Barriers to Systemic, Effective, and Sustainable Technology Use in High School Classrooms - report

Oct 15, 2026

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The Technology and High School Success (THSS) initiative aimed to raise provincial high school completion rates through technology and student-centered learning. This paper reports barriers to systemic, effective, and sustainable technology integration in schools, and finds that evaluative research showed minimal change in system capacity despite teacher and administrator support. Three key sustainability obstacles were identified: lack of revisiting existing visions, limited use of data to drive improvements, and restricted access to technology.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Technology initiatives and sustainability context

Alberta THSS initiative and evaluation approach

Barriers to systemic, effective, and sustainable integration

| Volume 39(4) | Fall/automne 2013 | | --- | --- | Barriers to Systemic, Effective, and Sustainable Technology Use in High School Classrooms Obstacles à l’utilisation systémique, efficace et durable de la technologie dans les salles de classe des écoles secondaires Jason Scott Daniels, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta Michele Jacobsen, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Stanley Varnhagen, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta Sharon Friesen, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Abstract The purpose of the Technology and High School Success (THSS) initiative was to encourage innovative strategies focused on improving provincial high school completion rates, using technology and student-centered learning to engage student interest. The primary purpose of this paper is to report on barriers that impede systemic, effective and sustainable technology integration within schools. Even with teacher and administrative support and commitment for THSS, evaluative research indicated minimal change in system capacity as a result of the initiative. Three primary barriers to program sustainability were: 1) schools and school districts did not leverage the opportunity to revisit their existing vision(s), 2) schools and school districts did not use data to make changes, and 3) limited access to technology. Résumé Le but de l’initiative « Technology and High School Success (THSS) » était d'encourager des stratégies novatrices visant à améliorer le taux d’achèvement des études secondaires dans la province de l’Alberta en utilisant la technologie et un apprentissage centré sur l'élève afin desusciter l'intérêt des élèves. L'objectif principal de cet article est de rendre compte des obstacles entravant l'intégration systémique, efficace et durable de la technologie dans les écoles. La recherche évaluative a révélé des changements minimes dans la capacité systémique à la suite del'initiative, et ce, malgré l’appui et l’engagement des enseignants et des administrateurs envers le THSS. Les trois obstacles principaux à la viabilité du programme sont les suivants: 1) les écoleset les districts scolaires n'ont pas profité de l’occasion pour revoir leur(s) vision(s), 2) les écoleset les districts scolaires n'ont pas utilisé les données pour effectuer des changements, et 3) l'accès limité à la technologie. CJLT/RCAT Vol. 39(4) Introduction Research has shown that people learn best when trying to do things that are challenging and of deep interest to them, reflecting the close interplay of affect and cognition in the development of capacity (Csikszentmihalyi 1990, 1997; Jacobsen, Friesen & Saar, 2010; Kuh, 2001, 2003; Willms, Friesen & Milton, 2009). A recent Canadian study (Willms, Friesen & Milton, 2009) provides compelling evidence that schools differ considerably in demonstrated levels of student engagement, and that differences among schools have less to do with students’backgrounds than they do with school policies and practices, and in particular, the learning climate established by teachers in the classroom. For example, Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, and Jones (2009), in a meta-analysis of over 175 studies, claimed that blended learning environments produced stronger learning outcomes than did classes with in-person teacher instruction. In many of these situations, student-directed, interactive, and collaborative learning experiences were more effective than teacher-directed, whole class instructional methods alone (Lee, Linn, Varma & Liu, 2010; Jacobsen, 2010; Means, et al., 2009). It might be tempting to suggest from findings like these that it is the introduction of technology itself into the classroom that is responsible for the stronger learning outcomes; however, the reality is likely more nuanced. Major technology initiatives are not uncommon in K-12 environments, where funds are provided for buying various types of instructional technology in the hopes of providing transf

FAQs

What was the THSS initiative intended to achieve?

It sought to improve provincial high school completion rates using technology and student-centered learning strategies to engage student interest.

What did the evaluation find despite support for THSS?

Evaluative research indicated minimal change in system capacity resulting from the initiative, even with teacher and administrative support and commitment.

What three barriers threatened program sustainability in THSS?

Schools and districts did not revisit their existing visions, did not use data to make changes, and faced limited access to technology.

Oct 15, 2026

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