Barriers to Implementing K-12 Virtual Education: A Study of School District Online Technology Coordinators in the State of Texas

dc.contributor.authorHill, William R.
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-16T20:43:18Z
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-16T20:43:18Z2014-09-16T20:43:18Z
dc.date.available2014-09-16T20:43:18Z
dc.date.available2014-09-16T20:43:18Z2014-09-16T20:43:18Z
dc.date.issued9/16/2014
dc.descriptionSubmitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR of EDUCATION in EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIPen_US
dc.description.abstractThe use of virtual education to augment the traditional education system has become prominent in the hopes of solving educational problems that the traditional venue cannot address. Regardless of aspirations, roadblocks to K-12 online learning persist. The purpose of the study was to identify the main transitional barriers and perceptions that accompany the implementation of K-12 online learning and virtual education. The researcher used descriptive methodology, using an internet based questionnaire to gather quantitative data. The statistics were used to summarize and organize the data. In all, technology coordinators and/or others who were responsible for online education were invited to participate in the study. At both the item and scale levels, the mean scores were used to rank order the individual and scale barriers. To answer the second and third research questions, a series of one-way analysis of variance were performed. In all analyses, the homogeneity of variances assumption was met, using the Levene's test. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to estimate the internal consistency of the scale scores. Quantitative data revealed that at the item level, regardless of the size (small, medium, or large) or type (urban, suburban, or rural) of the school district, implementation funding was the strongest barrier in implementing K-12 virtual education as reported by a non-probability sample of educators in Texas. The barrier which seemed to be the weakest was professional organization or union contracts. At the scale level, faculty compensation and time was the strongest barrier, while legal issues seemed to have been the weakest barrier. Analysis of data showed that differences among various district sizes and types on the basis of scale scores measuring the barriers were not statistically significant. The implications of this study reveal the need for new and proper methods of funding that will benefit the bourgeoning online programs and facilitate successen_US
dc.description.collegeCollege of Education and Human Developmenten_US
dc.description.departmentEducational Leadership, Curriculum & Instructionen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/571
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsThis material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with its source. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the author and/or publisher.en_US
dc.subjectdistance learningen_US
dc.subjectimplementation barriersen_US
dc.subjectk-12 virtual educationen_US
dc.subjectschool district online technologyen_US
dc.subjectstudy of k-12 virtual educationen_US
dc.subjectvirtual education texasen_US
dc.titleBarriers to Implementing K-12 Virtual Education: A Study of School District Online Technology Coordinators in the State of Texasen_US
dc.typeTexten_US
dc.type.genreDissertationen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Leadershipen_US
thesis.degree.grantorTexas A & M University--Corpus Christien_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Educationen_US

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