Nova Southeastern University

A Survey of Personal and Professional Technology Use by Public School Speech-Language Pathologists

The purpose of this applied dissertation is to determine if public school speech-language pathologists are informed about various forms of personal and professional technological devices and their applications. Some school-based speech-language pathologists do not have the same technology availability, nor are they using it to an equal degree. The extent to which technology is used is left largely to the speech-language pathologist�s discretion. The applied dissertation seeks to determine the forms of technology speech-language pathologists are using both professionally and personally, how speech-language pathologists are using technology, and the factors that encourage and discourage technology use. A survey will be administered to gain insight regarding the frequency, purposes, and motivation for application of the various technologies used in the clinical and home setting of speech-language pathologists. Barriers speech-language pathologists face concerning the ownership and use of technology will also be investigated.
Approximately 300 school-based speech-language pathologists will be invited to participate in this study. The 30 item questionnaire will be presented in both an online version and paper version. A multitude of technologies and applications will be investigated ranging from commonplace to advanced. The data will be described using descriptive statistics. Technology use will also be examined as a multi-dimensional construct. Segmentation and grouping analysis will be used to compare data. Findings will be interpreted regarding the extent to which personal and professional technology is used by speech-language pathologists.