A Phenomenological Inquiry Exploring the Perception of Self-Efficacy amongst Colorado High School English Teachers Incorporating Classroom Technology Use

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of self-efficacy of high school English teachers in Colorado as they experienced a phenomenon of rapidly increased use of classroom technology. High school English teachers’ perceptions were generally defined as how effective they felt in their teaching practices and pedagogical approaches as they incorporated increased use of classroom technology, including their perceptions of the use of classroom technology’s influence on their confidence and self-esteem in the classroom. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1977). The central research question for this study was: How has the incorporation of increased classroom technology use influenced the way Colorado high school English teachers perceive their self-efficacy? Study participants included 10 Colorado high school English Language Arts teachers with active seven through 12 Colorado teaching licenses. Data was collected via one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and participant journaling. Careful data analysis occurred via InVivo coding and analysis theme and sub-theme emergence via color coding and codification of data. The study findings suggest a direct correlation between teachers’ experiences with classroom technology use and their perceptions of self-efficacy as educators. Additionally, educators acknowledge the use of daily classroom technology and the desire to use it in an effective manner in their teaching practices to increase student engagement and success. An important finding is the unanimous perception of this study’s participants regarding the importance of having a healthy balance of technological teaching practices and non-technological teaching practices for both student achievement and teacher perception of self-efficacy.