Date
5-20-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Sharon Farrell
Keywords
classical education, device-free policy, educational technology, phenomenology, UTAUT
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Etheridge, Choueang Khantiya, "Exploring the Lived Experiences of Teachers at a Charter Classical School in Central Texas with a Ban on Student Personal Smart Devices: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8353.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8353
Abstract
The purpose of the transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers managing instruction and classical educational principles in an environment that bans students’ personal smart devices. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) guided this study as it examined how teachers perceived and responded to technology restrictions through four key constructs: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. The central research question asked: What are teachers’ lived experiences in a chartered classical school in central Texas as they manage instruction and maintain classical educational principles in an environment that bans students’ personal smart devices? Using transcendental phenomenology, this study employed purposeful sampling to select 12 teachers who had taught in this device-free classical charter school environment. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The data analysis followed Moustakas’s systematic approach, incorporating epoché, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis of meanings and essences to understand the fundamental nature of teachers’ experiences implementing device-free policies while upholding classical educational principles. The analysis identified four themes that are interrelated. They are enhanced educational focus, pedagogical adaptation journey, community and institutional influence, and institutional support systems. The most notable results were improvements in attention span, the emergence of withdrawal-like behavior during transitions, and the fact that device-free policies are generally consistent with the philosophy of classical education.
