Holcombe, Mack Coy; EdD
 
                         BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
 
                         EDUCATION, ADMINISTRATION (0514)
 

                         The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influenced teachers to adopt the Internet as a
                         teaching tool. The sample consisted of public school teachers in Texas schools that had received either
                         a TIE or TIF grant. The study used Rogers (1995) Theory of Perceived Attributes as the theoretical
                         framework. In Rogers' theory, five attributes of an innovation affect potential adopters' choice to use an
                         innovation or not to use an innovation. These five attributes include relative advantage, observability,
                         trialability, ease of use, and compatibility. Logistic regression was used in the multivariate analysis. In
                         addition, qualitative analysis was reported from those participants selected for interviews. Other variables
                         were also considered as potential factors affecting adoption. Variables found to be significant in affecting
                         the decision to use the Internet included relative advantage, observability, trialability, ease of use, and
                         compatibility. When regressed as part of a model, the variables relative advantage and observability
                         emerged as significant predictors. In addition, in the regression model, years of teaching experience
                         emerged as a significant predictor of adoption. Other non-diffusion variables did not emerge as
                         significant predictors.
 

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