THE EFFECT OF THE ACTIVE USES OF SPREADSHEETS FOR MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION WORKSHOP ON MATHEMATICS TEACHERS' SPREADSHEET ADOPTION

The pursuit of developing innovative learning environments in K-12 education has transformed many classrooms into technology-rich settings. I created a design-based professional development to support mathematics teachers’ adoption of spreadsheets as an instructional tool. The needs assessment study revealed that mathematics teachers’ perception and adoption of spreadsheets for mathematics instruction were low. This exploratory research study examined the effects of a design-based professional development on mathematics teachers’ spreadsheet knowledge, self-efficacy, usefulness and ease of use perceptions, and intentions to integrate spreadsheets into their instruction. A total of eight teachers engaged in approximately 20 hr of total workshop time, where some participants attended an online workshop and another group participated in an in-person offering. A comparison of preintervention and postintervention survey responses indicated that the Active Uses of Spreadsheets for Mathematics Instruction workshop effectively increased participants' scores on the Instructional Technology Adoption Survey. The response to interview questions suggests that the workshop was the catalyst for advanced participants’ understanding of how students can conceptually understand how to use spreadsheets to explore and analyze data. From a conventional perspective, they only viewed spreadsheets students use more procedural to complete mathematic calculations. Participants cited the demonstrations, the hands-on experience, and the collaboration as the reasons why the workshop successfully improved their knowledge and perceptions