Public School Educators' Use of Computer-Mediated Communication

This study examined the uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) by educators in selected public schools. It used Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Theory as the underpinnings of the study. CMC refers to any exchange of information that involves the use of computers for communication between individuals or individuals and a machine. This study was an exploration of difficulties users confront, what services they access, and the tasks they accomplish when using CMC. It investigated the factors that affect the use of CMC. The sample population was drawn from registered users on TENET, the Texas Education Network as of December 1997. The educators were described with frequency and percentages analyzing the demographic data. For the research, eight indices were selected to test how strongly these user and environmental attributes were associated with the use of CMC. These variables were (1) education, (2) position, (3) place of employment, (4) geographic location, (5) district size, (6) organization vitality, (7) adopter resources, and (8) instrumentality Two dependent variables were used to test for usage: (1) depth or frequency of CMC usage and amount of time spent online and (2) breadth or variety of Internet utilities used. Additionally, the users' perception of network benefits was measured. Network benefits were correlated with social interaction and perception of CMC to investigate what tasks educators were accomplishing with CMC. Correlations, SEQ CHAPTER h r 1 crosstabulations, and ANOVAs were used to analysis the data for testing the four hypotheses. The major findings of the study, based on the hypotheses tested, were that the socioeconomic variables of education and position influenced the use of CMC. A significant finding is that teachers used e-mail and for Internet resources less frequently than those in other positions. An interesting finding was that frequency of use was more significant for usage than amount of time spent online. This implied that an accessible computer and network connection was more important than the amount of time available to use it. There was little evidence that place of employment, geographic location, or school district size influenced differences in use or nonuse of CMC features. Significant findings for Organization Vitality suggest that a school could contribute to usage by educators when computers and network connections that were close, convenient, and accessible. The Individual Resources of importance for usage were years of experience and confidence with computers and Internet usage. The heavy uses of CMC for communication attested to the importance of CMC in reducing practitioner isolation for many educators. Communication, professional development, work productivity, and professional information seeking showed significant relationships with network benefits and perceived CMC attributes. CMC is a pervasive communication technology that continues to expand in all areas of society. For educators and education it is a venue promising great rewards.