Teachers’ Adoption and Barriers to Using Assistive Technology in Special Education Classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21330802Keywords:
assistive technology, behavioral intention, digital inclusion, special education, teacher adoption, Theory of Planned BehaviorAbstract
This study investigated teachers’ adoption of, and barriers to, using assistive technology in special education classrooms at Mandaue City SPED Center during School Year 2025-2026. Anchored on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Ertmer’s technology-integration barrier framework, the study employed a descriptive-correlational design using complete enumeration of 37 public school special education teachers. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire covering demographic profile, intrinsic and extrinsic barriers, and the theory-based constructs of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. Frequency, percentage, weighted mean, Pearson correlation, Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Findings showed that respondents were predominantly female, generally in the 31-50 age range, mostly with graduate units or degrees, and largely within the first ten years of special education teaching experience. Teachers reported strong intrinsic barriers, particularly reliance on traditional methods and anxiety in using new assistive tools, while extrinsic barriers were generally minor, with time constraints emerging as the main practical concern. Attitude was very high, while subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions were high. Demographic variables were not significantly related to theory-based readiness indicators, whereas extrinsic barriers were significantly and negatively related to attitude and subjective norms. Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were all significantly associated with behavioral intention, with subjective norms showing the strongest relationship. The study concludes that assistive technology adoption in the school is a socially influenced and institutionally conditioned process. Project ADAPT-SPED is proposed to strengthen time-credited training, peer coaching, resource access, anxiety reduction, and home-school support for sustained assistive technology integration.
Downloads
References
Abu-Alghayth, K. (2022). Teachers’ use of assistive technology in Saudi special education schools: A mixed-methods enquiry. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 68(4), 547-557. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2020.1836943
Abubakar, I. B. (2023). Factors influencing lecturers’ intention to use assistive technologies for teaching students with special needs in colleges of education in North-West Nigeria [Doctoral dissertation].
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2, 314-324. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195
Baghdasaryan, B., Ghawi, G., Godfrey-Faussett, T., & Castillo, U. H. (2024). Paving the pathway: Inclusive education for children with disabilities in Cambodia. UNICEF Innocenti-Global Office of Research and Foresight.
Benitez Ojeda, A. B., & Carugno, P. (2025). Special education. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Binammar, S., Alqahtani, A., & Alnahdi, G. H. (2023). Factors influencing special education teachers’ self-efficacy to provide transitional services for students with disabilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1140566. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140566
Campado, R. J., Toquero, C. M. D., & Ulanday, D. M. (2023). Integration of assistive technology in teaching learners with special educational needs and disabilities in the Philippines. International Journal of Professional Development, Learners and Learning, 5(1), ep2308. https://doi.org/10.30935/ijpdll/13062
Cawaing, C. G., Gertos, C. M., Guillen, P. J., Lopez, J. D., Maliwat, M. P., Rancap, C. R., Reaño, N. T., & Rivas, G. L. (2023). Acceptability of assistive technology to selected special education teachers of students with specific learning disability in Dasmariñas City [Bachelor's thesis, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute].
Cheng, H. Y., Chen, Y. C., Yu, Y. C., & Ju, Y. Y. (2025). Policy drivers and barriers to inclusive EdTech adoption in special education: A logistic regression study. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2025.2528107
Ertmer, P. A. (1999). Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(4), 47-61.
Ertmer, P. A., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T., Sadik, O., Sendurur, E., & Sendurur, P. (2012). Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship. Computers & Education, 59(2), 423-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.02.001
Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2025). Progress on theory of planned behavior research: Advances in research synthesis and agenda for future research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 48(1), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-024-00545-8
Manuel, B. R. B. (2025). Assessing the role of assistive technology tools in enhancing learning outcomes for students with disabilities: Basis for instructional plan. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(6), 1342-1352.
Ogondiek, J. W. (2025). Barriers to assistive technology utilization in education: Teachers’ perspectives on challenges and solutions. Technology and Disability.
Olakanmi, O. A., Akcayir, G., Ishola, O. M., et al. (2020). Using technology in special education: Current practices and trends. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 1711-1738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09795-0
Opoku, M. P., Elhoweris, H., Alhosani, N., Mustafa, A., Alkhateri, T., & Nketsia, W. (2023). Factors influencing the intention of trainee special education teachers to integrate assistive technology into teaching students with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates. Heliyon, 9(12), e22736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22736
Retiro, K. T., Jumao-As, A. N., Gonzales, W. C., Pepito, J. C., Capuno, R. G., Delos Reyes, N. R. T., Pinili, L. C., Cabigon, A. F. P., Espina, R. C., & Añero, M. B. (2025). Teachers’ attitudes toward the use of assistive technology and its correlation with students learning outcomes in special and inclusive education. Power System Technology Journal, 49(1).
Rofi’i, A., & Arnadi, A. (2025). The use of technology in the education of children with special needs: A review of recent literature. INJOSEDU: International Journal of Social and Education, 2(4), 782-793.
Sadaf, A., Newby, T. J., & Ertmer, P. A. (2016). Prediction of preservice teachers’ intentions to use digital literacy tools: A structural equation modeling approach. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 28(1), 41-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-015-9104-z
Scherer, R., & Teo, T. (2019). Unpacking teachers’ intentions to use technology: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 27, 67-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.02.003
Seung, Y. (2025). Barriers and enablers of technology integration in special education: Implications for teacher educators.
Starks, A. C., & Reich, S. M. (2023). What about special ed?: Barriers and enablers for teaching with technology in special education. Computers & Education, 193, 104665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104665
Surajudeen, T. B., Ibironke, E. S., & Aladesusi, G. A. (2023). Special education teachers’ readiness and self-efficacy in utilization of assistive technologies for instruction in secondary school. Indonesian Journal of Community and Special Needs Education, 3(1), 33-42.
Yusop, F. D., Habibi, A., & Razak, R. A. (2021). Factors affecting Indonesian preservice teachers’ use of ICT during teaching practices through theory of planned behavior. SAGE Open, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211027572
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
