Luận án nghiên cứu chính sách 2450 về giáo dục từ xa tại West Virginia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2013 Factors Affecting the Implementation of Policy 2450, Distance Education and the West Virginia Virtual School, as Perceived by Principals/Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators Keith R. Burdette West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.edu/etd Recommended Citation Burdette, Keith R., "Factors Affecting the Implementation of Policy 2450, Distance Education and the West Virginia Virtual School, as Perceived by Principals/Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators" (2013). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports.edu/etd/549 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s).

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Factors Affecting the Implementation of Policy 2450, Distance Education and the West Virginia Virtual School, as Perceived by Principals/Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators Keith R. Burdette Dissertation submitted to the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Studies Helen M. Pamela Whitehouse, Ed. Adriane Williams, Ph.

Department of Educational Leadership Studies Morgantown, West Virginia 2013 Keywords: Policy Implementation; Virtual School; Distance Learning ABSTRACT Factors Affecting the Implementation of Policy 2450, Distance Education and the West Virginia Virtual School, as Perceived by Principals/Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators Keith R. Burdette This study examined the factors important to the implementation of West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2450, Distance Learning and the West Virginia Virtual School. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that facilitated and impeded implementation of the policy, as perceived by principals/assistant principals, counselors, and distance learning contacts and/or distance learning course facilitators in 110 West Virginia high schools. The 659 individuals in the target population were invited to complete an online questionnaire rating 35 survey items using a bipolar scale.

There were 216 respondents for a return rate of 32. The three public school groups identified 22 factors predominately from four categories that facilitated the policy’s implementation. The people category was rated the highest and a fifth category, resources, was rated the lowest. The study found five conclusions: (1) people, structure, communication, and culture facilitated the implementation of WVBE Policy 2450; (2) the people category of factors, which involved the support, knowledge, and willingness of administrators and faculties to learn about distance learning, was the most facilitating; (3) the structure category, including the organizational hierarchy, policies, and procedures of a school, ranked second among the factor categories; (4) there were more differences in perceptions about resources, especially time, than any other category of factors; and (5) all five categories of factors important to policy implementation were rated higher in schools where at least 1% of the students were enrolled in distance learning courses.

The study’s findings and conclusions prompted recommendations for policy, practice, and research. iii Acknowledgements YES! I have wanted to say “yes” for so long to all of those who have asked me if I had completed my dissertation. I’ve told a lot of people “no,” “not quite,” or “it’s coming along” but not until the committee’s approval of this document could I give the answer I have been longing to provide. From this moment on, the answer is “YES!” I am indebted to so many people who have helped me reach this personal milestone.

I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Helen Hazi, academic advisor and chair, for her expertise, dedication, and patience. I also want to thank my other committee members – Dr. Harry Boone, Dr.

Stanley Hopkins, Dr. Pamela Whitehouse, and Dr. Adriane Williams – for their valuable contributions. It was a joy to meet or become better acquainted with the individuals in the EDLS cohort.

The camaraderie was superb, and I learned so much from each of them. A special note of thanks goes to Vicki Jenkins, Mary Lynn Westfall, and Janie DeVaul for their participation in conference calls that provided so much valuable encouragement. Thanks also go to Larry White for his assistance in understanding the world of statistics. I am especially grateful for a wonderful family that has demonstrated exceptional patience and support.

My wife Gloria is my biggest fan and never doubted my ability to complete this degree. I wouldn’t have started or completed this without her unwavering faith in me. My children – Kayla (husband Andrew), Staci (fiancé Trevor), and Steven – have also expressed their pride in me, but it can never equal the pride I have in them. My parents were always proud of my accomplishments, and I certainly wish my father were alive to experience this with my mother and the rest of our family.

Somehow I think he knows. Many unnamed friends and co-workers have also played important roles in the completion of this study and I am appreciative of their well wishes. Above all, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to complete this degree and placing all of these people in my life to help make it happen. iv Table of Contents Abstract.

iii Table of Contents. xvi Chapter 1: Introduction .1 Statement of the Problem .3 Significance of the Study .6 Definition of Terms.6 Organization of the Document .8 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature.9 Policy Defined by Authority .9 v Policy Defined as a Process .10 Policy Defined by Outcomes .11 Educational Policy Actors.12 Actors in the Legislative Branch.13 Actors in the Executive Branch .14 Actors in the Judicial Branch .17 Actors in Local Government .20 Educational Interest Groups .20 Non-educational Interest Groups .21 Policy Networks and Policy Planning Organizations .24 Policy Creation and Adoption .26 vi Policy Adoption .29 Adoption of WVBE Policies .32 Top-Down versus Bottom-Up Perspectives.32 Factors Affecting Policy Implementation .44 Stages of Policy Implementation .49 Implementation versus Compliance .49 Research on Statewide Educational Policy Implementation .50 vii Policy Evaluation .53 Distance Learning and the West Virginia Virtual School .54 Definition of Online Learning .55 Definition of Virtual School .55 Classification of Virtual Schools .56 Distance Learning in the United States .57 Teaching in the Age of Distance Learning .60 West Virginia Virtual School.61 Creation and Purpose .61 Structure and Management .62 Funding and Costs.66 Classification of Distance Learning Courses .67 Classification by the Amount of Content Delivered Online .67 Classification by the Type of Interaction between Teachers and Students .68 Specific Studies on Distance Learning in Public High Schools .69 Benefits of Distance Learning .75 Challenges of Distance Learning .80 Chapter 3: Research Design .90 Validity and Reliability .93 Panel of Experts .103 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation .104 ix Demographic Information .111 Reliability of the Survey Instrument .142 Factor Category: People .144 Factor Category: Communication .149 Factor Category: Resources .152 Factor Category: Structures .157 Factor Category: Culture.163 Summary of Findings .174 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, Discussion, and Recommendations .185 Differences by roles .187 Principals versus Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators .188 Counselors versus Distance Learning Contacts and/or Course Facilitators .191 Principals versus Counselors .191 Differences by Enrollment .191 Recommendations for Policy .195 Recommendations for Practice .196 Recommendations for Research .227 A – WVBE Policy 2450, Distance Learning and the West Virginia Virtual School .227 xi B – Rank Order of West Virginia High Schools by Percentage of the Total Students (Grades 9-12) Enrolled in Distance Learning Courses, 2008- 2011 .230 C – Survey Instrument: Factors Affecting Implementation of WVBE Policy 2450, Distance Learning and the West Virginia Virtual School .236 D – Matrix Displaying the Relationship between the Literature and the Survey Items .243 E – Draft Survey Sent to Panel of Experts for Review .254 F – Directions to Panel of Experts Reviewing the Proposed Survey Instrument .261 G – Superintendent Notification Letter.270 H – Letter of Invitation to Participate in Survey.272 I – Comparison of Early Respondents to Late Respondents on Ratings of Survey Items .274 J – Number of Responses, Mean Score, and Standard Deviation of Responses to Survey Items .275 K – Survey Items Ranked in Descending Order of Mean Scores (All Respondents).277 L – Principals’ Ranking of Survey Items in Descending Order of Mean Scores .279 M – Counselors’ Ranking of Survey Items in Descending Order of Mean Scores .281 N – Distance Learning Contacts/Course Facilitators’ Ranking of Survey Items in Descending Order of Mean Scores .283 O – Comparison of Mean Scores and Standard Deviations by Respondents’ Primary Positions .285 P – Results of One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) .287 Q – One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Results on Survey Items with Significant Differences among the Means of Principals/Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Distance Learning Contacts and/or Distance Learning Course Facilitators .293 R – Independent Samples t-Test Results .295 S – Comments Provided by Respondents, Grouped by Subject .302 xii Tables List of Tables. Individuals to be Surveyed Regarding Implementation of Policy 2450, Distance Learning and the West Virginia Virtual School. Survey Response Items and Corresponding Implementation Factor Categories.

Number and Percent of Respondents within the Population. Group Composition and Survey Return Rates. Composition of Respondents in Groups A and B. Number and Percent Return Rate of Groups A and B.

Comparison of Demographic Information of Early Respondents and Late Respondents. Respondents’ Primary Position within the School. Number of Years Respondents Have Served in Their Primary Positions. Ways Respondents Were Directly Involved in Distance Learning.

Number of Respondents Located in Schools of Different Size. Number (Percent) of Respondents in Groups A and B by Size of School. Survey Items that Facilitate Implementation of WVBE Policy 2450. Mean Scores and Standard Deviations of Factors Affecting the Implementation of Policy 2450.

Survey Items with Mean Scores Below 3. Survey Items with Significant Differences in Perceptions among the Three Groups of Respondents. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding the Skills of Distance Learning Course Facilitators. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Student Access to Technology and Instructional Support.

Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Time Available for School Personnel to Implement Distance Learning Policy 2450. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding the Number of Computers Available for Students in Distance Learning Courses. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Broadband Capacity/Access to the Internet in Schools. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Computer Network Security (Protection from Computer Viruses and Hackers).

Comparison of Perceptions Regarding WVBE Policy 2460 and the Implementation of WVBE Policy 2450. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Assessment of Student Learning in Distance Learning Courses. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Support from West Virginia Department of Education Personnel. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding the Importance of Teacher Digital Literacy.

Survey Items having Significant Differences in Mean Scores between Groups and Effect Sizes. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding the School Counselor as a Source of Information about Distance Learning Courses. Comparison of Support of Administrators on the Use of Technology in Instruction. Comparison of Principals’ Perceptions of Traits Needed by Students to be Successful in Distance Learning Courses.

Comparison of Principal’s Willingness to Include Distance Learning Courses in the School Curriculum. Comparison of Perceptions Regarding School Faculty’s Knowledge of Teaching Methods Used in Distance Learning. Comparison of the Perceptions Regarding Skills of Distance Learning Course Facilitators in the School. Comparison of the Faculty’s Willingness to Learn about Distance Learning Courses.

Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Communication among All School Personnel within a School .