Perceived Influence of Adoption of Personal Electronic Response Systems by Students With and Without Disabilities and Limited English Proficiency in Small Social Work Classes

Abstract

This study investigates the perceived influence of adoption of personal electronic response systems (clickers) on undergraduate and graduate social work education by students with and without disabilities and limited English proficiency (LEP). A mixed methods exploratory quasi-experimental (posttest only) design was used in this study of instructional technology in social work education. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 30 undergraduate and graduate students, and follow-up telephonic interviews were conducted with a subsample of 6 students with disabilities or LEP. Correlates examined were student status, level of life stress, and usage status. Qualitative themes emerged suggesting that students with LEP and with varied sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities found clickers to be helpful in increasing their class participation and as assistive technology to support their learning. Student status and achievement associations with clicker use perception were explored to determine whether these important student characteristics suggested a profile of clicker user attitudes. Quantitative findings suggested that overall perceptions of clicker use were positively correlated with student status (r = .53; p = .03), with graduate students holding more favorable opinions than undergraduates, and that first-time clicker use was inversely correlated with Grade Point Average (GPA) (r = −.53; p = .03 for current GPA and r = −.57; p = .04 for cumulative GPA), suggesting that first-time clicker users had higher GPAs than nonfirst-time users likely accounted for by the higher required GPAs of graduate students, who were more likely to be first-time users. No significant correlation was found between these stressors and perceptions toward adoption of classroom electronic response technology.

KEYWORDS:

• classroom technology
• disabilities
• limited English proficiency
• social work education