Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) 109: Public School Teachers' Use of Digital Learning Resources (DLR) for Teaching – Feasibility Calls

Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) 109: Public School Teachers’ Use of Digital Learning Resources (DLR) for Teaching – Feasibility Calls

OMB# 1850-0803 v.202

July 31, 2017

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

Attachment 3: FRSS 109 Interview Guide

INTERVIEW DATE AND TIME:

SCHOOL NAME:

SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL:

SCHOOL SIZE:

STATE:

TEACHER (RESPONDENT) NAME:

TEACHER GRADE OR SUBJECT TAUGHT:

Introduction

[Introduce Cindy and Laurie]. Laurie and I will be asking you questions about your use of technology and the Internet for teaching.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. To give you some background, Westat is developing a survey for the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education, on teachers’ use of technology and the Internet for teaching and for communicating with students and parents. As a first step in developing the new survey, we are collecting information from teachers about the topics listed in the letter we sent to you.

1. How knowledgeable do you think you are about your students’ access to technology and the Internet for doing school assignments outside of school?

   • At home?

   • At the public library?

   • At other locations? Where?

2. In your estimation, how much access (and availability) for doing school assignments do you think your students have to technology and the Internet outside of school?

   • At home?

   • At the public library?

   • At other locations? Where?

3. To what extent does your sense of your students’ access to technology and the Internet outside of class time (or outside of school) influence the assignments you give?

   • In what ways does it influence the assignments you give?

   • Are there alternative ways to complete assignments for your students with limited access to or availability of technology and the Internet outside of school? What are some of those ways?

4. What kinds of technology-based homework assignments do you give your students?

   • Do some of your students find it difficult to complete these assignments because of limited access to or availability of technology and the Internet outside of school?

5. What kinds of barriers or challenges do you think your students face in using technology and the Internet for class assignments outside of school?

   • Access to or availability of computers or other devices suitable for the assignment?

   • Access to or availability of broadband Internet access that can support the assignment?

   • Language-related barriers (e.g., for students who are English learners)?

   • Other barriers or challenges?

6. Does your state, district, or school have policies about teachers’ use of technology and the Internet for homework assignments?

   • What are those policies?

   • Do the policies address possible inequities in access for some students?

7. Do you use technology for instructional management practices with students and/or parents, such as posting new assignments, using an online gradebook, or providing a dropbox for students to turn in assignments?

   • What technology-based instructional management practices do you use with your students? With parents?

   • Do some of your students or their parents have problems accessing or using these technology-based instructional management practices? Why?

8. Do you use technology to communicate with students and/or parents?

   • What technologies do you use to communicate? Email announcements sent to students or their parents? Direct email exchanges with students or their parents (e.g., to clarify a homework assignment)? Text messages? Class website? Other technologies?

   • How frequently (widely?) do your students or their parents use these technologies for communicating with you?

   • Do some of your students or their parents have problems accessing or using these ways of communicating with you? Why?

9. Does your district or school make digital devices such as computers or tablets available to your students for use outside of class time?

   • When and where are these devices available?

     • Before or after school in the library media center or computer lab? Other times or locations within the school?

     • Loaned to students on a short-term basis to take home for specific assignments?

     • Loaned or given to students on a long-term basis (e.g., for at least one semester or school year) to take home to use for assignments?

   • What type of devices are available?

     • Desktop computers?

     • Laptop or notebook computers?

     • Tablets?

     • Smart phones or other hand-held devices?

   • Are these devices connected to, or capable of being connected to, the Internet?

   • Are mobile hotspots available to students to increase their access to the Internet?

10. Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the survey that you would like to make?

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