A phenomenological study of how secondary principals perceive their responsibility in sustaining technology.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document how ten secondary principals perceived, experienced and defined their responsibility in sustaining technology. Based on interviews of ten secondary principals, with phenomenology as a research method, the study sought descriptions of their self-perceived experiences with sustaining technology. Analysis and reduction of the information resulted in five common themes.

The first theme postulates that the secondary principals believed national and state expectations affected their ability to sustain technology---specifically in the form of NCLB/PASS objectives and grant availability. In the second common theme, secondary principals concurred that technological innovations permitted more time for their schools to pursue core educational missions. Thirdly, secondary principals perceived that their school learning communities were gradually changing---becoming more accepting of new technology. Next, secondary principals agreed that technological sustainability is having a profound impact on the learning community---the role of teachers, principals, and parents had been altered and the learning community had grown beyond a single school. Finally, secondary principals perceived students were affecting the process of education by demanding technology become a permanent fixture in schools. Frequently, it was the level of student participation which often dictated the sustainability of a given technology.