Date of Award

Summer 7-31-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Bethany Powers

Second Advisor

Dr. Julia Kirk

Third Advisor

Dr. Brian Bell

Abstract

During the school closures associated with COVID-19, researchers found student engagement decreased, partially due to the concurrent increase in the number of adolescents diagnosed with problematic internet use and internet addiction. At the time of this study, there was limited research related to student engagement after students returned to face-to-face instruction. Moreover, when students returned to in-person school after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, a paradigm shift to internet-based learning occurred, which meant every student had a computer and spent more time learning online than before the pandemic. Unfortunately, this paradigm shift occurred while students were returning to school with increased problematic internet use and internet addiction and decreased student engagement. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to understand the perceptions of Tennessee ninth-grade teachers concerning student engagement, as well as the strategies used, and support needed by those teachers in classrooms where students used internet-based learning tools and digital learning platforms on a regular basis. After collecting and analyzing the data, I found ninth-grade Tennessee teachers thought students faced challenges in emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement, and teachers needed support from instructional leaders in a variety of areas related to student engagement. Educators would benefit from this study because it brings awareness to the ways internet-based learning influences student engagement and provides guidance for strategies to increase ninth-grade student engagement in the new internet-based paradigm for instruction and learning.

Keywords

Student Engagement, Ninth Grade, Technology, Internet Addiction, 1:1 Technology

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