An Examination of Factors That Influence Teacher Adoption of Bring Your Own Device in the Classroom

The purpose of this research is to examine if and how Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is implemented in secondary public schools by focusing on teacher adoption of BYOD in the classroom. Given the newness of BYOD, there is little research on how school districts have implemented this policy or why and how teachers have adopted the practice in their classroom. Using both Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research investigated several key elements that could influence teacher adoption of BYOD: teacher characteristics, school culture, and professional development. The population for this mixed method study was teachers in three middle schools and three high schools located in a large suburban school district in Virginia. The mixed method study was divided into two parts: focus groups and web survey. Selecting schools for both parts of the study was based on three variables: student ethnicity, percentage of the student body considered economically disadvantaged, and teacher experience. Data collected from the focus groups was used to create the web survey. The results from this study revealed that five predictor variables were statistically significant concerning teacher adoption of BYOD in middle and high schools: perceived usefulness of BYOD, school culture, professional development, the secondary school level middle or high school, and the type of school program whether a traditional program at a zoned school or a specialized program such as an academy. The strongest predictor of the five variables was perceived usefulness. Findings from this study will contribute to policy makers understanding of which factors influence a teacher\u27s decision to adopt or reject an innovation (such as BYOD) and may influence development and implementation of policies regarding such innovations