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

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 32.78%. 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.

Name thesis:degree_name

EdD

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Burdette, Keith R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Helen M. Hazi
• Harry N. Boone, Jr
• Pamela Whitehouse
• Adriane Williams
• Stanley E. Hopkins

• Educational leadership
• Educational technology
• Educational administration

Identifier

https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/549

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-1552