Date
5-22-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Dina Samora
Keywords
Learning Management Systems, curriculum, instruction, blended learning, study skills, student accountability, educational technology
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Onorato, Jamie L., "The Lived Experiences of High School Humanities Teachers as They Utilize an LMS to Facilitate and Support Students' Learning: A Phenomenological Study" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5637.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5637
Abstract
High school humanity teachers at Big Wave High School utilize the Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, in their 1:1 program, which this phenomenological study aimed to explore and better understand its role in the blended learning environment. The theories that guided this study are Slavich and Zimbardo’s transformational teaching theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy, which help the understanding of how evolving technology can be used in the field of education and therefore guided this study to explore the central research question: What are the lived experiences of high school teachers as they utilize LMS to facilitate and support learning in a blended learning environment? This transcendental phenomenological study utilized Colaizzi’s seven steps of phenomenological research with purposive sampling of participants at a rural high school in New Jersey. Data was collected through interviews, virtual artifact analysis, and focus groups. The data collected was analyzed through coding into themes and insights following Saldaña’s method and then applied in response to the central research questions and three sub-questions. The process revealed the themes of learning outcomes, the advantages and disadvantages of the LMS influencing decisions for utilization, the perceived influences of the LMS over teaching and learning, and finally, two outliers of screentime and interpersonal connections. Overall, participants find the LMS to provide a superior organizational tool for themselves, but most of them prefer students to complete assignments on paper, and they wish professional development opportunities would allow them to explore more features with a hands-on approach. So, while teachers utilize the LMS, the utilization does not reflect its full potential.
