The Perception of the Effectiveness of Classdojo in Middle School Classrooms: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

Author(s)

Michael BurgerFollow

Date

9-2015

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Margaret (Beth) Ackerman

Keywords

Behavior Management, ClassDojo, Classroom Management, Educational Technology, Rewards Technology

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Instructional Media Design | Other Education | Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

Recommended Citation

Burger, Michael, "The Perception of the Effectiveness of Classdojo in Middle School Classrooms: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study" (2015). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1063.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1063

Abstract

This transcendental phenomenological study modeled after Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological reduction investigated the perceptions of teachers and students regarding the effectiveness of ClassDojo as a classroom management tool for three middle school classrooms at Cardinal Unified School District (pseudonym). The research questions for the study were aimed at understanding teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of ClassDojo as a classroom management tool as well as the necessary resources and experiences to implement it well. Furthermore, this research aimed at explaining teachers’ perceptions of how the use of this tool affected their administrators’ view of them as teachers. The participants consisted of 3 teachers and 12 students in a diverse school district in Southern California with about 20,000 students. Data collection consisted of a brief survey, observations, interviews, and focus groups. The data was analyzed in line with Moustakas’ phenomenological reduction (1994). The findings from this study indicated that ClassDojo is a highly motivating classroom management system for the student participants. Students and teachers alike mentioned the fact that ClassDojo has an effect on student achievement, explaining that it is probably due to the fact that ClassDojo increases student engagement. While participants envisaged many technological devices needed for the ideal implementation of ClassDojo, ultimately teachers can still implement it well without a sizeable technology budget. Furthermore, the teacher participants expressed that they perceived their administrators to generally like their use of ClassDojo, although this belief is not why they used it. Rather, the properly managed classroom was reason enough for them.