Title: "Digital tools will never take the place of a good teacher": understanding teachers' resistance to using technology through Glasser's Choice Theory

Authors: Anat Wilson; Orly Fuhrman; Kristina Turner

Addresses: Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia ' The Centre for Educational Technology (CET), 16 Klausner St., Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel ' Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia

Abstract: The development of adaptive technologies presents new challenges regarding teachers' resistance to the use of technology and questions their role and autonomy. This paper presents findings from a qualitative case study with a group of Australian teachers who trialled a new reading comprehension tool developed by the Centre for Educational Technology, Israel. Drawing on notions from Glasser's Choice Theory, findings emerged to be aligned with five basic needs: 1) a need for survival in a changing workplace; 2) a need to be free from disturbances and free to make one's own choices; 3) needing to feel a sense of professional belonging; 4) a need for power over what students do and over how learning is experienced; 5) and, the need for enjoying work and fun in learning. The paper puts forward a call to further explore teacher-training through a Choice Theory framework.

Keywords: teachers resistance to technology; Choice Theory; adaptive technology; second language reading comprehension; basic needs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2019.100612

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2019 Vol.14 No.1, pp.42 - 58

Published online: 05 Jul 2019 *

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