English/language arts teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of the value of one-to-one student laptops, in year 5 of the initiative, in 3 urban high schools

As school districts continue to adopt new technologies and implement one-to-one student laptop initiatives, questions still remain about how this impacts student achievement (Logan, 2016). High school students in the United States continue to rank lower than students in other countries, specifically in reading (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014). Many qualitative and quantitative studies about one-to-one laptop programs in schools have investigated teacher and leader perceptions of classroom technology and its impact on student achievement in the initial implementation phase of the initiative. Results have been generally positive (Zheng, et. al., 2016). This study investigated the perceptions of 8 English/Language Arts teachers and 3 principals after 5 years of a high school one-to-one laptop initiative in a large, urban school district. The 2 research questions that guided this study were as follows: (1) What are high school English/Language Arts teacher perceptions about the value of one-to-one student devices in year 5 of a high school laptop initiative, and (2) what are the perceptions of principals about the value of one-to-one student devices in year 5 of a high school laptop initiative? Teachers and principals were purposefully selected at 3 different schools in a large, urban school district. Using qualitative methods with an interpretivist approach, open-ended teacher and principal interviews were the primary tool of data collection for this exploratory study. Transcriptions from interviews were coded using multiple approaches to document common themes. The teacher findings showed that value of the one-to-one initiative was unanimously present in the following areas: (1) Higher-level learning, (2) equality in access including access to digital resources and to Google, (3) writing, (4) efficiency, and (5) searching. Principal findings showed the similar perceptions of higher-level learning and access but also included the theme of collaboration. In conclusion, this study poses questions for further qualitative and quantitative research in the area of one-to-one student technology in high school. Findings will add to the body of knowledge related to sustaining high school, one-to-one laptop programs and may also be used to inform district participation in one-to-one initiatives, professional development priorities, funding priorities for technology, and policies regarding standardized testing alignment to 21st Century skill development