Date of Award

2016

Degree Name

Curriculum and Instruction

College

College of Education

Type of Degree

Ed.D.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Lisa A. Heaton

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Campbell

Third Advisor

Edna Meisel

Fourth Advisor

Kimberly Sigman

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine whether current uses of Twitter by educators correlate with the literature on the uses and advantages of using Twitter in education through an examination of United States educators and West Virginia educators. Data was obtained from responses to the online survey, Education All A’Twitter: Twitter’s Role in Educational Technology, content analysis of public Twitter feeds, and semi-structured interviews that were sorted, coded, organized, and analyzed to identify emergent themes. The study had a population that included 97 survey responses, 78 Twitter feeds, and 8 semi-structured interviews. There were survey respondents from West Virginia and 26 other states in the United States, as well as international respondents. The study determined to what extent West Virginia and United States educators used Twitter for instructional strategies, professional development, and personal learning networks, as well as identified barriers and challenges educators face when attempting to employ the use of Twitter educationally. In addition, there were four ancillary findings that emerged through the study. As triangulation of the data supported the current literature, this study has several implications for current educators, policymakers, and researchers.

Subject(s)

Twitter (Firm)

Social media in education.

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