Role of technology for student engagement in secondary classrooms: A case study

The purpose of this study was to explore through the Engagement Theory Framework, the role that technology played for student engagement in secondary classrooms. Merriam and Tisdell’s (2016) case study methodology guided the research design. The epistemological perspective used to interpret the selected teacher participants’ experiences using technology in their classrooms was constructivism. Purposeful criterion-based selection (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) was used to purposively select eight high school teachers. Data were collected from the eight teacher participants through interviews, observations, as well as the district website. Data were collected and analyzed, interpreted, and coded using the open-source coding system (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Engagement Theory is a conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching. With an emphasis on meaningful learning through collaborative, worthwhile tasks and real-world projects, this theory focuses on three components, Relate, Create, Donate. This study helps explain the role that technology played in teacher classrooms as they used it to engage students in learning in a variety of methods, including collaboration and authentic projects. The findings from this study indicate an understanding of the challenges teachers face incorporating technology to teach students, as well as the many benefits and value that was found using technology to engage students in learning.