1
HTML & post it on the Web
Create a web site             78.9      11.6        1.1       4.2
Post calendar on web site     82.1      11.6        1.1       2.1
Make cultural events          77.9      10.5        7.4       1.1
announcements by e-mail
E-mail multicultural          82.1       8.4        4.2       2.1
materials & handouts
Take a virtual field trip     69.5      14.7       10.5       2.1
at an on-line museum

Method                       Almost     N
                             Always

Look up information on         13.7    92
the internet
E-mail information to           0.0    92
students as attachments
Convert a document to           0.0    91
HTML & post it on the Web
Create a web site               0.0    91
Post calendar on web site       0.0    92
Make cultural events            0.0    92
announcements by e-mail
E-mail multicultural            0.0    92
materials & handouts
Take a virtual field trip       0.0    92
at an on-line museum

References

Atkins, N. E., & Storey Vasu, E. (2000). Measuring knowledge of technology usage and stages of concern about computing: A study of middle school teachers. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 8(4), 279-302.

Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122-147.

Berg, S., Banz, C., Lasley III, T. J., & Raisch, C. D. (1998). Exemplary technology use in elementary classrooms. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31(2), 111-122.

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Marie Simonsson, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology Department, College of Education, University of Texas Pan American.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Marie Simonsson, Educational Psychology Department, College of Education, University of Texas Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539; Email: [e-mail].