Date
11-17-2023
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Alisha Castaneda
Keywords
data transfer, information overload, laptops, networked tasks, personal devices
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
White, Roger A., "A Qualitative Phenomenological Study of History Doctoral Candidates' Experiences with Technology and Information Overload" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4966.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4966
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of history doctoral candidates at Liefrig University with technology and information overload. The theory guiding this study was Sweller’s cognitive load theory, as it explains the characteristics of the information received using technology and the effect of exposure to varying levels of data. The study advances the understanding of the influence of technology on online students and their experiences with information overload. The participants consisted of history doctoral candidates completing their studies through a private online higher education institution in a Southeastern state. The three data collection methods involved journal prompts, individual interviews, and focus groups. The data analysis required bracketing, horizonalization, and textual descriptions that address the essence of the participants’ lived experiences with the phenomenon. The findings of this study revealed these online history doctoral candidates experienced constant technology interaction and preferred a structured course design. Two additional themes related to information overload and experiences with information overload were also evident based on the data collected, triangulated, and analyzed all three methods.
