Exploring the Lived Experiences of Kindergarten Through
Grade 12 With Digital Transformation Strategies During and
Post COVID-19
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study
The onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 caused an immediate
shutdown of schools and businesses globally, impacting the economy and forcing
institutions to develop strategies to reduce the potential transmission of the infectious
disease. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023; Moreland et al., 2020) severely disrupted
the U.S. educational system (Tan, 2021). The CDC and state government officials
initiated stay-at-home mandates, proper hand hygiene protocols, and mask initiatives to
protect and safeguard the health and well-being of the community (Moreland et al.,
2020). In response to the pandemic, leaders of kindergarten through Grade 12 (K–12)
education systems across the globe were forced to temporarily close their schools and
transform their traditional face-to-face learning environment into an emergency remote
learning platform.
The proliferation of digital technologies because of the COVID-19 pandemic
caused a major economic and technological disruption. COVID-19 hastened the digital
transformation of K–12 education institutions, significantly altering the way businesses
operate. Many school districts changed their business structure to incorporate disruptive
technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) to include artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning, internet of things (IoT), information and
communication technologies (ICT), cloud computing, and mobile technologies (Y. Chen
& Biswas, 2021; Trenerry et al., 2021; Wilson et al., 2021). To ensure instructional
continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, K–12 education leaders embraced the digital
transformation phenomenon as they were forced to make significant technological
changes to their learning environment (Ruiz-Martinez & Ruiz-Martinez, 2021). The
advancement of digital technologies produced various opportunities for leaders to
embrace innovative solutions and make informed decisions for the future direction of
their institutions.
Through this research study, leaders may develop new digital transformation
strategies to propel the advancement of their institutions in an unprecedented era. A
significant gap in the literature exists on the lack of information on K–12 education
leaders’ experiences with creating digital transformation strategies to pivot the traditional
learning environment to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic (McCarthy et
al., 2023). The coronavirus outbreak accelerated digitalization and was a catalyst for
promoting positive social change in the academic learning environment (Trenerry et al.,
2021). With the spread of the coronavirus on the rise, it was essential for leaders to
engage in strategic planning to ensure the educational environment was successfully
sustained (Wharton-Beck et al., 2024). Given the sudden restrictions to the learning
environment, this study highlights the significance of sociotechnical systems (STS)
theory and the digital business transformation (DBT) framework in adopting digital
transformation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the institution’s
viability.
In this chapter, I discuss the background of the study, problem statement, purpose
of the study, research question, theoretical foundation, conceptual framework, and the
nature of the study. I provide key definitions of terms and continue the discussion on
assumptions, scope and delimitations, and limitations. I conclude this chapter with a
discussion on the significance of the study as it relates to practice, theory, and social
change, then end with a summary and a transition to Chapter 2, the literature review.
Background of the Study
The devastating effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the K–12 education
system created a dynamic shift in the learning environment, causing leaders to perform
strategic planning initiatives to develop new business practices. The ongoing
development of new digital technologies presents K–12 education institutions with
opportunities as well as challenges to alter how they operate both internally (e.g., virtual
campus) and externally (e.g., social networks) as it relates to their sustainability during
turbulent times (Wharton-Beck et al., 2024). As of March 23, 2020, the temporary
closure of schools across the globe served as a reality check for leaders to embrace digital
transformation, as an estimated 1,300,000,000 students worldwide could not attend
school (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO],
2020; World Economic Forum, 2020a). The digital transformation phenomenon caused
leaders to reshape the learning environment, offering students an alternative learning
modality.
The uncertainty and the rapid spread of the coronavirus caused academic leaders
at K–12 education institutions to transform their traditional face-to-face learning
environment into an emergency remote learning community. Following the guidelines of
the World Health Organization (WHO), the CDC, and state government officials, the
U.S. school systems were forced into immediate closures. As a result, they had to rapidly
transform their business and make digital technology an integral component of their
operation during and after the pandemic. The dynamic shift in the learning environment
was a precursory action and decision-making strategy that leaders had to make to reduce
the transmission of the deadly virus (World Economic Forum, 2020a). Leaders at many
K–12 education institutions throughout the United States quickly adopted ICT to enhance
their online curricular course offerings, facilitate the learning and teaching experience,
and embrace digital transformation.
Due to its ongoing digital transformation process, which was anticipated to
produce significant changes to the current academic environment, the education sector is
at the epicenter of the Industry 4.0 cyclone (Y. Chen & Biswas, 2021; McCarthy et al.,
2023). The high cost of implementing new systems created hesitancy among leaders of
K–12 education institutions in adopting digital technology (Wilson et al., 2021). While
embracing change is difficult, the rewards could be beneficial as the K–12 sector has
developed innovative solutions to propel the advancement of the education system
(McCarthy et al., 2023; World Economic Forum, 2020b). The increased use of ICT has
been a pivotal pillar in promoting innovative ways to enhance the teaching-learning
processes (Paredes-Chacín et al., 2023).
Problem Statement
The situation or issue that prompted me to search the literature was to explore the
phenomenon of how the COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid shift in digital
transformation, which compelled K–12 education leaders to develop digital strategies to
alter their environments to sustain learning continuity (Parveen et al., 2022). In March
2020, the uncertainty and the swift spread of the coronavirus caused leaders at K–12
education institutions to quickly adopt digital technologies to transform their school
systems by changing the traditional face-to-face learning environment into an online
learning platform (Parveen et al., 2022; Wharton-Beck et al., 2024). Over 1,300,000,000
students in 165 countries have been affected by the temporary closure of educational
institutions, which accounts for more than 87% of the student population (UNESCO,
2020). Many school districts across the United States were unprepared to transition to
online learning and faced challenges due to limited resources and the need to embrace
digital technologies to propel the advancement of education (Parveen et al., 2022). The
social problem to be addressed in this study was the challenges education leaders faced
with restructuring their academic environment to incorporate a robust digital learning
platform while maintaining the quality of education and ensuring students’ learning
achievements (McCarthy et al., 2023). This crisis created a paradigm shift that caused
education leaders to adopt digital transformation strategies to ensure continuity of
learning (Peterson et al., 2020). Businesses and leadership are changing in this economy
because of digital disruption; therefore, strong leaders are essential in a turbulent
academic environment (Kane, 2019).
The specific research problem that was addressed through this study was the lack
of understanding of K–12 education leaders’ lived experiences in creating digital
transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment to online learning
during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although researchers have
investigated this issue, the topic has not been explored in this way: There is very little
literature on K–12 education leaders’ experiences using the COVID-19 pandemic as a
catalyst to create strategies to accelerate the digital transformation paradigm shift
(McCarthy et al., 2023). Peterson et al. (2020) posit that digital learning offers a
multitude of opportunities to prepare students to work on multiple digital platforms;
however, most of the digitalization for sustainable development studies focus on
technology integration, and not enough research has been given on the implications of
how this transformation can affect K–12 education institutions. According to Peterson et
al. (2020), there are still unknown consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it
will affect K–12 education institutions, particularly in how it will impact the digital
transformation process already happening. Most of the research in the literature talks
about the advantages and disadvantages of adopting and using education technology
(EdTech); however, not much research has been written on how digital transformation
strategies affect leadership decisions and collaboration within the K–12 education
environments (Peterson et al., 2020). In the wake and aftermath of a crisis, this research
study could provide insight into how K–12 education institutions can adopt an efficient
and successful digital transformation strategy for sustainable development in a
postpandemic society.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived
experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies during
the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research design was based on a
phenomenological approach to understand better the human factors involved in this
shared experience (Burkholder et al., 2019). The lack of research on school leaders’
COVID-19 responses and challenges and their implementation strategy was significant to
this study (Brion & Kiral, 2021). Further research to address the gap in the literature
could provide leaders with the insights and strategies needed to embrace new
technologies to facilitate online learning and help their organization stay ahead of the
curve in the digital transformation revolution.
Research Question
What are the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital
transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment to online learning
during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Conceptual Framework
The logical connections between the framework presented and the nature of my
study include exploring leadership perspectives on the digital transformation
phenomenon at K–12 school districts as the pandemic contributed to significant
disruption of the education system. The use of digital technologies helps facilitate a
continuous learning environment. The STS theory introduced by Trist and Bamforth
(1951) and the DBT model by Wade (2015) are relevant to my research study as they
unveil qualities leaders need to possess when developing digital transformation strategies
to foster change to advance the technological aspect of K–12 education in the United
States. The conceptual framework used for this research study was appropriate to
evaluate leaders’ experiences with adopting digital transformation. However, many
individuals resist change, which causes leaders to make executive decisions that promote
positive social change for the learning community.
Nature of the Study
To address the research questions in this qualitative study, the specific research
design will include a hermeneutic, phenomenological research approach that best aligns
with my research question, research problem, and purpose statement. According to
Burkholder et al. (2019), qualitative research focuses on generating theory and is
generally used at the initial stages of interpreting a phenomenon. The lived experiences of
people experiencing a phenomenon can be understood in several ways using qualitative
research. Burkholder et al. (2019) posited that a phenomenological study aims to better
understand a phenomenon by interpreting the lived experiences of participants. Denzin
and Lincoln (2011) further defined qualitative research as an “interpretive and naturalistic
approach to the world” (p. 44). The phenomenological approach is accomplished through
a complex understanding of the natural world in which participants experience a
transformation in their daily lives, thus providing several ways to collect data to evaluate
their experiences (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The unprecedented events and decisions made due to the COVID-19 pandemic
are a phenomenon that affected leaders, educators, and students across the globe. The
central focus of this study aligned with principles outlined in Trist and Bamforth (1951)
STS theory and the DBT model by Wade (2015). I used a phenomenological approach to
understand the experiences of leaders who underwent a digital transformation to pivot
their face-to-face learning environment into an online learning platform during the
pandemic (McCarthy et al., 2023). The transformational shift created a restructuring of
their technological infrastructure and redesigning the learning environment. A
phenomenological research approach was beneficial in answering the research question
as it aims to understand education leaders’ experience with the phenomenon.
Further evaluation of other qualitative research approaches has broadened my
understanding of each research approach. Many qualitative research approaches are
similar as they seek to understand, explore, and describe participants’ experiences
through individual and focus group interviews, observations, audio recordings, document
analysis, questionnaires, journals, and fieldwork (Burkholder et al., 2019). However, for
this qualitative research study, I used phenomenology to capture participants’ lived
experiences to understand better their encounters with the phenomenon (Ravitch & Carl,
2019). Merriam and Tisdell (2016) identified the researchers as the primary instrument
for data collection. I used purposive and snowball sampling strategies to gather
participants that provided meaningful information for my research study (Burkholder et
al., 2019). The sample size included 11 participants who met the inclusion criteria and
shared common characteristics with the phenomenon under investigation (Burkholder et
al., 2019). I developed my interview questions by following the steps identified in the
interview guide to compose the questions to clearly address the phenomenon of interest. I
used semistructured interviews to gain a first-hand account of the participants’
experience. I created open-ended questions that elicited direct feedback from the
participants, allowing them to freely express themselves on the topic of interest. I
organized the questions by relevancy to provide the ability to probe and ask follow-up
questions as necessary.
Definitions
Artificial intelligence (AI): The demonstration or simulation of intelligence
through technological means rather than natural intelligence. This type of intelligence
enables machines and robots to perform tasks typically performed by humans due to the
need for human intelligence and perceptions (Zafari et al., 2022).
Digital disruption: “A type of digital technology-induced environmental
turbulence capable of producing industry-level upheaval” (Skog et al., 2018, p. 432).
Digital disruption also refers to “the rapidly unfolding processes through which digital
innovation comes to fundamentally alter historically sustainable logics for value creation
and capture by unbundling and recombining linkages among resources or generating new
ones” (Skog et al., 2018, p. 432).
Digital innovation: “The process of combining digital and physical components to
create novel devices, services or business models, bundling them to constitute and enable
market offerings, and embedding them in wider sociotechnical environments to enable
their diffusion, operation and use” (Skog et al., 2018, p. 433).
Digital technology: “Technology that relies on the use of microprocessors (hence
devices, algorithms, and applications that are dependent on computers), to store, process
and interpret digitized data” (Govers & van Amelsvoort, 2023, p. 29).
Digital transformation: “A process that aims to improve an entity by triggering
significant changes to its properties through combinations of information, computing,
communication, and connectivity technologies” (Vial, 2019, p. 118). Mhlanga (2022)
defined “digital transformation as the process of utilizing digital technologies to develop
new or adapt existing company processes, culture, and customer experiences to
accommodate the requirements imposed by the organization and the market” (p. 192).
Digitalization: The process of adapting digital technologies to business processes
(Govers & van Amelsvoort, 2023, p. 30).
Digitization: The process of converting physical data media (paper) into digital
media (databases; Govers & van Amelsvoort, 2023, p. 30).
Education technology (EdTech): “Educational-related businesses or corporations
that design, market, and sell educational technology products to governmental agencies
and educational institutions (usually software and apps for testing, teaching, and data
management tools and analysis for systems)” (Hogan & Sellar, 2021, p. 222).
Internet of Things (IoT): “Leverages sensors and connected devices to increase
company performance through new insights and data-driven management” (Gimpel et al.,
2023, p. 145).
Assumptions
The process of qualitative research starts with assumptions and involves utilizing
interpretive or theoretical frameworks to study research problems that explore the
subjective meaning of how individuals or groups perceive and give meaning to social or
human issues (Burkholder et al., 2019). There are four philosophical assumptions in
qualitative research: ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological
(Burkholder et al., 2019; Ravitch & Carl, 2019). Qualitative research is characterized by
conflicting forces that catalyze researchers to reflect on their assumptions, biases, and
how they inadvertently reinforce power imbalances and privilege within their research
study (Ravitch & Carl, 2019). According to Burkholder et al. (2019), the researcher’s
selection of theory, research approach, and research design can imply certain assumptions
about the concept of truth.
In this research study, I made five assumptions to substantiate my research
approach. The first assumption was that higher education leaders in the K–12 school
system would be interested in participating in this research study and provide unbiased
responses to the interview questions. The second assumption was that I would be able to
obtain a sample size of 10-15 participants willing to share their lived experiences with
digital transformation during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
third assumption was that K–12 schools created digital transformation strategies to pivot
from face-to-face learning to online learning. The fourth assumption was that participants
would allow me to audio record the interviews for data collection and analysis. Finally, as
the primary instrument for data collection, I assumed that I can conduct this research
study without any bias and that the data gathered from the interviews will offer insights to
answer the research question.
Scope and Delimitations
The focus of this research study was to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic
accelerated the adoption of digital transformation in K–12 education. The emphasis was
placed on how the crisis forced education leaders to develop digital strategies to ensure
ongoing learning. The research was grounded on Trist and Bamforth’s (1951) STS theory
and the DBT model by Wade (2015). The scope of a study defines the specific group to
which the study’s findings can be applied (Burkholder et al., 2019). Ultimately, the scope
determines the specific group to which the study is relevant (Burkholder et al., 2019). The
population in this study are K–12 education leaders who fall in the category of
information technology (IT) leaders, principals, and assistant principals from K–12
school systems. The population excluded from this research study are administrative staff
and students.
Delimitations refer to the specific boundaries the researcher sets to ensure that a
project remains manageable and focused on the research question (Coker, 2022).
Defining the delimitations helps in identifying the specific group of participants for the
research study, which helps to ensure that the definition of the study population and the
delimitations of the study are both aligned (Burkholder et al., 2019). According to
Burkholder et al. (2019), the scope of the study will be restricted through delimitations,
which will specify the participants (K–12 education leaders), the time frame (the wake
and aftermath of COVID-19), and/or locations that will not be included (all industries
that are not in the K–12 education system).
The first delimitation in this study comprises the exclusion of education leaders
who are not part of the K–12 private, public, or charter school system. The second
delimitation was gathering a sample size of 10 – 15 participants from the United States
who met the established requirements. The third delimitation ensured that K–12
education leaders selected for this research study would have held leadership roles during
and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, leaders who were not in leadership roles
and were not part of the decision-making process to create digital transformation
strategies for the K–12 school system were excluded from this study. According to Coker
(2022), researchers can enhance the validity and reliability of their findings by clearly
defining the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which helps ensure that the original intent
and purpose of the study are not compromised. The goal of this qualitative research study
was to ensure the trustworthiness of the data collection and analysis process.
Limitations
Limitations of a study are situations or weaknesses in the study design or method
that arise that are beyond the researcher’s control that can influence the validity of the
study’s findings and results (Burkholder et al., 2019; Simon & Goes, 2013). These
weaknesses are prevalent in many research studies, but it is important to acknowledge the
weaknesses and explain the efforts made to address or overcome them (Burkholder et al.,
2019). In qualitative research, the limitation is associated with reliability and validity
(Simon & Goes, 2013). A potential challenge to the data collection process can be
sources that are not feasible for the study, difficulty in obtaining study participants for the
interviews, ensuring there was no researcher bias, ethical issues that may arise, or
timesensitive information. The limitation relevant to this study was gathering the desired
sample size of 10-15 participants who met the inclusion criteria to conduct the
semistructured interviews. The availability of education leaders for individual interviews
may be affected by scheduled breaks throughout the year, which was a limitation
imposed by the timing of the school district calendar. The summer months may pose a
major obstacle in scheduling interviews with K–12 education leaders.
Significance of the Study
This study was significant because it could fill a gap in understanding K–12
education leaders’ experiences in creating digital transformation strategies to propel the
advancement of the learning environment during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The paradigm shift can help K–12 education leaders develop better policies and
procedures for enhancing online learning opportunities during times of crisis and beyond.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus caused leaders at K–12 school systems across the
globe to shut down their traditional face-to-face learning environment and adopt an
emergency online teaching platform for students. Recent research has shown that K–12
school leaders encountered numerous challenges, such as staff exhaustion, ensuring the
safety of the school environment, transitioning to online learning, addressing the digital
divide, promoting the emotional well-being of students (Wharton-Beck et al., 2024) and
teachers limited understanding of the learning tools (Huck & Zhang, 2021). The global
crisis also highlighted a deficiency in equitable access and technological knowledge
needed for digital transformation.
Significance to Practice
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the K–12 education system into the digital
age as it has become the catalyst for change in the education sector. This study was
significant to the management discipline because it highlighted the need for digital
adaptation. It supported professional practice by addressing several factors influencing
leaders’ decisions to pivot to digital technologies to facilitate campus-wide online
learning processes. This research study could significantly contribute to the knowledge
gap by providing leaders with an awareness of the impact of digital disruption on the
information systems field that may aid in their decision-making abilities to embrace
change at their schools.
In today’s digital economy, change is unavoidable, and flexibility is essential for
successful digital transformation. Understanding the viewpoints of school leaders
provides valuable insight into the factors that contribute to the achievements or
shortcomings of school management amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (Wharton-Beck et
al., 2024). The knowledge they bring can benefit all stakeholders involved in developing
effective strategies to navigate the challenges of school governance in the post-pandemic
era (Wharton-Beck et al., 2024). The findings from this study could equip K–12
education leaders with the tools and strategies required to adopt digital technologies to
transform the learning environment and propel their schools to become competitive in
their landscape. Leaders can apply the lessons learned through this lived experience to
plan for the future in digital education.
Significance to Theory
The months and years following the first case of COVID-19 were trepidatious
times as leaders in the K–12 education system had to make drastic decisions to suspend
face-to-face learning and immediately impose distance learning temporarily. Unknown to
them, the temporary closure would last more than a week or two; in many instances, it
lasted for the remainder of the spring 2020 and into the fall 2020 academic year. While
the decision to extend school closures was made for the community’s safety, they
impacted all sectors of the economy, especially all levels of the education system (Huck
& Zhang, 2021). The unfortunate events of the pandemic were a major disruption to the
traditional brick-and-mortar learning environment.
Many school districts were unprepared to transform their face-to-face learning
environment into online learning and had to implement digital strategies to foster a
positive learning environment. The findings of this research study are projected to
highlight the dynamic technological changes that come with incorporating digital
transformation strategies into all facets of the education system. The STS theory was
relevant to this research study as it is an inclusive approach that jointly optimizes
technological and social factors, resulting in enhanced productivity and quality of work
life (Govers & van Amelsvoort, 2019). The DBT framework was also an integral
component of the transformation process as it highlighted the importance of transforming
a business through effective leadership that aligns the implementation of new technology,
reshaping the business practice, and fostering effective collaboration among all
stakeholders (Evans et al., 2022). DBT involves enhancements in various areas such as
business models, customer experiences, skills, and capitalizing on digital technologies to
leverage change and seize business opportunities (Evans et al., 2022). This research study
may be useful for K–12 education leaders as it provides valuable insights from
experienced professionals responsible for integrating digital technology to improve
learning outcomes for the K–12 education system in a globalized society. The findings of
the research study can be used as a basis for future studies in this area.
Significance to Social Change
The fast proliferation of COVID-19 in communities worldwide during this
unparalleled period in history significantly impacted the organizational culture of many
school districts across the United States. Amid this turbulence, teachers, staff, students,
and parents looked to the leadership team for guidance and direction as they navigated
through this unusual period. Managing uncertainties, risks, and people was imperative to
the success of the learning environment during a crisis and must be done with caution and
due diligence. The results from this study could lead to positive social change through
increased awareness of K–12 education leaders’ lived experiences undergoing a digital
transformation phenomenon. The successful implementation of digital technologies in the
classroom to facilitate a continuous online learning platform can be achieved through
leaders’ action in thoroughly examining the school district technology agreement, along
with proper planning and development before a crisis (Huck & Zhang, 2021). These
measures have the potential to lead to positive social change by broadening the mindset
of the education community at large by harnessing the power of digital technology to
integrate learning in all facets of daily life through a virtual learning experience.
Summary and Transition
On March 11, 2020, the WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic due to its
global outbreak and increased cases across many countries, and the steady surge of deaths
as the severity of the virus continued to climb (WHO, 2020). The deadly virus disrupted
the global economy, causing government entities to immediately act aggressively to shut
down their countries. As a result, the K–12 education system went through a major
disruption, causing the closure of school districts across the United States. K–12
education leaders were forced to implement digital transformation strategies to pivot their
education system from a traditional face-to-face classroom learning environment to
online learning.
In this chapter, I discussed the dynamic change in the learning environment that
was fueled by the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that caused a disruption
of the K–12 education system across the globe. A qualitative phenomenological approach
was used to explore the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital
transformation strategies. I collected data through semistructured interviews with a
sample of 11 participants (or until saturation was met) who met the established criteria to
participate in the research study. In Chapter 2, I introduced the literature review, along
with a detailed literature search strategy, followed by a comprehensive review of the
conceptual framework that grounded this study, then an extensive review of the literature,
and a summary of relevant topics found in the literature.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
The uncertainty and rapid spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 caused a major
disruption in the education system. The crisis forced K–12 education leaders to accelerate
the digital transformation of their traditional face-to-face classroom into an emergency
remote learning community. Over 1,600,000,000 students in 165 countries have been
affected by the temporary closure of educational institutions, which accounts for more
than 87% of the student population (UNESCO, 2023). During the crisis, the role of
education leaders has become one of the most critical roles for organizations, as they had
to implement various strategies to mitigate the inconvenience caused by the
unprecedented closure of schools (Brion & Kiral, 2021). The social problem addressed in
this study was how K–12 education leaders navigated the transition to an online learning
system by implementing effective digital transformation strategies while maintaining the
quality of education, the performance of students, and the culture of the education system
(Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022). To better understand education leaders’ experience
transitioning their school districts from brick-and-mortar to online learning during the
COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted an in-depth analysis of scholarly articles and journals
to explore the various digital transformation strategies adopted during the crisis.
In Chapter 2, I provided the literature search strategy for locating and selecting
recent scholarly sources, including peer-reviewed journal articles and publications that
provided an overview of various components of a digital strategy and other elements
associated with attaining digital transformation. A detailed description of the STS and
DBT theory as the conceptual frameworks for this study was also presented in this
chapter. The literature review for this chapter consists of a thematic synthesis of scholarly
sources focused on the following topics: (a) the influence of digital transformation, (b)
navigating and implementing successful change management, (c) embracing a dynamic
shift to online learning, (d) maximizing IT resources and budget for seamless
implementation, (e) implication of digital transformation on STS, (f) bridging the gap
between student needs and technology, (g) benefits of digital transformation strategies,
and (h) embracing the impact of Industry 4.0. I conclude Chapter 2 with a summary of
the results, conclusion, and a brief explanation of how the literature review influenced
Chapter 3, the research methodology.
Literature Search Strategy
The literature review section of this study provides relevant and credible resources
to substantiate the research findings to support the development of new knowledge on
digital transformation strategies for K–12 education leaders. A thorough literature search
can help clarify the research question by supporting the dissertation’s premise, goals, and
methods (Leite et al., 2019). The literature review clearly explains how the researcher
interprets the research topic, theoretical framework, findings, and study results (Leite et
al., 2019). Researchers synthesize this body of work to gain insight into the topic in
which value can be added to the field by identifying the gap in the literature and
contributing to the creation of positive social change.
Developing a thorough literature search was crucial to the literature review
process. To obtain effective search results, I created a list of keywords and synonyms
organized by subtopics aligned with my research topic (Walden University, n.d.-u). I
used this strategy to run multiple searches against Walden University Library, Google
Scholar databases, and doctoral dissertations to ensure that the search yielded as much
relevant data as feasible. The databases searched were the Academy of Information and
Management Science Journal, ABI/INFORM Collection, The Chronicle of Higher
Education, COVID-19 resources, Dissertations & Theses @ Walden University,
EBSCOHost, Emerald Insight, ERIC, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Online Academic
Journal of Information Technology, ProQuest Central, SAGE Journals, ScienceDirect,
Taylor and Francis Online, Teacher Reference Center, Thoreau Multi-Database,
UNESCO Documents Database, and WHO. The selection of the following key terms was
beneficial in selecting peer-reviewed sources published between 2019 – 2024 that were
reliable and current: COVID-19, digitalization, digital disruption, digital transformation
strategy, ecosystem, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, information and communication
technology, Internet of Things, K–12 education, lived experiences or perceptions or
attitudes, leaders or administrators, and online learning. The synonyms used to search
through the databases were coronavirus, SARS-COV-2, coronavirus disease 2019,
communicable disease, disruptive technology, digitization, digital transformation, digital
adaptation, change, digital conversion, education leadership, education administration,
emerging technology, Industry 4.0, 4IR, industrial revolution 4.0, IT leaders,
revolutionary technology, leading edge, elementary school, middle school, high school,
primary school, secondary school, e-Learning, distance learning, remote learning, and
virtual learning.
The currency of the literature review was essential to determine the research done
in a particular area of study and how researchers can further investigate the issues to
develop a solution to the problem (Leite et al., 2019). To learn more about my topic on
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders with digital transformation strategies
during the wake and aftermath of COVID-19, I established parameters to search several
databases for seminal work on this topic. I selected peer-reviewed journal articles that
included studies from both developed and underdeveloped countries that faced rapid
technological change in the education system. These results benefited my study as they
provided information on how the COVID-19 pandemic altered teaching methods across
the globe (Odak et al., 2021) and accelerated the digital transformation phenomenon in
the K–12 education system. The literature review provided the basis for a more in-depth
critical examination of the topic to investigate the gap in the literature, the problem
statement, the purpose statement, and the research question.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for this qualitative phenomenological study included
the STS theory introduced by Trist and Bamforth (1951) and the DBT model by Wade
(2015). These frameworks can be used to advance empirical research in implementing
digital transformation strategies in the K–12 education system. These strategies can help
equip leaders to continue to evolve and enhance their teaching and learning structure to
meet the needs of learners in a post-COVID-19 digital society.
The Social and Technical Subsystem
The concept of transforming work organizations has been around for decades.
STS was born in the 1950s after many field studies at the Tavistock Institute on the
British coal mining industry (Trist & Bamforth, 1951). During this period, STS was
introduced by Trist and Bamforth (1951) after witnessing how the implementation of new
technologies and manufacturing principles impacted the workforce, leading to a drastic
increase in productivity. This theory was applied in a previous research study where Trist
(1981) worked on two research action projects for the institute; the focus of the first
project was on conducting a thorough examination of group relationships within a private
sector engineering company, paying close attention to the interaction between
management and labor at all levels. The focus of the second project was on promoting the
adoption of innovative work practices and organizational structures that could boost
productivity without requiring substantial capital expenditure (Trist, 1981). The two
projects differed in their approach, with the first project focusing on the organization as a
social system and the second project considering both the technical and social aspects
(Trist, 1981). In assessing the interconnectedness within an organization, the STS theory
can be applied in the K–12 education system as leaders navigate the catastrophic
outcomes of the pandemic that caused the rapid acceleration of online learning
environments focused on achieving joint optimization.
The central tenets of STS focus on three principles: (a) the primary work system,
(b) the whole organization, and (c) macrosocial phenomena (Trist, 1981). The primary
work systems are the systems that can perform a set of activities within a clearly defined
and separate part of an organization (Trist, 1981). The whole organization system refers
to plants or similar independent workspaces, which can be large corporations or
government entities that can maintain a stable relationship with their environment
through their state of equilibrium (Trist, 1981). The macrosocial system encompasses the
various systems within “communities, industrial sectors, and institutions that operate at
the societal level” (Trist, 1981, p.11).
STS theory considers any organizational work system to be composed of social
and technical components that interact with and influence one another (Bostrom et al.,
2009). The technical subsystem converts system inputs into outputs in a manner that
improves the overall functionality of the organizational work system (Bostrom et al.,
2009). The social subsystem comprises the people and the knowledge, skills, attitudes,
values, and requirements they bring to the workplace, as well as the organizational
reward system and hierarchical structures (Bostrom et al., 2009, p. 18). The key concepts
of the STS theory integrate human elements and technical systems to generate new
business opportunities and innovative ideas to propel the paradigm shift of technological
transformation.
The central concepts of STS theory were incorporated to examine the digital
strategies and change management process that K–12 education leaders have employed to
transform their traditional face-to-face educational environment into online learning
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The onset of the crisis created a significant disruption to
the educational environment, forcing K–12 education leaders to make the critical decision
to shut their doors to protect and safeguard the health and well-being of the academic
community. The STS theory is a useful theoretical approach for leaders to investigate
digital transformation strategies that involve collaborative work between the social
subsystem and technical systems to effectively use various ICT tools to maintain their
business operations in the face of adversity caused by the crisis. The transformation
process is facilitated by integrating the social subsystem and the technical system
(Bostrom et al., 2009). The infusion of these two systems can help institutions better
understand the essence of being well-prepared to handle unforeseen circumstances that
can alter the trajectory of their learning environment.
The STS theory was relevant to this study as it can be used to assess how the
COVID-19 pandemic impacted K–12 education leaders from a social and technical
perspective, as well as how digital transformation strategies influenced the use of EdTech
to advance the learning community. Following the principles of STS, changes made in
one element of the system will lead to changes in the other aspect of the system (Sony &
Naik, 2020). These changes are relevant in the education ecosystem as district leaders
must create a collaborative work environment emphasizing social interaction while
administering technical solutions. Both aspects must be taken into consideration to ensure
a successful transformation.
Digital Business Transformation
The DBT conceptual framework gained prominence in the business world through
a resounding notion of fear of digital disruption across many industries (Wade, 2015).
The DBT phenomenon was designed to create a transformative experience for
organizations as they adapt to technological change (Orji, 2019). Wade (2015) defined
DBT as “organizational change through the use of digital technologies and business
models to improve performance” (p. 3). At its core, transformation involves change, and
DBT relies on organizational change (Wade, 2015). According to Wade (2015), most
challenges and opportunities are found in organizational change, which involves “people,
processes, strategies, structures, and competitive dynamics” (p. 4). In his research study,
Wade (2015) attributes Kodak’s downfall, the company that created the first digital
camera, partly due to its failure to adjust to new markets and evolving customer demands.
The company faced challenges with outdated infrastructure, personnel, and knowledge
and failed to make necessary decisions in a timely manner to meet changing market
demands (Wade, 2015). The lessons learned from Kodak’s experiences with digital
transformation failure can be used across many industries, particularly the education
sector, to understand the evolving market condition and embrace change before it is too
late.
According to Wade (2015), “the Internet of Everything (IOE) is having a
profound effect on how organizations and industries are transforming” (p. 5). The
COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the digital transformation phenomenon and has forced
businesses, such as the education systems across the world, to embrace technology to
sustain a competitive advantage in their market domain. Wade (2015) highlighted an
example of positive DBT where the Walt Disney Company used digital technologies in
two specific instances to transform their business objectives by implementing
MagicBands and Maker Studios. The MagicBands were used to track customer
experiences at Disney’s resorts and theme parks, capturing a wealth of information that
reaped a 20% revenue growth (Wade, 2015). While Maker Studios allowed Disney to
dominate the digital future of tomorrow, accounting for a 30% increase in their market
share during that time period (Wade, 2015). The DBT theory has been applied in
countless research studies that attribute this positive framework to a company’s ability to
embrace and understand the need for technological change.
In his description of the DBT journey, Wade (2015) describes a three-phase
process companies should follow: Why transform? Organizations must truly understand
their business dynamics and provide a good rationale for transformation; What to
transform? Organizations must be able to prioritize the areas in their business that require
transformation. To do this effectively, Wade (2015) provides a tool called the “digital
piano,” which focuses on seven distinct categories for transformation: “the business
model, the company structure, the people, the processes, the IT capability, the offerings,
and the engagement model” (p. 8). The next question in the DBT journey is, How to
transform? While this question is the most challenging to answer, Wade (2015) provided
a digital business agility model that allows businesses to focus on three main areas:
hyperawareness, informed decision-making, and fast execution (p.11). Each of these
elements provides an in-depth reflection of an organization’s position in the ecosystem, a
keen understanding of the market demands, and importance in timely and effective
decision-making to increase business productivity.
Digital technology has revolutionized how people live and thrive (Hariyanto et al.,
2022). The proliferation of technology has changed the structure of industries, businesses,
and how they interact with customers (Hariyanto et al., 2022). Although digital
technology is not the primary factor that drives digital transformation, it contributes
significantly to the transformation of organizations (Hariyanto et al., 2022). Technology
substantially impacts value creation, including business operations, organizational
structure, and workforce (Oosthuizen & Manzini, 2022). The DBT framework is ideal as
it alters how businesses operate across all industries by bridging the gaps between
individuals, technology, and organizations.
The DBT framework relates to this study as leaders in the K–12 education system
can maximize it to integrate digitization and digital transformation strategies (Hariyanto
et al., 2022) in every facet of their academic landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic created
a shift in the digital economy for many employers and educators, highlighting the
disparity of the digital economy in both developed and underdeveloped countries
(Oosthuizen & Manzini, 2022). The effects of digital disruption will significantly impact
institutions that do not embrace digital transformation as they will need to acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to be successful leaders in an interconnected, virtual
environment (Hariyanto et al., 2022). According to Yokoi et al. (2019), digital disruptions
and transformations are not isolated occurrences; they are ongoing and continuous
processes that are getting faster and more complex.
The DBT framework will allow K–12 leaders the ability to make informed
decisions on how to transform their educational environment to meet the technological
demands of the digital era concerning IoT, AI, big data, ICT, cloud computing, machine
learning, augmented reality, robotics and automation. The essence of transformation lies
in change, and organizational change is a vital component of DBT (Wade, 2015). Digital
transformation also focuses on expanding the use of digital technology to encompass the
cultural transformation of individuals within an organization (Oosthuizen & Manzini,
2022). Most challenges and opportunities are centered around organizational change,
which involves “people, processes, strategies, structures, and competitive dynamics”
(Wade, 2015, p. 4). The K–12 education system should take a holistic approach to
understanding the DBT framework beyond the technological factors and encompass the
human elements that influence individuals’ perception of a phenomenon.
Review of Related Theories Not Employed in This Study
As schools transitioned to online learning, digital transformation strategies have
been critical in advancing the learning environment by using ICT and developing
influential leaders to navigate the hidden storms of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic
brought unfamiliar changes to the academic environment and has created a new way of
living called the “new normal” (Yokus, 2022). In examining how K–12 education leaders
developed digital strategies to manage and transform their learning environment, it is
helpful to view additional conceptual and theoretical frameworks relevant to
understanding the topic. Scholars often study the concept of complexity science, which
assumes that the understanding of a system can be derived from its interactions between
different components (Sony & Naik, 2020). Complexity science focuses on the abstract
relationships between elements, such as the interactions between people, processes, and
technologies used to create products and services (Sony & Naik, 2020). While this
concept is great for concentrating on implementing new machines or technology within
the workforce, it would be detrimental to the academic environment if the behavioral
implications are not considered, which could lead to sociological issues in the workplace
(Sony & Naik, 2020).
Researchers have used the general systems theory developed by von Bertalanffy
to describe the process of deconstructing a system and understanding how the various
components interact. General systems theory offers a systematic approach to the study,
analysis, and conceptualization of systems, which focuses on organizing elements and the
relationships between them that make up the whole (von Bertalanffy, 1972). The theory
gives a holistic view of the system. One specific component, the STS theory, focuses on
the integration of the social and technical components of a workplace and could be more
appropriate in getting leaders’ perceptions of implementing digital transformation
strategies in the K–12 education system during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many researchers have used the technology acceptance model (TAM) which
posits that once a new technology is introduced, various elements will affect the user’s
decision to utilize it (Davis, 1989). The TAM is an essential model for predicting human
behavior towards adopting or rejecting a technology (Granić & Marangunić, 2019). There
are four main elements that TAM is composed of: perceived ease of use, perceived
usefulness, behavioral intention, and actual use (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatomue, 2021).
Each element within the TAM impacts an individual’s probability of adopting and
utilizing a technology (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatomue, 2021). While the TAM model is
an excellent framework for evaluating if individuals will be receptive to adopting new
technology, the purpose of this study is to gain insight into a leader’s perspective as the
educational environment undergoes a digital transformation to facilitate the dynamic shift
from in-person instruction to online learning. Therefore, this framework is not suitable
for this study.
The diffusion of innovations theory founded by Everett Rogers in 1995 has been
used frequently to describe how people perceive and adopt new technological
improvements (Nik Azman et al., 2021; Sartipi, 2020). The focus of the theory is on the
technical aspect of invention or innovation and the collaborative process of embracing
change (Sartipi, 2020). Diffusion of innovations explains how social change happens
(Scott & McGuire, 2017) and how people’s motivation to embrace technology depends
on adopters’ traits and social class (Sartipi, 2020). The theory further explains how
emerging technologies will be accepted by communities and society from their
introduction to widespread adoption (Huong & Duc, 2023).
An adopter is classified as an innovator, early adopter, early majority, late
majority, or laggard (Sartipi, 2020, p. 4). The innovators are risk-takers responsible for
pioneering new technology; the early adopters are people with a strong social background
who are quick to embrace technology; the early majority are people who desire to be part
of the innovative process but at a slower pace; the late majority are individuals who are
skeptical and cautious about embracing change; and the laggards are people who are slow
to adopt and are resistant to change (Sartipi, 2020). While adopters are at various stages,
change is inevitable as digital technologies will continue transforming the traditional
learning environment to create a more immersive and experiential learning opportunity
for students. The diffusion of innovation theory offers a thorough breakdown of how the
population adopts technological advancements. However, the purpose of this qualitative
phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders
in creating digital transformation strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-
19 pandemic.
Literature Review
Digital Transformation in Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Education
The immediate closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020
accelerated the rapid digital transformation shift focused on changes to the digital
infrastructure and culture of the education system (Brunetti et al., 2020; McCarthy et al.,
2023). The unfortunate events of the pandemic had a significant impact on the lives of
over 1,600,000,000 students in 195 countries, which accounts for 87% of the global
student population, with the most disadvantaged learners being particularly affected
(Tadesse & Muluye, 2020; UNESCO, 2023). The pandemic has been attributed to being
the largest educational disruption in human history (Parveen et al., 2022; UNESCO,
2023). This crisis caused a major disruption in the K–12 education systems in the United
States, as there was a pressing need for education leaders, teachers, students, and parents
to develop strong digital skills (Karakose et al., 2021) in response to interruptions to the
traditional learning environment. As a result, primary and secondary education leaders
had to work with IT leaders to undertake strategic action to combat the difficulties of
implementing digital technology to transform the educational environment from face-
toface learning to emergency remote learning.
The rapid adoption of digital technologies is revolutionizing the way people conduct
their day-to-day lives and is having a significant impact on the future of students.
Digital transformation in education is using digital technology to facilitate the
engagement of learners, educators, parents, and leaders at all stages of the educational
process through the implementation of new student data systems, tailored experiences,
and data analytics (McCarthy et al., 2023). Digital transformation (DT) has become
ubiquitous throughout many industries (Owoseni, 2023) and is revolutionizing the global
landscape as many organizations, including the education system, are utilizing digital
technology to transform their business processes. Digital transformation can be defined as
the integration of digital technologies into every facet of a business to facilitate
digitalization and improve essential capabilities that change the way a business operates,
such as “productivity, creativity, innovation, processes, operations, sales, communication,
and services” (Owoseni, 2023, p. 80). Digital technology is abundant in all aspects of
modern life; however, the value of technology comes from the outcomes of business
transformation that technology enables, not from the technology itself (Hariyanto et al.,
2022).
Although digital technology is not the driving force behind the transformation
process, it does contribute significantly to organizational transformation (Hariyanto et al.,
2022). Vial (2019) discussed four properties that are essential in building a working
definition of digital transformation: (a) target entity, which identifies the unit of analysis
that is impacted by digital transformation; (b) scope, the degree to which changes are
made to the properties of the target entity; (c) means, the technologies used to create the
change in the target entity; and (d) expected outcome, which refers to the result of digital
transformation. In making this analysis, Vial (2019) developed a conceptual definition for
Digital Transformation (DT) as “a process that aims to improve an entity by triggering
significant changes to its properties through combinations of information, computing,
communication, and connectivity technologies” (p. 118).
The vision of education leaders has been a major contributor to the digital
transformation of the K–12 education system (Karakose et al., 2021). The effectiveness
of digital transformation can be largely attributed to the clear digital strategy
implemented by leaders who foster a culture that can adapt and promote new ideas and
processes (Karakose et al., 2021). “The digital transformation phenomenon requires
school administrators to consider various elements, including infrastructure, curriculum,
assessment, change process preparation, personnel and talent acquisition, governance
strategies, and financial resources” (McCarthy et al., 2023, p. 10). Pata et al. (2022)
grounded their research study on the systems thinking theory with the notion that schools
should progress from a relatively stable digital learning system to a new stabilized stage
that offers enhanced opportunities and increased productivity for teaching, learning, and
school administration. This advancement demands a transition period to refocus the
school on new teaching and learning strategies, infrastructure, and change management
(Pata et al., 2022).
Digital Disruption in K–12 Education
Effective leadership from education and IT leaders in the K–12 school districts is
essential, as digital disruption plays a pivotal role in changing the conventional education
system. Digital disruption presents leaders with new challenges related to the increased
speed of business processes, the change in organizational culture, the desire for a more
flexible and distributed work environment, and higher expectations for productivity
(Kane, 2019). Since digital transformation is driven by operational and technological
efforts that leverage a range of smart and autonomous technologies, researchers believe
these technologies need to be integrated into existing enterprise and industry workflows
to understand better and address digital disruption challenges (Kornyshova & Barrios,
2020). Digital disruption has played a significant part in the vast increase in technology
usage worldwide.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this trend and exacerbated a
public health emergency with lockdowns, social distancing, and travel restrictions forcing
school districts to close and causing major interruptions to the education system due to
the restrictions imposed by government officials (Parveen et al., 2022). Many K–12
educational institutions were new to the digital landscape, lacking any prior knowledge in
the field of online education, or lacked the necessary resources and technical
infrastructure to sustain its viability (Parveen et al., 2022). Amid the unprecedented
COVID-19 crisis, which has caused a sudden disruption to the educational environment,
school leaders around the globe are facing a multitude of significant challenges in terms
of school governance and leadership (Parveen et al., 2022). Therefore, it is imperative to
study the K–12 education system as they suffered a tremendous loss with the immediate
closures of schools.
The digital disruption phenomenon creates a space where the classroom learning
experience can be delivered virtually by a teacher, an expert, or an AI tutor (Rodney,
2020). To stay abreast with digital disruption, business leaders adopted the use of many
“online teaching-learning tools like Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook and YouTube
streaming available for both teachers and students that were put to need-based use”
(Mishra et al., 2020, p. 7). These web conferencing tools were initially used to facilitate
emergency remote teaching during the onset of the pandemic. However, as time
continued, a more robust collaboration platform was necessary to enhance the distance
learning experience.
Successful Change Management in Education
As in almost every sector of the world, digital transformation has had a huge
impact on educational practices, and it’s clear that educational institutions need to keep
pace with this trend (Karakose et al., 2021). The prevalence of the coronavirus pandemic
has heightened the urgency of digital transformation in educational settings (McCarthy et
al., 2023) and caused leaders to make rapid changes to their learning environment.
Change in the education system is inevitable, and organizational transformation typically
begins with the senior administration or executive management function; however, for a
transformation to be effective, leaders must be able to inspire their employees and guide
them in the direction of the organization’s objectives (Karakose et al., 2021). Digital
transformation is a process of change that can typically only be achieved through the
implementation of technological elements, particularly in the wake of Industry 4.0
(Karakose et al., 2021).
For school districts to successfully implement digital transformation in the K–12
educational landscape, they must have leaders who are equipped with the necessary skills
and resources to lead the paradigm shift effectively. In creating a culture of
transformation, education leaders need to understand that digital transformation is
necessary for the efficient and effective delivery of information, services, and personal
interactions essential to stakeholders (McCarthy et al., 2023). Several scholars have
proclaimed through their empirical research study that the DBT framework may contain
clusters of elements, such as customer, strategy, and environment, that are referred to as
drivers that act as transformational catalysts or triggers (Hariyanto et al., 2022).
Digital leaders are distinct from non-leaders in terms of their individual
characteristics, attitudes, and expertise, as well as their professional and personal
experience (Karakose et al., 2021). Karakose et al. (2021) posit that to be successful as a
digital leader, one must possess adaptability, intellectual curiosity, and a thirst for new
knowledge (p. 2). Digital transformation in the K–12 sector involves implementing new
and enhanced digital technologies in the classroom, which changes the dynamics of the
learning environment for both teachers and students. In a world that is influenced by
rapid technological development, K–12 institutions are forced to adjust to the vast
increase of cutting-edge technology or risk being left behind.
The proliferation of smartphones, IoT, AI, augmented reality, virtual reality, cloud
computing, and big data analytics play a major role in this global economy. Digital and
handheld devices are increasingly used to access various software applications for day-to-
day business operations (Owoseni, 2023). The interconnected global economy makes it
necessary that institutions deliver the right technologies to stay competitive, enhance the
teaching and learning experience, and maximize operational efficiency. The digital
transformation phenomenon in education is focused on reimagining how individuals,
data, and processes can be brought together to create a better learning environment for
learners, educators, parents, and education leaders (McCarthy et al., 2023). The COVID-
19 pandemic provided a different lens through which institutions quickly realized the
importance of integrating technology and human resources to transform the school
system to improve the digital landscape. The goal of digital transformation in education is
to use technology as a strategic tool to gather and analyze data on student’s academic
performance to support their overall growth.
The Dynamic Shift to Online Learning Amidst COVID-19
The WHO (2022) declared the COVID-19 health crisis a global pandemic in
March 2020. To reduce the spread of the virus, government and state officials imposed
several measures to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens worldwide (Machusky
& Herbert-Berger, 2022). Stay-at-home mandates, social distancing, travel restrictions
and bans, face masking, self-isolation, quarantine, and regular temperature checks at
certain facilities were preventive measures that were put in place to minimize
transmission of the virus (Mishra et al., 2020; Moreland, 2020). These limitations were
also implemented in the K–12 education systems across the United States, requiring
educators and students to fulfill their educational plans via remote learning.
The concept of online learning is not entirely new to the K–12 education system,
as some schools, such as the College Park Academy, a public charter middle and high
school in Maryland, implemented a hybrid approach to learning before the pandemic
(Williams & Corwith, 2021). Since its inception in 2013, College Park Academy has
pioneered the concept of “hybrid learning,” which involves delivering traditional core
academic programs in person, as well as other extracurricular, elective, and educational
support programs virtually using Pearson Connexus, an online course management
system (Williams & Corwith, 2021). However, the uncertainty of the pandemic led to the
immediate closure of schools, which forced College Park Academy leaders to shut down
their facilities and adhere to district policies to transition to full online learning (Williams
& Corwith, 2021). While this was a smooth transition for the academy, this was not the
same outcome for the 1,600,000,000 students globally who were affected by the
pandemic (UNESCO, 2023) and did not have a digital transformation strategy in place to
fully change their educational environment from face-to-face learning to an online
learning platform.
The spike in COVID-19 cases has contributed to a reduction in the workforce and
student enrollment, causing a change in teaching and learning modality and a significant
increase in emotional, mental, and physical health issues (Tadesse & Muluye, 2020)
among educators and students. The closures of schools worldwide created a challenging
situation for students, educators, and parents (Tadesse & Muluye, 2020), with 94% of
students worldwide affected (Crompton et al., 2021). As a result, education leaders had to
make critical decisions to implement strategies to address the potential loss in student
achievements attributed to the disruption in the instructional environment.
Organizational change is inevitable, and there are challenges that traditional brick-
and-mortar K–12 institutions will face when implementing a rapid movement to online
learning. The terms online learning, remote learning, virtual learning, and electronic
distance education are synonymous and refer to educational methods that involve the use
of EdTech to facilitate a collaborative work environment for students who do not share
the same physical space or geographical boundaries from their peers, teachers, and
administrators (Crompton et al., 2021). To combat the challenges faced by the disruption
in schools, the K–12 education system had to leverage digital technologies such as ICT,
AI, learning management system (LMS), videoconferencing, cloud computing, IoT, and
big data to effectively transform the conventional learning platform to a digital
environment. The transition to online learning has challenged all key stakeholders in the
education system, bringing about a sudden change in teaching and learning (Nik Azman
et al., 2021).
Maximization of Information Technology Resources and Budget for Seamless
Implementation
During this period of change, education leaders in the K–12 education system
played a pivotal role in adhering to the massive amount of information disseminated
about the deadly coronavirus, in which they had to make swift decisions that would
impact their institutions. The pandemic caused a widespread state of emergency across all
economic sectors and national borders (Crompton et al., 2021). The new change in the
instructional landscape came with significant technological adoption, as education leaders
had to invest in new technology and training to facilitate an online learning system. The
effects of these advancements on the public education sector included changes in the
allocation of funding and distribution of resources to create a “digital-first approach” to
the learning environment (Hogan & Sellar, 2021). Since emergency remote education
situations require a heavy dependence on technology, it is essential to consider broadband
infrastructure, hardware, and software requirements for implementing digital
transformation (Crompton et al., 2021). In developing a strategic goal, these resources are
indispensable in creating a digital culture that will strengthen the school district’s
operational needs.
Recently, there has been an increased emphasis on K–12 teachers becoming more
acquainted with remote learning with technology techniques and pedagogies to foster an
online non-emergency learning environment (Crompton et al., 2021). However, many
lacked trainings in this area, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that ideology and
pushed institutions to an emergency remote learning situation. The dynamic shift to
online learning requires a financial investment to ensure that students and teachers have
the necessary technological resources and training to continue with instructions (Fujita,
2020). While the decision to move to online learning seemed to be a suitable decision, the
transformation required that faculty, students, and staff be equipped with hardware,
laptops, and mobile devices to access the learning resources (Crompton et al., 2021).
The concept of strategy, rather than technology, is the driving force behind digital
transformation (Saarikko et al., 2020). This implies that companies must develop the
skills necessary to effectively utilize digital technology for their business objectives
(Saarikko et al., 2020). Implementing digital transformation strategies requires effective
leadership from IT leaders, such as CIOs, CTOs, IT managers, or IT directors, who are
responsible for seamlessly integrating the use of EdTech throughout the school system to
improve student learning outcomes. The immediate transition to online learning was a
pivotal decision, as teachers who were thrust into the world of online teaching were not
provided with the necessary preparation to effectively manage online instruction
(Anthony & Noel, 2021). Similarly, students lacked adequate training to navigate the
online learning platform. Saarikko et al. (2020) suggest that by becoming digitally aware,
that is, by understanding the opportunities, consequences, and limits in transitioning from
a broad technology paradigm to a particular use case and understanding how these are
contingent upon parallel social, cultural, and judicial systems, businesses can be better
prepared to embrace new and disruptive technologies. Unfortunately, the unpredictability
of the spread of the coronavirus created a sense of urgency for education leaders to
develop strategies to transform the learning environment.
Sociotechnical Systems and Leaders' Perspectives on Digital Transformation
The fundamental concept of STS theory is that the understanding and
improvement of organizational systems can only be achieved by combining the social and
technical components of a system as if they were mutually dependent on one another
(Oosthuizen & Manzini, 2022). These theoretical frameworks emphasize joint
optimization (Trist, 1981), where the technological system is not only focused on IT but
also on the tools and techniques employees use to complete their tasks. The social system
consists of the relationships between individuals or institutions working together to form
a functional society with a purpose. The interconnectedness between these systems can be
used to support education leaders’ perspectives on implementing digital transformation
strategies to understand the complexities of the new learning environment
(Oosthuizen & Manzini, 2022).
The education sector has been a key factor in the growth and development of each
nation, making it a fundamental component of the evolution and prosperity of all nations
(Tadesse & Muluye, 2020). To remain competitive and relevant in the face of exponential
and rapid technological growth, digitally savvy business strategies must balance
purposeful growth and unprecedented disruption (Saarikko et al., 2020). The digital
transformation process involves expanding the use of digital technology to encompass the
cultural transformation of individuals and altering existing business operations to adapt to
the digital economy (Oosthuizen & Manzini, 2022). According to Saarikko et al. (2020),
previous studies have shown that digital transformation forces business leaders to
reevaluate their core values and identity.
Organizations with a technology-oriented focus are considering their perspectives
and experiences with IoT (Saarikko et al., 2020) and Industry 4.0 (Govers & van
Amelsvoort, 2023) and how they can use it to transform their business environment. IoT,
with its ability to link products, people, and places, is expected to have a profound impact
on organizations (Saarikko et al., 2020) and will support their digital transformation
strategies and STS thinking. In the education sector, Industry 4.0 fosters ICT to
modernize education, which will require changes in teachers’ credentials and professional
development (PD; Kožuh et al., 2021).
In adopting digital changes, Brunetti et al. (2020) suggested categorizing digital
transformation into three structural pillars. The first pillar is “culture and skills, which
includes digital education, talents, and digital culture”; the second pillar is
“infrastructures and technologies, which emphasizes information, interaction, and
artificial intelligence as critical factors”; the third pillar represents “ecosystems, which
encouraged investing in medium-to long-term visions, partnerships, and life quality”
(Brunetti et al., 2020, p. 697). These pillars represent the guiding principles K–12
education leaders should use to integrate the social and technical components to define
their strategic approach to digital transformation.
Bridging of the Gap Between Student Needs and Technological Diffusion
Crompton et al. (2021) evaluated 60 studies to determine which remote teaching
techniques, including technology, were employed to advance K–12 education during an
emergency. While some studies focused on the effects of COVID-19 on science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Zambia (Sintema, 2020) and
others focused on the roles of digital technologies in Ireland (Masterson, 2020), it is
important for researchers and educators to be aware of both specific and general content
areas to meet students’ educational needs (Crompton et al., 2021). The researchers coded
technology into two main groups: non-internet-based and internet-based (Crompton et al.,
2021). The study highlighted an important factor that showed that learning can still occur
in a non-internet-based society, especially in countries that are underdeveloped
(Crompton et al., 2021). A joint report from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the
International Communication Union highlighted two thirds of school-aged (3–17-years
old) children globally do not have internet at home (United Nations Children’s Fund,
2020, para. 1). The lack of network infrastructure, computers, and internet access in low
socioeconomic areas made transitioning to distance learning challenging (Tadesse &
Muluye, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic showed a societal influence, highlighting the
digital divide and socioeconomic inequalities among the underserved and impoverished
individuals in different parts of the world who did not have equitable access to ICT.
Through this coding process, the researchers revealed three non-internet-based
technologies, which include radio, telephone, and television (Crompton et al., 2021). The
researchers selected a wide variety of technologies, which they coded under the six
categories for internet-based technologies: communication/conferencing tools (e.g.,
Zoom, email, SMS, Skype), free distance learning resources (e.g., YouTube, Khan
Academy), LMS (e.g., Canvas, Schoology, Power School), online
workspace/management tools (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google G Suite), social media (e.g.,
Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram), and specific applications (e.g.,
Nearpod, Kahoot, SeeSaw). They noted that the technologies provide a wide range of
available options to meet the educational requirements of the learning community (pp.
1564–1565 ).
In further analyzing the 60 studies, Crompton et al. (2021) identified six teaching
strategies that were effective during emergency remote education: communication,
delivery systems, promotion of student readiness, partnerships, promotion of student
learning and engagement, and resources. Their results showed that communication was
essential to keep learning going; therefore, teachers used various methods to
communicate with students, parents, community partners, businesses, and government
officials. The delivery systems code emerged to indicate the mode of transmission in
which educational materials were disseminated to students through various ICT platforms
such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Suite to facilitate the shift to online learning. The
student emergency remote education readiness code was a crucial component in assessing
students’ requirements to achieve the learning goals successfully, which requires “a
variety of physical, cognitive, and spatial resources” (p. 1568), along with the skills and
knowledge to engage in remote learning. The study revealed that 40% of students had
difficulty completing basic internet searches, indicating a lack of digital literacy among
students.
The partnership code is vital in building a sense of unity with organizations,
companies, and individuals (Crompton et al., 2021) that can help bridge the digital divide
and address technology inequities (Burgess & Anderson, 2020) by providing students
with access to resources in which they lacked. Researchers described how community
partnerships can improve the level of remote learning engagement by developing
philanthropic partnerships with companies such as Spectrum internet to provide families
who could not afford Wi-Fi with free access to their network (Burgess & Anderson,
2020). Researchers also partnered with the organization Donors Choose to provide
community members access to devices or mobile hotspots with internet connectivity for
students (Crompton et al., 2021). The promotion of student learning and engagement
code received the greatest number of studies as this is a pivotal area in ensuring that
student learning outcomes are achieved (Crompton et al., 2021). In emergency remote
education, technology is often the best way to increase students’ engagement levels,
which forces educators to develop new strategies to keep students engaged (Crompton et
al., 2021).
The final code that was derived from this research study was resources (Crompton
et al., 2021). This teaching strategy identified ways in which students could access
resources, such as textbooks, physical manipulatives, and other educational materials that
are kept in school buildings and are unreachable to students and teachers (Crompton et
al., 2021). The strategies outlined in this research study indicates the necessity for digital
transformation that focuses on all aspects of improving the educational system during
times of adversity and beyond, which would promote student success through effective
technology implementation and adoption, organizational culture and support, individual
commitment, and community partnerships.
Benefits of Implementing Education Technologies
As the dynamics of the education system continue to evolve, an important strategy
for schools is to develop a digital infrastructure where EdTech are used to transform the
instructional environment to improve teaching efficacy while making online learning safe
and accessible to all students. EdTech companies are exploring the digital transformation
of education as it shapes teachers’ pedagogic practices and influences student’s learning
outcomes (Hogan & Sellar, 2021). Digital transformation strategies are a major focal
point of many decision-making discussions among leaders in the K–12 education system.
The primary concern is leveraging ICT infrastructure to meet the needs of students and
parents, improve their business processes, and prepare for a vibrant future that will
accelerate the exponential growth of educational platforms to ensure academic success.
While change is difficult, the objective of digital transformation is to encourage
cultural change by shifting the mindsets of administrators, teachers, students, and parents
to embrace EdTech for the benefit of creating new learning opportunities. There is a
substantial amount of effort and funding that goes into developing new technologies with
the hope of finding the best learning tool (Dubé & Wen, 2022). Education leaders need to
know what is trending in “educational technology and how these changes influence the
role of technology in the classroom” (Dubé & Wen, 2022, p. 1930). EdTech is changing
the scope of the academic environment to include multiple learning modalities and
platforms that will keep students engaged in the learning process.
The first few weeks or months of the COVID-19 pandemic brought on more
digital innovations and changes than the last 5, 8, or 10 years of development (Hylland,
2022). Recent research on IT-driven transformation shows that technology is only one
part of the process organizations must solve to remain competitive in today’s digital
market (Vial, 2019). Vial (2019) stipulated that their framework emphasizes digital
transformation in the context of disruption, which prompts strategic responses from
organizations seeking to modify their value creation models while managing structural
shifts and organizational impediments that impact both positive and negative results. K–
12 education leaders should examine their education system to ensure that effective
implementation of digital strategies would be disruptive to their traditional business
model (Rodney, 2020).
A Strategic Approach to Adopting Innovative Solutions
Innovative solutions have played a key role in reshaping the education system. In
a Horizon Report , Dubé and Wen (2022) offered technological and pedagogical
predictions highlighting innovative solutions that foster a change in the teaching and
learning environment. They provided an up-to-date view of K–12 EdTech trends across
the past and near future by analyzing technology predictions across seven Horizon
Reports. In these reports, they connected these predictions with broader trends and
evaluated the accuracy of the predictions using bibliometric data.
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced leaders to adopt a strategic vision that will
change their business functions to minimize the risks of damaging the credibility of their
institutions. Arnett (2021) conducted a study where the Christensen Institute evaluated
how innovations occur across the U.S. K–12 landscape. The focus was on equipping
educators with effective PD that would prepare them with the resources needed to
connect with students through technology to create student-centered practices (Arnett,
2021). To support this learning culture, students throughout the school district had access
to innovative programs that offered “tutoring services, virtual interactions with mentors,
learning hubs, and learning pads organized by families” (Arnett, 2021, p. 12). The
recommendation from the researcher encouraged administrators of school systems that
are currently adopting student-centered practices to foster these innovative growth
mindsets by empowering educators to access student-centered practice resources, such as
high-quality distance learning curriculum, adaptive learning tools, and assessments, and
LMS to promote mastery-based learning (Arnett, 2021). The K–12 education system has
embraced digital technologies to enhance the quality of their learning environment.
The dynamic shift to digital technology has caused education leaders to embrace
innovative solutions that would foster the development of digital communities engaged in
online learning. As the digital transformation phenomenon continues, researchers are
evaluating the role of ICT in strengthening the value proposition of the business
ecosystem (Senyo et al., 2019; Tutaj et al., 2021). Ecosystems are becoming more digital,
which necessitates sharing similar standards of digital platforms to benefit all participants
(Tutaj et al., 2021). As uncertainty rises, leaders will need to expand their thinking
beyond the boundary of their institution to increase their market opportunity by defining
their business ecosystem strategy.
Achievement of a Sustainable Future Through Digital Transformation
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation phenomenon in
the K–12 education system and has created new ways for individuals to learn, work,
communicate, and collaborate. The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic posed a
challenge for school districts to maintain a competitive landscape, which caused many to
create new opportunities that foster a virtual learning environment that is strictly district
operated and taught by district personnel, thereby ensuring long-term sustainability
(Arnett, 2021). The results from the Christensen Institute study shows that one of the
greatest opportunities for K–12 education, is a rise in offering full-time virtual school
programs (Arnett, 2021). In addition, 79% of teachers in the study found useful materials
or resources that they can use for instructional purposes beyond the pandemic (Arnett,
2021). As leaders navigate this crisis, staying updated with digital trends and preparing
stakeholders to embrace digital transformation is critical to developing a sustainable
educational environment.
School districts across the United States have been fraught with several barriers to
digital transformation that have influenced the sustainable development of the
educational system. The goal of education for sustainable growth is to find a solution to a
multi-faceted world (Burbules et al., 2020). UNESCO’s vision on education for
sustainable development is on five key areas: “(a) advancing policy, (b) transforming
learning environments, (c) building capacities of educators, (d) empowering and
mobilizing youth, and (e) accelerating local level action” (UNESCO, 2024, para. 2). The
COVID-19 pandemic has been attributed to the digital revolution in the K–12 education
system, causing a shift in the dynamics of the learning environment. The digital
revolution of global economies and societies is making the modern world more complex
and faster than ever before, due to the power of connectivity and the rise of educated
people around the world (Burbules et al., 2020). As a result, school leaders had to adapt
to the fast-growing developments in digital technology as the driving force to create a
dynamic, robust, and intuitive learning platform that facilitates the transition from
traditional face-to-face learning to online learning.
Change is inevitable in a globalized education system; therefore, leaders should
envision digital technology and sustainability in their strategic plans for digital
transformation. In today’s modern education systems, the decision-making power can be
spread across several levels of governance; national and state governments, provinces and
regions, inter-municipal and local governments, school boards, and even schools
(Burbules et al., 2020). To break the cycle of unsustainable thinking and behavior,
education leaders need to create a new transformative education system that will lead
society into a more abounding and sustainable future (Burbules et al., 2020). The
prominent driver for social change in the educational system is based on effective
leadership skills and digital transformation strategies that contribute to organizational
performance and sustainability.
Adoption of Digital Technology to Support the Learning Experience
As K–12 education leaders formulate digital strategies, the culture of the school
system must shift, and educators should change their mindset to adopt digital strategies in
the academic landscape. The advancement of AI and data analytics is causing a massive
change in how educators analyze student data and performance in meeting standards and
learning outcomes. Burbules et al. (2020) found that innovations such as adaptive
instruction, allow teachers to collaborate with technology and data analytics professionals
to create learning environments that accurately recognize learner challenges and provide
recommendations for instructional interventions to address the issues. Researchers are
exploring new trends and concepts associated with adapting to a unique learning and
teaching modality that has transformed the traditional landscape in the digital
marketplace (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). In the wake of the coronavirus, schools have
started to embrace digital transformation with EdTech being used in classrooms around
the world (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). The rapid change has provided teachers and
students with a more efficient way to facilitate the learning process remotely.
The digital disruption phenomenon in the education system with the rise of AI,
IoT, and ICT is very similar to the disruption caused by the on-demand economy such as
Uber and Airbnb. These companies have impacted the on-demand service economy by
providing consumers with a digital platform to engage with businesses online. Similarly,
K–12 education leaders should adapt digital technology to develop and foster a new
flexible learning environment focused on elevating the K–12 education spectrum. In
setting digital transformation strategies, K–12 education leaders should not confuse the
transitioning of traditional textbooks to digital media as digital transformation, but the
ability to adopt digital technologies to foster an e-learning system to seamlessly integrate
the in-class learning experience into a fully immersive online education (Mospan &
Sysoieva, 2022).
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for moving the K–12 education
system toward implementing digital technologies in the classroom worldwide (Dindar et
al., 2021; Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). The unprecedented outbreak led to an immediate
mandate of school closures (Dindar et al., 2021) and social distancing orders, which
caused face-to-face instructions to cease and created the adoption of an emergency
remote learning plan (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). The sudden shift to distance learning
has caused leaders to implement several learning platforms, including online education,
hybrid, asynchronous, and synchronous distance learning (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022).
The crisis forced educators to explore and use remote learning approaches on a greater
scale than previously (Dindar et al., 2021). Leaders had to align their technology
infrastructure needs to deliver solutions that fostered collaboration and innovation in the
learning environment to support students’ learning outcomes during this relentless time in
history.
Strategies for Adopting Digitalization
Over the years, organizations have adopted digitalization as it helps to increase
productivity, raise customer satisfaction levels, create a positive work culture, and
maintain a competitive advantage. The advancement of digitalization in the K–12
education system is thrust by the fundamental features of modern technology, causing a
dynamic shift in the transformation of conventional educational approaches and practices
(Dindar et al., 2021). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the digitalization of the education
system became prevalent as there was an immediate shift to online learning facilitated
through the effective implementation of digital tools and technologies. Different methods,
approaches, and resources were employed globally to support the shift to online learning
and meet the new educational needs (Lampropoulos & Admiraal, 2023). Digital
technology has played a remarkable role in transforming the educational system as the
global digitalization of the K–12 education system continues to rise covering all aspects
of information management as it impacts interactions with students, teachers, and school
administrators.
Education leaders responsible for integrating digitalization within their school
systems should have the required skills and knowledge to navigate their followers
through this process effectively. As new EdTech emerge, the move to digitalization is
necessary to meet the growing needs of teachers and students. An overarching concern
among researchers is the lack of knowledge of teachers’ digital skills to help improve the
learning environment (Dindar et al., 2021). Many technology acceptance frameworks,
such as the TAM and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (Chao,
2019), can be used to explain what factors influence teacher technology acceptance
(Dindar et al., 2021). Teacher’s prior experience with technology and the type of
organizational support they receive play a major role in their ability to incorporate digital
skills to teach with technology in the online world (Dindar et al., 2021). Integrating
digital technologies into the academic landscape can help create a more enriched and
student-centered learning environment.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Creation of Digital Transformation
Strategies
The education industry has been at the forefront of the advancement of technology
as it relates to adopting digital transformation strategies. The magnitude of the global
health and economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic altered the trajectory
of how the education system would perform under these measures. At the start of the
pandemic, only about 20% of schools in the world had access to digital learning resources
(Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). In fact, Only 10% of nations have more robust digital
learning platforms, providing offline learning resources (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022).
Industry 4.0 is changing almost every facet of our lives, from the way we interact with
technology and where we work (Goyal et al., 2020). The implementation of technologies
of Industry 4.0 played a significant factor in developing digital transformation strategies
to meet the growing technological demands of the K–12 education system. As a result,
school systems across the globe had to change priorities, develop new strategic goals, and
follow a quick and agile process that would facilitate distance learning and cloud-based
collaboration.
Organizations are taking advantage of the benefits of Industry 4.0 to accelerate
their digital transformation process to meet customer requirements. Industry 4.0 is taking
businesses to new heights and revolutionizing how technology is deployed to optimize
the digital landscape (Kornyshova & Barrios, 2020). COVID-19 has propelled the K–12
education system to increase productivity and agility through a rapid movement that led
to innovation and digital advancement (Najwa et al., 2022). Najwa et al. (2022) suggested
that leaders implement Lean 4.0 tools and technologies with Industry 4.0 technologies as
they have a strong correlation and can be used to improve “leadership, strategy,
operation, and production” (p. 207). The integration of these technologies allows leaders
the flexibility to embrace a digital landscape that optimizes a variety of skill sets to
effectively create digital transformation strategies.
As leaders develop their IT and information systems (IS) strategies for their
education systems, they should assess their enterprise platform to ensure they understand
the influence of Industry 4.0 that is driving this technological revolution (Kornyshova &
Barrios, 2020). Designing a digital strategy facilitating online learning will provide an
incredible opportunity for K–12 education systems to leverage Industry 4.0 initiatives to
transform how they do business and increase student engagement and learning outcomes
(Kornyshova & Barrios, 2020). Disruptive technologies are dynamically changing the
workforce, requiring leaders to understand the operational impact of this transformation.
Harnessing of the Potential of Information and Communication Technology in
Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Education
The current research shows the rapid pace at which K–12 education leaders had to
adopt ICT tools to transform the learning environment from face-to-face to distance
learning. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries across the globe faced the
digital divide caused by distance learning (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). The disparity was
evident in countries like sub-Saharan Africa, where 89% of the students do not have
computers at home, and 82% do not have internet access (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022).
The digital divide becomes more challenging in places like Cameroon, where only
2025% of teachers have access to a computer, which poses difficulty in transitioning to
online learning (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). In countries like Ukraine, the disparity
among educators was vast as many lack the knowledge to operate in a digitally based
learning environment due to not receiving adequate training on distance learning or
implementing ICT tools (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). As the number of technology
frameworks increases within the K–12 education system, school districts must make an
informed decision on how ICT would be used across their districts and determine a
method of how each K–12 school will categorize the various EdTech (Bacak et al., 2023).
In addition, leaders must offer training to educators on how to effectively implement ICT
tools. While having the technology is paramount, it offers a lasting impact once it is
properly executed.
The research approach used in this phenomenological study may help capture
leaders’ perspectives on the digital transformation phenomenon and the advantages of
using ICT tools to revolutionize the learning landscape. The digital communications
revolution of the past 2 decades has significantly impacted the education sector and
changed the delivery of educational services (Rodney, 2020). Embracing change in the
learning environment in a complex climate is pivotal in the modern-day era. To stay
abreast with the evolving landscape of K–12 learning, education leaders must remain
vigilant in creating strategic initiatives and strategies that will propel them into the future
of education. Kane (2019) stipulated that leaders must effectively combine traditional and
emerging competencies to lead organizations into the future. K–12 education leaders
must develop digital transformation strategies to help them face the short-term challenges
to sustain a viable education system while looking into the future for a more structured
system.
As education leaders continue to focus on the future of the K–12 school system,
implementing ICT tools and EdTech solutions has changed the dynamics of the learning
environment despite the steep learning curve that faculty, students, and staff had to
overcome. To effectively make this transition, the K–12 education system was challenged
with assessing their current infrastructure to determine their most prominent needs to
accelerate them into the digital world of learning. The unprecedented crisis has forced
educators to rethink their digital skills, as students’ awareness level of digital learning has
increased rapidly, and their use of EdTech has become very prominent in their day-to-day
lives (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). EdTech has been an integral part of the solution to
address the crisis and reduce the impact of school closures on student learning and
achievement by offering online learning worldwide (Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). The
digital transformation phenomenon is attributed to technological growth and
development, focused on improving the efficacy of the online learning environment.
AI
Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the education
system, it has brought to light the strategic significance of AI in the academic world. The
impact of AI on education can be seen in Market Research Engine’s forecast, which
shows that the education market will be worth $5,800,000,000,000 by 2025 (Zafari et al.,
2022). Due to its high potential for productivity and enhanced performance, AI is an
excellent tool to be implemented in educational systems to improve the functionality of
these systems (Zafari et al., 2022). The digital transformation shifts in K–12 education
involved adopting digital technologies such as AI to be valuable to students and
educators. The pivot that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the education system presents
technology as a positive force for change, which may be difficult for some as school
districts move towards a more transformative technological paradigm requiring the
adoption of innovative solutions.
While many individuals fear using AI in the education system, it can be beneficial
as it can enhance student learning and supplement the work of human teachers without
replacing them (Reiss, 2021). The future classroom will likely be one where AI will be
used to personalize the learning experience for every student (Zafari et al., 2022). AI is
also advantageous to K–12 education leaders, as school systems are complex entities, and
AI can contribute to the non-educational aspect of the education system (Reiss, 2021). AI
can help facilitate the operational side of the business by streamlining the registration
process, estimating class size, planning curricula, enhancing procurement systems, and
assisting with admission and enrollment (Reiss, 2021). Although these are decisions
typically made by a human, AI can help offload some of the rudimentary responsibilities
on employees and facilitate the decision-making process.
Internet of Things Technology
The rise of digital transformation is primarily due to the proliferation of IoT
technologies, AI, cloud computing, and machine learning. Gimpel and Vander Weerdt
(2023) defined IoT as using “sensors and connected devices to enhance organizational
performance by gaining new insights and using data-driven management” (p. 145).
Companies that capitalize on “IoT gain a competitive edge over their competitors”
(Gimpel & Vander Weerdt, 2023, p. 145). These cutting-edge technologies have forced
businesses to turn data into useful information for individuals to drive change within their
organizations. Researchers project that in 2025, the internet will be much larger than the
size of the brain of all the individuals living in this world (Goyal et al., 2020). With this
projected massive technological advancement, K–12 school districts should evaluate their
digital transformation strategy with their vision to transform and augment the education
landscape.
In this hyperconnected society, leaders in K–12 education can leverage IoT as a
strategic approach to managing the continuous communication between individuals, data,
and the digital world. IoT technology can potentially transform how educational systems
are designed and operated, thereby creating a more efficient manner to increase student
learning opportunities through a cloud-based IoT learning platform (Rodney, 2020;
Şimşek et al., 2022). Rodney (2020) viewed IoT technology as the daily integration of
physical objects that communicate with each other and virtual servers. As emerging
technologies arise, the role of education leaders is essential to have a keen awareness of
the dynamic shift in the marketplace ahead of time to successfully plan for the company’s
future objectives (Şimşek et al., 2022). As part of their digital strategy, leaders should
invest in research and development to create, design, and launch cutting-edge
technological products to maintain competitiveness in their domain (Şimşek et al., 2022).
Learning Management Systems
Dealing with change in the academic world is inevitable, as situations may arise
that will alter the dynamics of the learning environment. As education leaders navigate
the hidden storms of uncertainty, they must remain vigilant in creating an atmosphere that
will embrace digital technologies and foster collaboration, innovation, and
problemsolving. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the academic experience, requiring
leaders to create digital transformation strategies and adopt new technology in education
(Dindar et al., 2021). During the onset of the pandemic, schools around the globe were
immediately forced to embrace digital technologies and online learning environments to
foster continuous learning throughout their school systems (Dindar et al., 2021). The K–
12 education system worldwide dealt with the restrictions and emergency lockdown
procedures imposed by the pandemic forcing educators to teach online as a last resort in
the face of crisis (Dindar et al., 2021; Francom, Lee, & Pinkney, 2021; Wang, 2021).
Many teachers were not ready for this shift and faced significant challenges in providing
high-quality emergency remote teaching as they were not prepared to provide academic
continuity during the pandemic (Francom, Lee, & Pinkney, 2021). To manage the
immediate shift to online learning, many school districts have resorted to transforming
their learning environment by implementing an LMS.
The adoption of LMS has increased significantly in recent years. The internet has
revolutionized the education system and how students learn by developing web-based
educational solutions such as LMS, software applications designed to administer learning
materials through an online portal (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022; Rodney, 2020).
The IT infrastructure and pedagogy are important elements in creating a robust LMS to
support student learning (Alhazmi et al., 2021; Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022;
Saadilah et al., 2023). Once an LMS is adopted by school districts, it may be utilized for
fully online courses or to facilitate additional learning experiences in conjunction with a
face-to-face classroom environment (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatonue, 2021). The
implementation of an LMS across the school district offers teachers and students an
online learning environment that strengthens learning processes (Bradley, 2021). To keep
pace with the ever-changing technological advancements, K–12 school districts are
implementing LMS to provide students and staff with a dynamic tool to promote a
flexible and efficient way of self-directed learning.
To unveil K–12 students’ learning potential, it is important to explore district
leaders’ lived experiences of how LMS can profoundly influence the education
environment while also understanding the importance of producing digital transformation
strategies to foster an innovative teaching and learning atmosphere. In the United States,
K–12 online classes have existed since the mid-1990s, with nearly 1,000,000 students
enrolling in online courses in 2015 (Bradley, 2021; Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022).
While online learning is not new, the robustness of LMS has provided several platforms
that school districts can choose to deliver an effective online learning environment.
The practical implementation of an LMS offers self-directed learning through
technology to students, where learning materials and activities are stored across one
platform. The advantage of using an LMS is that it establishes expectations for learners
(Bradley, 2021), as course content, syllabi, and presentations can be accessed from
anywhere at any time (Saadilah et al., 2023). Students can track their progress in real
time, allowing flexibility in sharing information, collaborating with peers, receiving
feedback on assignments, and making course corrections (Bradley, 2021). According to
the research, LMS was mainly used for assignment submission and grading, learning
materials, video sharing, announcements, and updates (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatonue,
2021). For teachers, an LMS effectively provides metrics to gain insight into student
achievements and encourages student engagement.
To facilitate the transition to an inclusive online learning environment, many
school districts utilized the following platforms to engage students in the learning
process: Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, Blackboard, Canvas, Edmodo, D2L
Brightspace, and many more (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatonue, 2021). In addition to these
software applications, many schools adopted various platforms for videoconferencing
like Zoom, Google Meet/Hangouts, YouTube, Microsoft Teams, and several others
(Francom, Schwan, & Nuatonue, 2021). The research survey by Francom, Schwan, and
Nuatonue (2021) further illustrated the diversity in technology used throughout the school
system to ensure an effective transition to online learning. The digital transformation
strategies leaders implemented included teaching and learning software tools that offered
a transformative experience that provided ease and flexibility in creating, managing, and
publishing content to increase knowledge sharing and improve academic performance.
Summary and Conclusions
In Chapter 2, a literature review and thematic synthesis of scholarly work were
conducted in which several categories were derived to understand better how K–12
education leaders developed digital transformation strategies during the wake and
aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain a sustainable education system. The
rapid adoption of ICT in recent years, forced school districts to digitalize to compete in
the modern world (Karakose et al., 2021); however, many school districts were not
prepared for the rapid transition to online learning. Chapter 2 of the literature review
highlighted the STS theory by Trist and Bamforth (1951) and DBT by Wade (2015), the
conceptual framework for which this qualitative phenomenology study is grounded.
Using these theories, empirical research was conducted to explore how ICTs were
implemented by K–12 education leaders to transition their traditional classroom setting to
online learning.
A review of the literature indicates that there is a gap in this qualitative
phenomenological research study where there is a lack of research to support K–12
education leaders’ experiences with embracing digital leadership during the COVID-19
pandemic as a catalyst to create strategies to accelerate the digital transformation
paradigm shift (Karakose et al., 2021). Most of the research on digitalization for digital
transformation has focused on larger corporations, and little consideration has been given
to the implications of this transformation on the digital learning culture for K–12
education systems (Karakose et al., 2021). The current study focused on education
leaders’ experiences as a critical factor in building a digital learning ecosystem in K–12
education. The chapter emphasized sustainable development and creating digital
transformation strategies, including virtual learning in the form of online lectures and
virtual labs or simulations, while investigating Industry 4.0, ICT, AI, IoT, and
incorporating LMS solutions to create a collaborative online learning environment.
In Chapter 3, I provided a rationale for the chosen methodology and design,
which is qualitative phenomenology. The chapter included the phenomenon that drives
the purpose of this study, the researcher’s role, the participant selection logic, and the
instrumentation used to collect the data. This chapter also outlined the procedure I used to
recruit participants, the data collection process, and the data analysis plan. Following the
data analysis plan, I discussed issues of trustworthiness that have to do with credibility,
transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Then, I discussed the ethical procedures
for obtaining Walden University Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to interview
and collect participants’ data. I concluded Chapter 3 with a summary of my findings.
Chapter 3: Research Method
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived
experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies during
the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted using a
phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experiences of education
leaders involved in the decision-making process that contributed to defining this shared
experience (Burkholder et al., 2019). The findings from this research study may provide
insight into how leaders can successfully prepare for the future by implementing an
effective and efficient digital transformation strategy for K–12 school districts to be a
dominant key player in the education landscape.
In Chapter 3, I provided an in-depth description of the methodology I used to
conduct this qualitative phenomenological study. I restate the research question, discuss
the research design and rationale, elaborate on the role of the researcher, provide an
indepth analysis of the research methodology, state the participant selection logic, and
examine the instrumentation protocols. Other topics that are included in this chapter are
procedures for recruitment, participation, and data collection; the data analysis plan; and
issues of trustworthiness, which will focus on credibility, transferability, dependability,
and confirmability. I also discussed ethical procedures and concluded the chapter with a
summary of the topics discussed and a transition to Chapter 4.
Research Design and Rationale
The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for transforming the educational
environment at K–12 school districts worldwide, causing massive technological
disruption. This dynamic shift in the education system created a shared experience among
K–12 education leaders in their quest to immediately change the traditional face-to-face
learning environment to online learning. After an extensive literature review, the central
research question is as follows: What are the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders
in creating digital transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment
to online learning during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? To address
the research question, this study is grounded on hermeneutic phenomenology as a
research method focusing on participants’ lived experiences.
Burkholder et al. (2019) defined qualitative research as “an exploratory
investigation of a complex social phenomenon conducted in a natural setting through
observation, description, and thematic analysis of participants’ behaviors and
perspectives to explain and/or understand the phenomenon” (p. 82). Edmund Husserl
founded the phenomenology research approach, which was based on a philosophical
movement (Burkholder et al., 2019). However, the origin of hermeneutic phenomenology
stems back to the philosophical underpinnings of Hans George Gadamer, which explores
participants’ lived experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon
(Stephenson et al., 2018). The central phenomenon of this study focuses on the lived
experiences of K–12 education leaders navigating through the challenges posed by the
crisis, altering their school systems, and creating a need to transform the brick-and-mortar
learning landscape into distance learning. The purpose of the phenomenological research
design is to better understand the experiences of a group of individuals with a shared
experience (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The research question plays a vital role in selecting the appropriate research
design. In quantitative research, the researcher aims to analyze and explain a
phenomenon, behavior, or issue by utilizing numerical data and statistical analysis
through various aspects, including the study’s specific structure, variable measurement,
and sampling approach (Burkholder et al., 2019). These components connect the research
question to the collected data (Burkholder et al., 2019). In contrast, qualitative research
provides several ways for researchers to gain insight into the lived experiences of people
affected by a phenomenon. In selecting a suitable method for my study, I ensured that the
research design effectively captured the thoughts, emotions, and actions that I found
interesting in relation to my research question (Cooper et al., 2023). To gain a more
profound insight into the problem being explored, a qualitative research design was
chosen for this research study as it aligns better with my research question. The
quantitative research design was not chosen as I did not intend to test hypotheses, analyze
causal connections, make predictions, quantify variables, or run statistical analyses on the
data (Mulisa, 2022). The qualitative research design allowed me to conduct in-depth
interviews with participants to better understand their lived experiences during a global
crisis and how they transformed their traditional learning environment to online learning
by implementing digital transformation strategies.
According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), when conducting systematic research
about your practice, the scholar-practitioner needs to ensure that they select a study
design that connects with their research question. The researcher will also need to ensure
that the design resonates with their view of the world, their personality, and their abilities
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Burkholder et al. (2019) and Merriam and Tisdell (2016)
identified several research designs: basic qualitative research, case study, ethnography,
phenomenology, narrative inquiry, and grounded theory. The purpose of selecting a
design is to assist in narrowing down the selection of sources that will best provide the
data necessary to answer the research question (Burkholder et al., 2019). Therefore, it is
equally important to understand the philosophical underpinnings of various types of
research to make informed decisions about the options available when designing and
conducting a research study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
The concept of qualitative research is rooted in the notion that knowledge is
formed and maintained by people over time as they experience and make sense of an
action, event, or phenomenon (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The way that people interpret
and give meaning to their experiences and how they construct their world are central
concerns of a researcher conducting a basic qualitative study, according to Merriam and
Tisdell (2016), who noted that the “overall purpose is to understand how people make
sense of their lives and their experiences” (p. 23). While basic qualitative research was a
great choice and the most relevant to my research study, as the researcher seeks to
comprehend the significance of a phenomenon to the participants involved, it does not
emphasize the actual experience and the transformation of that experience into
consciousness (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
A qualitative case study approach was a research design that I considered at the
beginning of my research study. In a qualitative case study approach, the goal is to show
how a bounded unit interacts with a specific phenomenon (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Qualitative case studies are like other types of qualitative research because they seek to
create meaning and understanding, the researcher is the main source for collecting and
analyzing data, they use an inductive investigation process, and the final product is
descriptive in nature (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This research design differs significantly
from phenomenology as the study would be focused on a bounded unit – a single person
or institution, but not on the individual lived experiences with the phenomenon
(Burkholder et al., 2019). The goal of the research study is to explore the lived
experiences of K–12 education leaders who employed digital transformation strategies to
rapidly change their school environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
study was not designed to focus on a single institution; therefore, this research design
approach was not appropriate for the study.
The next research design I investigated was ethnography, which also focuses on a
bounded unit like case studies but in the context of creating a long-term commitment to a
cultural group to gather data (Burkholder et al., 2019). The major difference between
these two approaches is how data is collected (Burkholder et al., 2019). The goal of
ethnography is to understand how a cultural group behaves in relation to a specific
phenomenon. While this approach requires researchers to conduct fieldwork to immerse
themselves in a community, it does not capture the essence of the phenomena through the
experience of the person’s world by explaining the purpose of the fundamental structure
of the phenomenon (Danford, 2023).
Grounded theory and narrative inquiry were other qualitative research approaches
that were not considered for this research study. Grounded theory focuses on the
development of theory and is especially helpful when it comes to answering questions
about how things evolve over time (Burkholder et al., 2019; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Narrative Inquiry discovers life’s events and experiences through storytelling (Danford,
2023). While the data collection process of conducting in-depth interviews may be
similar, it does not yield the same results as the phenomenology approach, which shows
how people gain a better understanding of the phenomenon through their experience of
the world at the present moment.
In researching several qualitative research designs, from basic qualitative
research, grounded theory, ethnography, case study, and narrative, I found
phenomenology to be the best research approach for my study as it aligned with my
research question, problem statement, and purpose statement. According to Burkholder et
al. (2019), the major purpose of phenomenological research is to gain insight through
mutual understanding of themes and trends based on the lived experiences of a group of
individuals with a shared experience with a phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic and
its impact on K–12 education leaders’ decision-making process with implementing digital
transformation strategies were the focus of this research study. The underpinnings of this
study centered around understanding the essence of human experiences in implementing
digital transformation strategies to help revolutionize the academic landscape through
technology to facilitate a sustainable learning platform.
Role of the Researcher
My role as a qualitative researcher was to connect the findings of the literature
with the research problem that I attempted to solve. Burkholder et al. (2019) posit that
qualitative researchers are the main source of data collection. The researcher is the
primary instrument that facilitates a part in a scene in which boundaries are required to
separate oneself from the experience (Collins & Stockton, 2022). In this role, I was
responsible for observing and processing participants perception of a social phenomenon
based on their real-life experiences without any preconceived biased opinions. According
to Burkholder et al. (2019), this can be accomplished through direct observation,
interviews, and document analysis. In my role as an observer-participant, I have the
advantage of being able to record data in tandem with my observations and be able to
collect data in different environments and from groups that I do not have full access to as
the researcher (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The phenomenological interview serves as the primary data collection method to
gain insight into the meaning or fundamental structure of an experience (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). The qualitative researcher holds a pivotal role during the interview
process as they should have a keen interest in each participant’s points of view and be
able to gain insights from the interviewees that would otherwise not be observed (Patton,
2015). As the researcher, I aim to conduct in-depth, semistructured interviews using
open-ended questions that would provide me with comprehensive and detailed
information, thereby providing participants with flexibility in their responses during the
interview (Rubin & Rubin, 2012).
As an observer–participant, I ensured the safety and security of the participant’s
data during the data collection process. Establishing trust and building rapport with
participants is of paramount importance, as a positive rapport in research can have a
major influence on the outcome of the interview (Zhang & Liu, 2018). Before the
interview process, I obtained informed consent from the participants to audio record the
interview, which allowed me the flexibility to take notes of my conversation with each
participant and capture their auditory cues. I engaged in active listening and asked
follow-up questions to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon. I did not ask
leading questions, so I did not develop any biased opinions. Immediately following each
interview, I reflected on my experiences with the participants and transcribed the
interview for thematic analysis. These data collection techniques are suitable for
researchers to record and comprehend the lived experiences of participants in their
natural environments.
To minimize the possibility of personal bias, I took the position of researcher
reflexivity to ensure that my beliefs and values did not influence the collection or analysis
of data (Burkholder et al., 2019). The phenomenological approach involves using
reflexivity and proper interviewing techniques to prevent or control any bias in the data
collection and analysis process (Burkholder et al., 2019). As the researcher, I developed
interview questions that were straightforward and easy to understand so that participants’
responses were genuine and credible. Any deviation from this plan would have resulted
in participants altering their responses based on their perceptions of my bias, which may
be evident through my questions, or gestures, which results in the integrity of their
answers being compromised (Burkholder et al., 2019).
To prevent researcher bias, I did not interview participants at my place of
employment and did not select individuals with whom I have a personal relationship. I
did not use any form of incentives to recruit participants for this research study. In
adhering to ethical principles, I ensured anonymity and kept participants’ information
confidential. Participants were notified of their ability to terminate the interview at their
discretion without any consequence. I followed Walden University’s IRB guidelines,
which required that I obtain informed consent from prospective study participants to
confirm that they understood the purpose of the study, the potential risks involved, and
the voluntary nature of their participation (Walden University, n.d.).
Methodology
The origins of phenomenology can be traced back to the philosophical theories of
Edmund Husserl (Burkholder et al., 2019). Husserl aimed to record how events or
experiences were perceived by people, how the phenomena were perceived, and the way
they lived through these experiences (Burkholder et al., 2019). At the core of Husserl’s
philosophy is the notion of epoché, which translates to “freedom from suppositions”
(Burkholder et al., 2019, p. 217; Moustakas, 1994, p.84). Epoché is a Greek word that
means to avoid or abstain from something, which can be personal prejudices and
assumptions (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The use of epoché in research studies requires
the researcher to identify their own preconceived notions, understand how these
preconceptions can impact their data analysis, and intentionally set these preconceived
notions aside (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The phenomenology methodology was ideal for this research study as it focused
on people’s feelings, their emotions, and how intense their experiences can be (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016). The phenomenological research method is based on the study and
analysis of human perception in relation to a singular, well-defined phenomenon
(Burkholder et al., 2019). These human perceptions can be defined as individual living
experience, human relationship to the phenomenon, human understanding of the
phenomenon, and human perception of the phenomenon (Burkholder et al., 2019). In
general, this method is intended for the researcher to capture the participant’s lived
experience by understanding how the participant interprets or perceives the world and
their experience with a phenomenon (Burkholder et al., 2019; Glesne, 2016). Burkholder
et al. (2019) defined a phenomenon as a “finite and definable event, an experience, or
something that happens to someone” (p. 217). The research study was designed to gain
insight into education leaders in the K–12 education systems’ perceptions of how the
crisis propelled them to change their traditional educational environment from face-toface
to remote learning by implementing digital transformation strategies to pivot their
learning environment through digital technologies.
Participant Selection Logic
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of education leaders at K–12 school districts in creating digital
transformation strategies to propel the technological advancement of their academic
environment during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The populations
that I recruited to participate in this study are education leaders who held the role of IT
leaders, principals, assistant principals, and administrators from K–12 school systems in
the United States whose vision and leadership strategies were to ensure that technology
was effectively integrated with the strategic plan of the institution to drive academic
excellence. The education leaders of interest came from K–12 public, private, charter
school systems or education agency, and were part of the decision-making process of
implementing EdTech to transition their schools to a digitally based curriculum during
and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of a phenomenological research study is to get a better understanding of a
phenomenon with fewer participants (Glesne, 2016). According to Burkholder et al.
(2019), “phenomenology is about getting the depth, not the breadth, of people’s
perceptions” (p. 220). My primary objective was to conduct semistructured interviews
with education leaders to gain insight into how they used digital tools and technologies to
revolutionize the learning landscape during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic. The strategies I used to recruit participants were purposive (judgmental)
sampling and snowball sampling, which are non-probability sampling techniques that do
not require a set number of participants (Sharma, 2017; Tongco, 2007). The purposive
sampling method is grounded on selecting a sample based on a specific purpose or
quality the participant possesses that is relevant to the study (Burkholder et al., 2019;
Tongco, 2007). Purposive sampling relies on the premise that the investigator wishes to
uncover, comprehend, and gain knowledge and, therefore, must select a sample to acquire
the most information (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The snowball sampling technique was
beneficial as it allowed me to recruit participants through referrals from existing key
participants (Burkholder et al., 2019; Sharma, 2017; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This
method allowed the sample group to increase through networking affiliations. I recruited
participants using social media platforms like Facebook Groups and LinkedIn, alongside
emails to professional associates and Walden University Participant Pool.
For this study, I used purposive and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 11
education leaders in the K–12 school system who shared common experiences with the
phenomenon. Through my social network groups and professional affiliations, I used
email and social media to post a flyer to call for research participants (see Appendices A
and B, respectively, for the recruitment letter and flyer). The information provided
included my name, my school affiliation, my doctorate program, the research title, the
inclusion criteria, the procedure for the research study, and my contact information. The
sampling strategy was essential as it helped narrow the sample population of interest,
providing sufficient data to answer my research question (Burkholder et al., 2019).
According to Burkholder et al. (2019), the primary focus of qualitative studies is the
relevance of the research question and not that of the entire population.
Instrumentation
In qualitative research, the strength of the phenomenological approach lies in the
role of the researcher and the data collection process. The hermeneutic phenomenology
design focuses on the researcher’s ability to gain insight into the lived experiences of the
participant and their perception of the world, as they share a common experience with a
particular phenomenon (Burkholder et al., 2019; Glesne, 2016). The purpose of this study
was to explore the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital
transformation strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. To
gain an in-depth understanding of this topic, I interviewed 11 participants to explore the
phenomenon (Glesne, 2016).
The primary way to collect data is through in-depth, semistructured interviews
with participants who meet the criteria of shared experiences with the phenomenon
(Burkholder et al., 2019). For this research study, I closely examined the research
question to determine the characteristics the study participants should have to effectively
answer the research question (Burkholder et al., 2019). The participants were recruited
after I received approval from the Walden University IRB. Walden University’s approval
number for this study is 05-02-24-1010537. It expires on May 1, 2025.
The participants who were eligible to participate in this research study received an
email invitation explaining the purpose of the study, the established criteria they must
meet, and an informed consent to confirm their voluntary participation in the interview
process. The consent form highlighted their ability to withdraw from the interview at any
point, and provided reassurance that the interview would not pose any risk to them, along
with a statement addressing ethical considerations and privacy rights, and their ability to
obtain a copy of the interview recordings and transcripts upon request. Each individual
interview was intended to last 45 – 60 minutes.
For this phenomenological research study, I conducted individual, semistructured
interviews with participants who met the established criteria for involvement in this
study. I recruited K–12 education leaders who were part of the decision-making process
for their schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped create digital transformation
strategies to pivot their education environment from face-to-face to online learning. To be
eligible to participate in the study, individuals needed to be a full-time employee at a
public, private, or charter K–12 education system during the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic in March 2020 to present. During this time, they needed to serve in one of the
following capacities: IT leader, principal, assistant principal, or administrator of a K–12
school system. Study participants were also required to be 18 years of age or older with a
primary language of English. Per the first criterion, participants needed to possess at least
5 years of experience in the IT field or hold decision-making roles within a K–12 school
system from 2019 to present.
Conducting in-depth individual interviews is an important data collection tool as it
can be an effective method for gathering detailed qualitative data (Burkholder et al.,
2019). I used an interview protocol (see Appendix C) to help guide the interview, which
included a section to capture the interviewee’s name, in which I used a pseudonym (e.g.,
Research Participant 1 or RP1), company, title, date of interview, start time, and end time
of the interview, the audio conferencing platform for the virtual interview (phone or
Microsoft Teams), recording mechanism, name of the interviewer, an introduction to the
study and a conclusion, along with the interview questions (Burkholder et al., 2019). The
information captured in the interview protocol was crucial to maintaining consistency
during the interview process (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The interview guide consisted of nine open-ended questions with follow-up
questions requesting further elaboration. Open-ended questions allowed interviewees the
opportunity to answer freely to the questions, elaborating on areas that were meaningful
to them, while agreeing or disagreeing with the question (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). I also
asked probing questions, such as please tell me more about your experience with this
phenomenon (Burkholder et al., 2019). The interview guide helped create an ongoing
dialogue between the interviewee and the interviewer. Thereby offering rich content that
identifies participants’ perspectives on adopting ICT and EdTech to facilitate the online
experience. During the interview, I paid close attention to the interviewee’s responses and
documented my observations and reactions in my journal, which was an effective strategy
for identifying potential associations between data and the interviewee (Burkholder et al.,
2019). During the interview process, I collected, organized, and analyzed the
interviewee’s perceptions of the phenomenon while avoiding biases through reflexivity
(Burkholder et al., 2019). The interviews were transcribed using the Office 365 version of
Word and through the transcription service Otter.ai. Thereafter, I went through each
transcript manually and cleaned it up to ensure the quality, accuracy, and anonymity of
the data.
The interviews were conducted until saturation was reached. Since the number of
people required to reach saturation cannot be predicted, the relevancy lies in the amount
of data collected based on the number of individuals interviewed and the documents or
observations collected (Burkholder et al., 2019). The saturation point occurs when
ongoing data collection does not reveal new themes or patterns but rather strengthens
what has been learned from previous analyses (Burkholder et al., 2019). More
importantly, to achieve saturation means that the amount of information collected must be
adequate to answer the research question (Burkholder et al., 2019).
Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection
The interview process is a common research instrument used in qualitative
research as it is designed to capture the participant’s lived experience with a phenomenon
by collecting rich, in-depth qualitative data (Burkholder et al., 2019). According to Rubin
and Rubin (2012), a semistructured interview technique is a core form of in-depth
qualitative interview that allows the researcher to focus on a particular topic to explore
and prepare a few questions beforehand, intending to ask additional follow-up questions
as the interview progresses. Open-ended questions were asked to allow the interviewee to
freely express themselves on their experiences with the phenomenon. Before the
interview, the researcher prepared and set a virtual environment that was welcoming and
calm for the interviewee. The researcher also obtained the interviewee’s permission to
audio record the interview, while ensuring privacy and access to the transcript upon
conclusion of the interview. During the interview, it was essential not to inject personal
thoughts or feelings on a topic to avoid researcher bias.
The essence of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies to transform the educational environment from face-to-face to online learning
during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participant recruitment
process started with obtaining approval from Walden’s IRB before engaging in data
collection and analysis (Walden University, n.d.). I followed the IRB process as it was
vital to ensuring compliance with ethical standards and federal regulations (Walden
University, n.d.). The primary goal of the IRB is to protect the safety, confidentiality, and
anonymity of the research participants against any possible harm (Walden University,
n.d.). To remain in compliance with Walden’s IRB, I obtained informed consent from
potential participants to ensure they understood the nature of the research study, the
potential risks and benefits that were involved, and that their involvement was completely
voluntary, and they could withdraw from the study participation at any time (Rubin &
Rubin, 2012; Walden University, n.d.). The participants had to respond with “I consent”
to the email invitation as their written agreement to participate in the research study
(Rubin & Rubin, 2012). This research study did not involve interviewing the at-risk
population, and no further inquiry was required by the IRB as no risks were imposed on
the vulnerable population (Rubin & Rubin, 2012).
The recruitment process involved distributing a call to research notification via
email to eligible participants in my professional network, Walden University Participant
Pool, and via social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. I used a purposive
sampling strategy to recruit participants who met the eligibility criteria and could provide
substantial information to answer the research question (Burkholder et al., 2019).
Burkholder et al. (2019) suggested taking a deeper look at the research question to truly
determine the characteristics that participants should have to answer the research
question. The initial recruitment efforts resulted in fewer participants than anticipated,
therefore, I used the snowballing technique to ask participants to provide referrals of
individuals who would be interested in participating in the research study (Burkholder et
al., 2019). Combining these two methods gave me a sample size of 11 K–12 education
leaders who shared a common characteristic with the phenomenon and were willing to
discuss their shared experience (Burkholder et al., 2019). While the targeted number of
participants can be estimated, the result is based on reaching saturation (Burkholder et al.,
2019). Saturation is achieved when no new information is obtained from the data and the
data collected is sufficient to answer the research question (Burkholder et al., 2019).
I used the interview guide to conduct a semistructured interview where the
openended questions were aligned with my research question and addressed the
phenomenon of interest. The purpose of the interview guide was to ensure consistency in
the questions asked to each interviewee (Patton, 2015). The questions in this interview
were more flexibly worded, with a variety of more or less structured questions (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016), which were used to obtain thoughtful and detailed responses from
participants about what was important to them (Patton, 2015). I asked follow-up
questions through probes as needed to elicit a deeper understanding of their experience
with the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2015). Patton (2015) suggests grouping
interview questions with similar concepts in preparation for probes and follow-up
questions.
The participants selected for the study received an email invitation that outlined
their eligibility to participate, with instructions on how to access the meeting. The
interviews were held via phone or through a web-based conferencing tool such as
Microsoft Teams for 45–60 min. Participants were asked for their permission to audio
record the session, to help with the transcription process. During the interview, I paid
close attention to the participants, ensuring they had sufficient time to think about each
question to provide an in-depth response. I took field notes to document my observations
of the participant’s responses, my thoughts, and my reactions to their responses
(Burkholder et al., 2019). The objective was to identify and establish patterns in the data,
interpret observations and findings, and analyze and synthesize the information while
avoiding biases.
Collecting accurate information was an essential component of the data analysis
plan. I used the transcribe feature in the Office 365 version of Microsoft Word, as well as
the transcription service Otter.ai to transfer the audio-recorded statements to a text-based
format (Burkholder et al., 2019). I transferred the recording into a Microsoft Word
document and saved it on my computer. I ensured that I used a pseudonym to keep
participants anonymous and the data secure. To ensure the trustworthiness of the data,
participants were allowed to review the transcripts to determine if all the data collected
was accurate or if they would like to retract or add more valuable input. Upon completion
of the interview process, I conducted a debriefing session with the participants to inform
them of the next steps in the research study and provided them with the ability to
comment on the findings. This was a crucial aspect of the data collection process as it
allowed me the opportunity to express my gratitude for their contribution to my research
study, provide follow-up instructions if needed, and formally conclude their participation
in the study.
Data Analysis Plan
After conducting the qualitative research interviews, the next step in the research
study was the complex task of data analysis (Alsaawi, 2014). The data captured during
the semistructured interview process included in-depth information about the
participant’s experiences, perceptions, opinions, feelings, and knowledge that were
gathered through open-ended questions and probes (Patton, 2015). The data includes
direct quotes that provided sufficient context for interpretation (Alsaawi, 2014; Patton,
2015). The data analysis process included examining the data, identifying themes and
patterns, and synthesizing the outcomes using open, axial, and selective coding
techniques (Burkholder et al., 2019). The data collected directly connected with
answering the research question: What are the lived experiences of K–12 education
leaders in creating digital transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning
environment to online learning during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic?
The qualitative data analysis process involved transcribing the audio interviews
from spoken data into a written form that could be coded (Alsaawi, 2014; Saldaña, 2021).
This involved identifying and extracting the ideas that were relevant to the research
question. Saldaña (2021) defined the term code in qualitative analysis as “a word or short
phrase that symbolically assigns a summative, salient, essence-capturing, and/or
evocative attribute for a portion of language-based or visual data” (p. 5). Coding engages
the researcher in identifying the unit of analysis based on the research question and the
interpretation of each segment of data collected. For this research study, I used the
transcribe feature in the Office 365 version of Microsoft Word, as well as the
transcription service Otter.ai to transcribe the interviews to help facilitate a more efficient
coding process. However, I still familiarized myself with the data and verified the
transcripts against the original audio file (Robson & McCartan, 2016).
According to Ravitch and Carl (2019), as researchers read through their data
during the analytic process, they should be mindful of patterns, variations of experiences
among participants and subgroups, and the contextual setting’s role in shaping the data
and providing valuable insight to the researcher. Saldaña (2021) postulates that the
“amount of data coded during the first-cycle coding processes can vary widely from just a
single word to a complete paragraph, an entire page of text, or even a continuous stream
of moving images” (p. 5). During the second phase of coding, the coded portions can
range from individual units to longer text passages, as well as include analytical memos
and even modifications to the existing codes (Saldaña, 2021, p. 5). According to Saldaña
(2021), first-cycle coding involves analyzing and breaking things down, while
secondcycle coding involves synthesizing and creating new meaning.
The next step in the data analysis plan was determining a computer-based solution
to help organize, code, and analyze the data. Several computer software options are
available on the market that are specifically designed for researchers to analyze
qualitative data (Robson & McCartan, 2016). These software solutions are CAQDAS,
computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (Robson & McCartan, 2016). One
such software program that I used is Dedoose, which is designed to help with qualitative
data analysis. This robust software program offers qualitative researchers an efficient way
to gather, arrange, and analyze extensive data from multiple sources.
The basis of this data analysis process is the thematic analysis approach, a popular
method for identifying patterns and themes in transcripts through coding and analyzing
the data (Alsaawi, 2014). Robson and McCartan (2016) recommend the following
thematic coding approach for qualitative analysis:
•“A generic approach not necessarily linked to a particular (or any) theoretical
perspective.
•All, or parts of, the data are coded (e.g., identified as representing something
of potential interest) and labeled.
•Codes with the same label are grouped together as a theme.
•Codes and themes occurring in the data can be determined inductively from
reviewing the data and/or from relevance to your research questions, previous
research, or theoretical considerations.
•The themes then serve as a basis for further data analysis and interpretation.
•Makes substantial use of summaries of the themes, supplemented by matrices,
network maps, flow charts, and diagrams.
•Can be used on a purely descriptive or exploratory basis, or within a variety of
theoretical frameworks” (p. 461).
To successfully code, I analyzed the transcripts using a researcher’s analytics
perspective (Saldaña, 2021). When examining the transcripts, my primary objective was
to establish the unit of analysis within the data. This would clarify which aspect of the
data analysis to focus on for coding. The thematic analysis approach involved identifying
the codes, patterns, categories, and themes that were derived from formulating contextual
meanings from the data, which allowed me to gain valuable insights into the phenomenon
by describing the perspectives and experiences of the participants (Robson & McCartan,
2016; Saldaña, 2021). While this process is an iterative approach, I continued to review
the transcripts from the interviews and reflective journals, went through the first-cycle
and second-cycle coding, and organized the codes into categories and themes to make
sense of the data (Robson & McCartan, 2016; Saldaña, 2021). I used the triangulation
method to ensure the trustworthiness of the data (Patton, 2015).
Issues of Trustworthiness
Credibility
Trustworthiness involves interaction with participants in establishing a sound
relationship that brings confidence and trust in being open and forthright in sharing
information about a phenomenon of interest. The four criteria of trustworthiness in
qualitative research are when a study exudes credibility, transferability, dependability,
and confirmability (Burkholder et al., 2019; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). In qualitative
research, the researcher plays a crucial role in collecting data, and establishing
trustworthiness is essential for ensuring the credibility of the research findings and
interpretations (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016; Patton, 2015). The credibility of the data can
be influenced by the amount of time spent at the research site, conducting interviews, and
promoting strong connections with participants (Patton, 2015). To ensure credibility in
the data, the researcher must be transparent in reporting the research findings and data
analysis (Rubin & Rubin, 2012).
Although qualitative researchers cannot attain an objective “truth” or “reality,”
there are several strategies that they can use to enhance the credibility of their findings
(Rubin & Rubin, 2012). Such strategies involve “prolonged engagement, persistent
observation, peer debriefing negative case analysis, progressive subjectivity, member
checking, triangulation, and reflexivity” (Guba & Lincoln, 1989, Merriam & Tisdell,
2016, as cited in Burkholder et al., 2019). One of the strategies that I used to determine
the credibility of the data for this study was member checking. According to Burkholder
et al. (2019), member checking involves having participants examine the data, like
transcripts, and providing feedback on new findings. This strategy helped foster a
positive relationship with the participants by involving them in the data analysis process.
I also employed triangulation, which involved analyzing multiple sources to verify the
data through observations that were made at different times or from different locations or
from interviews conducted with individuals who had a different perspective on the
phenomenon of interest (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Transferability
The concept of transferability is often referred to as a form of external validity
(Gunawan, 2015). In qualitative research, transferability refers to the degree to which the
study results, taken from a sample, can be generalizable to the broader population being
studied (Burkholder et al., 2019). To ensure transparency in the research process, I
maintained field notes that contained step-by-step information on how the research study
was conducted including data collection and analysis (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). The
strategy I used was reflexivity to capture my reflections in my journal on my biases and
subjectivity while interviewing participants (Burkholder et al., 2019; Patton, 2015). To
ensure trustworthiness, this strategy can help reduce the effect of researcher bias
(Gunawan, 2015).
My research study includes a detailed account of the participant selection process
and an overview of the interview guide that I used to capture participants’ lived
experiences. This thick description of my research report includes field notes, interview
transcripts, and documents (Burkholder et al., 2019). Thick description entails providing
comprehensive descriptions of the research setting and participants and providing
pertinent evidence to substantiate key findings (Burkholder et al., 2019, p. 93). The rich
and detailed data (Rubin & Rubin, 2012) found in this study can be transferable to other
studies focused on K–12 education leaders’ perspectives on creating digital
transformation strategies in the education system.
Dependability
Dependability in qualitative research is like reliability in quantitative research
(Burkholder et al., 2019; Kakar et al., 2023; Patton, 2015). Dependability shows evidence
of consistent results in data collection, analysis, and reporting (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The objective of dependability is to focus on the researchers’ ability to ensure that the
process is “logical, traceable, and documented” (Patton, 2015, p. 685). If the research
study was replicated with the same procedures, participants, and settings, it would
generate similar results and confirm the study’s dependability (Kakar et al., 2023).
To ensure the trustworthiness of the data in my research study, there are multiple
strategies that I employed to show evidence of dependability. Inquiry audit and
triangulation are two methods that were used to demonstrate the reliability of the research
study. Inquiry audits are often called “audit trails” and are generally derived from
researchers’ field notes, memos, and reflection journals to record and document the
decisions made during the research study (Burkholder et al., 2019). As part of my
instrumentation, I used the Voice Memos application on my laptop to record each
interview; Otter.ai, and Microsoft Word to transcribe the data, and Dedoose to analyze
the data. These tools allowed me to capture the participants’ responses accurately and
record how the study was conducted so that other researchers could replicate it.
Triangulation involves using multiple sources, such as interviews, observations, or
documents, to validate a claim (Burkholder et al., 2019). To ensure the trustworthiness of
my research study, I employed the triangulation strategy to confirm that my data were
reliable and consistent. This involved using multiple sources to collect, analyze, and
report my data to strengthen the evidence.
Confirmability
In qualitative research, confirmability is similar to objectivity in quantitative
research, and it is designed to ensure that the data and the interpretations of the study are
not simply figments of the researcher’s imagination (Patton, 2015). To ensure
trustworthiness in qualitative research, confirmability refers to the extent to which the
researcher remains unbiased during the interview, data collection, and analysis process
(Kakar et al., 2023). The goal of quantitative research is to achieve objectivity by
minimizing the researcher’s involvement in the study, thereby ensuring that the findings
remain unbiased and independent from any researcher bias (Burkholder et al., 2019).
However, qualitative research recognizes the potential for researcher subjectivity, where
its methods must be rooted in procedures, analyses, and conclusions that can be verified
(Burkholder et al., 2019).
In this research study, I remained impartial during the interview process and, to
ensure reliability, created an audit trail detailing the steps taken to collect, categorize, and
code the data (Burkholder et al., 2019). The primary goal of qualitative
phenomenological research is to shift the focus away from the researcher and onto the
participants, thereby taking account of their experience with the phenomenon of interest.
It was crucial for this process to accurately reflect the participant’s responses to avoid any
potential influence from researcher bias and maintain the integrity of their lived
experience with the phenomenon. Since reflexivity is an integral component of the
research process, it was important to incorporate it into every stage of the study
(Dodgson, 2019). To maintain transparency and achieve confirmability, I captured the
essence of the experience in the form of field notes and reflective journal writing.
Ethical Procedures
The trustworthiness of all research depends on the fundamental ethical principles
that ensure the validity and reliability of the data. Qualitative researchers must exercise
caution when collecting data to avoid bias and adhere to ethical guidelines that apply to
human participants (Burkholder et al., 2019). To conform with U.S. federal regulations
and Walden University’s ethical standards, the IRB ensures ethical compliance and the
safety of human participants, researchers, and the institution (Burkholder et al., 2019;
Walden University, n.d.). All studies affiliated with Walden University must undergo an
ethics review, and researchers must obtain proposal approval from IRB before they can
begin recruitment, collecting data, or accessing data sets (Walden University, n.d.). Part
of the review process requires that doctoral students complete Form A so that the IRB can
offer personalized guidance on the specific forms and documentation that are required for
their study’s data sources and partner organization (Walden University, n.d.). This
process is important in phenomenological research as the data captured must be directly
from the participant’s perspective, making it essential to involve human subjects in the
research study.
All human participants in a research study must be treated with dignity and
respect. Rubin and Rubin (2012) emphasize the importance of being honest and
straightforward with your interviewees. Any type of deceit or misrepresentation of facts
is ethically wrong (Rubin & Rubin, 2012) and can cause a damaging reputation for the
researcher. Rubin and Rubin (2012) further suggest honoring your promise and ensuring
interviewees are not misled. If the interview guide provides a clause that reassures
interviewees that they will get access to the transcript, then the researcher should ensure
that they get it. If the researcher discussed keeping the interview confidential and
anonymous, then they should honor those promises (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). To build
trust and rapport with the interviewees, researchers must be prepared, remain positive,
and engage in active listening.
The primary concern of the IRB is to safeguard participant’s privacy, identity, and
confidentiality, shielding them from potential harm or risk that can be associated with the
research study (Burkholder et al., 2019; Patton, 2015). The IRB evaluates the informed
consent process, which stipulates the conditions of the research study, asking participants
to acknowledge their voluntary and informed decision to be involved in the study
(Burkholder et al., 2019). Burkholder et al. (2019) emphasized that “informed consent
should reflect three ethical principles identified in the Belmont Report, namely respect for
persons, beneficence, and justice” (p. 203). The consent form provided participants with
an overview of the purpose of the research study, the approximate length of time of the
study (45 – 60 minutes), an understanding of the researcher’s role as a data collection
instrument using field notes to capture the essence of the interview through reflective
journal, the participant’s role as the data source, a description of how the data will remain
confidential, their ability to obtain a copy of the transcript to validate the data collected, a
privacy statement that discussed how their identity and data will be protected, and a
clause that discussed their ability to withdraw from the study at any point without any
negative consequences (Burkholder et al., 2019). Participants also have the right to use
pseudonyms to disguise their real names and remain anonymous (Patton, 2015). I emailed
the informed consent form to participants to confirm their written approval for
participation in the research study. Participants provided informed consent through an
email response that indicated “I consent.”
The IRB is also in charge of assisting students in resolving ethical challenges and
organizing documentation from partner organizations ahead of time to minimize the
amount of feedback and revisions needed during the official ethics review (Walden
University, n.d.). The ethical concern regarding recruitment was ensuring that the
inclusion criteria were clearly stated on all communication mediums; email, flyer, or
social media posts to aid in the selection process (Walden University, n.d.-v). According
to Burkholder et al. (2019), “anonymity and confidentiality are two methods for
safeguarding privacy” (p. 206). To protect participants’ privacy and ensure the
confidentiality of data, I saved all documents on my personal computer, ensuring that all
data files did not include identifying information about the subjects and that each file was
password protected. All records of participants’ data will be disposed of after 5 years
using a secure method that is appropriate for destroying confidential materials. In
consideration of ethical issues that can arise, I did not use incentives to recruit
participants, nor include participants that were under 18 years of age or collect data from
my workplace, which can pose a conflict of interest.
Summary
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main points
that were discussed in Chapter 3 were the role of the researcher, the use of individual,
semistructured interviews as the primary data collection instrument, methods for
preventing researcher bias, the methodology used, and how participants were selected
through purposive and snowball sampling strategies. The instrumentation section outlined
the established inclusion criteria for participation in this study, implementing the use of
an interview protocol to help guide the interview, which included open-ended questions
with follow-up and probing questions that were designed to answer the research question.
The sample population included 11 K–12 education leaders, who were willing to discuss
their lived experiences with transforming their educational environment from face-to-face
to online learning amidst a global crisis. This study also included viable information on
recruitment, participation, data collection procedures, the data analysis plan, and issues of
trustworthiness in qualitative research stemming from four primary concepts: credibility,
transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The chapter concludes by discussing
ethical procedures and ensuring IRB approval before recruitment, data collection, and
analysis.
Chapter 4: Results
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study holds
significant importance as it addresses the gap in knowledge regarding K–12 education
leaders’ experiences in creating digital transformation strategies to enhance the learning
environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared perspectives on the strategies
adopted during the onset of the pandemic can help enrich education leaders’
understanding of the successes, challenges, and innovative approaches used to leverage
EdTech to support teaching and learning during and after the pandemic. The central
research question that supports this study is: What are the lived experiences of K–12
education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies to pivot the traditional
learning environment to online learning during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic?
The results from this study can assist K–12 education leaders in formulating
improved policies and procedures to bolster online learning opportunities during
unprecedented crises, inclement weather conditions, or as an alternative education option
for students who prefer online learning. In Chapter 4, I provide an overview of the
research setting, the participants’ demographics, and the data collection and analysis
process, followed by a discussion on the evidence of trustworthiness, and an in-depth
write-up on the study results. Lastly, I provide a summary of the chapter and a transition
into Chapter 5, which includes discussion of the findings, conclusions, and
recommendations.
Research Setting
I collected in-depth and rich phenomenological data by conducting semistructured
interviews with 11 K–12 education leaders who met specific inclusion criteria. To be
eligible to participate in the study, individuals needed to be a full-time employee at a
public, private, or charter K–12 education system during the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic in March 2020 to present. During this time, they needed to serve in one of the
following capacities: IT leader, principal, assistant principal, or administrator of a K–12
school system. Study participants were also required to be 18 years of age or older with a
primary language of English. Per the first criterion, participants needed to possess at least
5 years of experience in the IT field or hold decision-making roles within a K–12 school
system from 2019 to present. Participants were recruited after I received approval from
the Walden University IRB on May 2, 2024. Walden University’s approval number for
this study is 05-02-24-1010537. It expires on May 1, 2025.
Upon receipt of the approval letter from IRB, I used purposive and snowball
sampling techniques to recruit participants immediately within my professional and social
media network. I primarily used Facebook Groups, LinkedIn, Walden University
Participant Pool, and professional contacts to send the research study invitation. I also
sent approximately 173 direct messages through email and text messages to individuals in
my professional network with a recruitment letter (see Appendix A) and a copy of a
social media invitation (flyer; see Appendix B) to see if they were interested in
participating or willing to share my study information with their network. I posted my
flyer in several Facebook groups 2-3 times per week, as this required approval from the
group administrator before posting to the platform. My social media posting had the
potential of reaching thousands of members in the various groups. Once the participants
expressed interest in participating in my research study, I sent them an email expressing
my gratitude for their willingness to participate in my study to share their perspectives on
the phenomenon and for their contribution to the advancement of knowledge in an area
that is vital to the future of the education system. In the email message, I attached the
informed consent form that outlined the purpose of the study, the inclusion criteria, the
procedures, the voluntary nature of the study, possible risks and benefits of being in the
study, a statement that indicated there’s no payment for involvement, a privacy clause,
contact information, and procedures for obtaining consent. The email requested that
participants read the informed consent form, and if they understood the study and wished
to volunteer, they needed to respond to the email within 7 days with the words, “I
consent.”
Once the participants emailed me with their consent, I requested their availability
for an audio interview, which I projected would last between 45 and 60 min. The
interviews were conducted through Microsoft Teams or telephone calls to the
participants, and all interviews were audio-recorded using the Voice Memos application
on my computer. Participant interviews ranged in length from 36 to 79 min, with an
average interview time of 57 min. The semistructured, audio-recorded interviews allowed
me to explore participants’ lived experiences within their natural contexts, providing
them with open-ended questions that fostered a setting that was conducive to open
dialogue and reflection of their perceptions, being able to offer insights into their unique
perspectives and meanings that they attributed to the phenomena. These interviews
allowed me to delve deep into uncovering the essence and patterns associated with each
participant’s lived experiences.
Demographics
The participants for this research study consisted of 11 K–12 education leaders,
who all met the inclusion criteria, and held various school administrator roles in their
district such as principal, assistant principal, academic director, instructional technology
integrator, technology educator, EdTech specialist, and supervisor of EdTech in the
public, private, or charter school systems during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The participants provided rich and meaningful in-depth data on their lived experiences
with navigating the challenges posed on the education system during the crises. They
were all actively engaged in implementing digital transformation strategies to pivot the
learning environment from the traditional brick-and-mortar education system to virtual
learning.
As part of the data collection process, each participant received a pseudonym to
protect their identity and ensure anonymity (Itzik & Walsh, 2023). The pseudonym given
was a combination of alpha-numeric characters using the letters RP for “Research
Participant” and a number sequence that aligned with the order in which each interview
was conducted (e.g., RP1, RP2, RP3, etc.). The education leaders who participated in the
research study consisted of 73% female and 27% male. The participants held various
roles in the K–12 education system during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
their duties and responsibilities grew over time, leading many of them to promotions in
their fields. The different types of educational leadership positions held by each
administrator demonstrate their extensive experience in the K–12 education system and
their widespread understanding of how to address challenges that are unique to their
school environment. The vast number of years in which the participants worked for the
education system ranged from 11 to 40 years, in which the number of years of service
shows their commitment to the field of education. The diverse participant group
showcased their perspectives on navigating the storms of uncertainties they faced during
the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, enabling effective decision-making when
transitioning their school environment from face-to-face to online learning. The education
leaders represented seven public schools, two private schools, an educational service
provider, and one education leader started at a charter school and then transitioned to the
public school system. The participant’s geographic locations throughout the United States
ranged from Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. The participant
demographics and characteristics are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Participants’ Demographics and Characteristics
Participant Gender Role No. of
years in
K–12
Type of school Location
RP1 Male Grant compliance specialist
(school-based and district
administrator), middle
school assistant principal
13 Public school Florida
RP2 Female Assistant principal, principal
(middle and high school)
11 Private school Florida
RP3 Male Assistant principal 20 Private school Florida
RP4 Female Special educator 25 Public school New York
RP5 Male Director of state and federal
evaluation, high school
principal
22 Public school New York
RP6 Female Academic director 29 Public school New York
RP7 Female Instructional technology
integrator, elementary
assistant principal
25 Public school Pennsylvania
RP8 Female Technology specialist 40 Public school Texas
RP9 Female Director of curriculum,
director of technology
integration, principal
Charter school,
public school
Wisconsin
RP10 Female Educational technology
specialist, supervisor of
educational technology
services
18 Educational
service
providers
Pennsylvania
RP11 Female Instructional technology coach,
assistant principal, principal,
educational technology
specialist
12 Educational
service
providers
Pennsylvania
Note. K–12 = kindergarten through Grade 12.
Data Collection
In qualitative research, most of the data is collected through interviews (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016) and the interview process is an invaluable data collection tool. For this
study, I used purposive and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 11 education leaders
in the K–12 school system who met the established criteria and shared common
experiences with the phenomenon. The data were collected from 18% of participants in
my professional network, 27% of participants from various Facebook Groups, 36% of
participants from referrals, and 9% of participants from the Walden University
Participant Pool. The participants all responded to the informed consent via email with
the words “I consent,” along with their availability for an interview. Thereafter,
participants received a calendar meeting notice scheduled in Microsoft Outlook with an
appreciation note, the interview date, time, and medium (e.g., Microsoft Teams calendar
invite).
Twenty individuals expressed interest in participating in the research study.
However, two of them did not meet the established criteria, one did not accept because
there was no monetary reward, four provided their consent to participate, but did not
respond to schedule an interview, and two said they would participate, but did not
provide their consent. Some unexpected circumstances occurred during the recruitment
process, where I expected to recruit more participants from my professional network, but
they did not engage in my research study. Some participants initially committed to being
involved, and then unexpectedly the communication ceased. A limitation of this study
was the timing of the year in which I was trying to recruit participants. The months of
May and June are very busy times of the year for administrators as they are working
diligently to ensure a successful end of the school year. As a result, I had to adapt and
implement new recruitment strategies to increase the visibility of my research study,
which led to 11 scheduled interviews.
The key driving factor in the data collection process was establishing a good
rapport with each of the participants. This was a crucial component of the interview
process as it helped to create trust and set the tone of the conversation to allow
participants who were geographically dispersed to feel comfortable sharing openly and
honestly. The primary data collection method was semistructured interviews with nine
open-ended and probing questions, that were conducted using Microsoft Teams or
telephone calls to the participants. This was a slight deviation from the plan that was
stated in Chapter 3 to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams. However, the slight deviation in the
interview medium did not alter the accuracy of the data. While technology is great, there
were a few instances where either I or the participants experienced unforeseen technical
issues and had to resort to calling the participants directly to conduct the interview. In
other instances, participants felt more comfortable with a phone call. Zoom was not
chosen as the web-based conference tool, as the free account has a 40-minute limitation,
which was not ideal for my proposed interview time. However, for those interviews
conducted on Microsoft Teams, I asked the participants to not share their cameras, and I
turned mine off as well, to honor the informed consent for an audio interview and ensure
the protection of their identity.
The education leaders who participated in this research study gave, on average,
50–60 min of their time to participate in an audio-recorded, semistructured interview. I
received IRB approval to begin the final study stage on May 2, 2024, and started the data
collection process on May 8, 2024, with RP1. The interview that took the least amount of
time was with RP3 for 36 min, and the longest interview was with RP10 for 1 hr. 19 min.
The average time spent on interviews was 57 min. The interview protocol (see Appendix
C) was used to capture data on the interview, the interview/recording medium, the start
and end time of the interview, the name of the interviewee, their educational leadership
role, the school district they worked for, a brief introduction of the study and the
interviewee’s consent to their involvement in the study, a statement that notified
participants of the voluntary nature of this study, and their ability to withdraw at any
time, followed by nine primary interview questions and probes, in which the response to
the first question was not recorded as it asked participants to share their name, title, and
location. The interview concluded with expressing gratitude to the participant for their
involvement in the study and providing them with an opportunity to share any additional
information before bringing the interview to a close.
During the interview process, I collected, organized, and analyzed the
interviewee’s perceptions of the phenomenon while avoiding biases through reflexivity
(Burkholder et al., 2019). Participants were also made aware of the next step in the
process, which was transcribing the data to ensure that I captured their experience with
the phenomenon and provided the transcript upon their request for review. Member
checking was the process used to allow participants to engage with the data, make
adjustments as necessary, and provide feedback on what they encountered during their
examination of the data (Burkholder et al., 2019). The interview data collection log can
be found in Table 2.
Table 2
Interview Data Collection Log
Participant Date and time of Duration Interview/recording medium Recruitment method
interview (minutes)
RP1 05/08/2024, 7:00 p.m. 73 Cell phone/Voice Memos app Professional
network
RP2 05/14/2024, 1:30 p.m. 54 Microsoft Teams/Voice Memos
app
Professional
network
RP3 05/20/2024, 6:09 p.m. 36 Cell phone/Voice Memos app Facebook Group
RP4 05/23/2024, 4:36 p.m. 50 Cell phone/Voice Memos app Referral
RP5 06/08/2024, 9:03 a.m. 59 Cell phone, Voice Memos app Referral
RP6 06/08/2024, 1:21 p.m. 51 Cell phone, Voice Memos app Facebook Group
RP7 06/10/2024, 10:05 a.m. 51 Cell phone, Voice Memos app Facebook Group
RP8 06/14/2024, 7:05 p.m. 54 Cell phone, Voice Memos app Walden Participant
Pool
RP9 06/18/2024, 11:09 a.m. 69 Microsoft Teams/Voice Memos app Facebook Group
RP10 06/19/2024, 3:03 p.m. 79 Microsoft Teams/Voice Memos
app
Referral
RP11 06/21/2024, 7:06 a.m. 56 Microsoft Teams/Voice Memos
app
Referral
The ability to build a positive rapport with participants at the beginning of the
interview process helped foster a more meaningful relationship between the researcher
and participants and it enhanced the quality of the data collected by fostering a dynamic
and engaged interaction. The data collection process continued until data saturation was
met, which was accomplished after eight interviews with the participants. However, I
continued to interview three additional participants to ensure that no new themes or
redundant data were derived from the interviews (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Each
interview was transcribed and reviewed several times for accuracy and familiarity with
the data. Member checking was conducted with each participant, where they received a
copy of the transcript by email to ensure the validity of their responses and that it
accurately reflected the conversation in the interview. To enhance the trustworthiness of
the research process, participants were given the opportunity to provide comments,
corrections, or additional insights. All the participants were satisfied with the outcome of
the transcript and did not provide any further changes. Thereafter, the data were
transcribed for thematic analysis to extract contextual meaning from the data.
Data Analysis
The qualitative phenomenological research design provides various ways for
researchers to gain insight into the lived experiences of people affected by a phenomenon
(Burkholder et al., 2019). The way that people interpret and give meaning to their
experiences and how they construct their world are central concerns of a researcher
conducting a basic qualitative study, according to Merriam and Tisdell (2016, p. 23). The
central phenomenon of this study focuses on the lived experiences of K–12 education
leaders navigating through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which
caused them to alter their school systems, and create a need to transform the brick-
andmortar learning landscape into online learning. To capture the essence of their
experience with the phenomenon, the primary data collection method was in-depth,
semistructured interviews that was conducted with 11 participants.
The qualitative data analysis process for this research study involved several steps
that included gathering all the interview transcripts for data collection, transcribing the
interview data from the audio files to written form using Otter.ai as the transcription
service, conducting a thorough examination, review, and editing of the data in preparation
for data analysis. I used Dedoose as the qualitative data analysis software for line-by-line
coding to assist with organizing the transcripts, participant demographic information, and
visualizing the data. The benefit of using a computer program is that it allows the
researcher to assign codes to pieces of the data and then provides the ability to retrieve all
the relevant data that has been assigned to that code (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). After
immersing myself in the data and becoming very familiar with the
transcripts and reflective journal notes, I then conducted first and second-cycle coding of
the data through an inductive (bottom-up) coding approach and evaluated each segment
of the transcripts that was relevant to the research question to reduce it to smaller pieces.
According to Saldaña (2021), the initial coding process can involve coding the
raw data as a single word to an entire paragraph, or even a whole page of text. The units
of analysis were based on a combination of In Vivo and inductive coding that reflected
my interpretation of the responses given by each research participant in answering the
interview questions. Open coding was used to identify the key concepts or phrases in the
data, in which a code was used to label each of the words or phrases. Coding the data is
an iterative process, in which second-cycle coding was done to further synthesize the data
to give it more meaning (Saldaña, 2021). The coding process is designed to engage the
researcher in identifying the unit of analysis based on the research question and
interpretation of each segment of data collected. The next step in coding the data was
identifying codes that have similar labels or patterns that can be placed into categories to
derive core themes that emerge from the data. I conducted the second-cycle coding to
ensure that there were no redundant codes in the data and consolidated codes where
necessary. Re-examining the codes was an essential process as it helped in determining
data saturation after no new codes emerged. The final step is synthesizing the outcomes
from open, axial, and selective coding techniques to extract the meaning, address the
research question and ensure it aligns with the STS theory and DBT conceptual
framework (Burkholder et al., 2019).
Specific Codes, Categories, and Themes Emerged from the Data
For this qualitative phenomenological research study, I used thematic analysis to
derive contextual meaning from the data. “Thematic analysis is a method for identifying,
analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data” (Braun & Clarke, 2006, p.79).
There was a total of 11 interviews conducted over a span of 6 weeks. To transcribe the
data, I used the Otter.ai software program. I uploaded the transcribed data into Dedoose
to begin the data analysis process. From the 11 participants, there were a total of 51 codes
that emerged from the data, in which 1,278 excerpts were coded. The codes were then
exported from Dedoose into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, where the code application
worksheet identified all the codes and the frequency in which each code was used by the
participants (see Table 3). I then used Microsoft Word to organize the codes into clusters
based on the relevancy of the data (see Table 4).
Table 3
Conceptual Codes RP1 RP2 RP3 RP4 RP5 RP6 RP7 RP8 RP9 RP10 RP11
Creating Digital Transformation Strategies
(RQ1)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Theme 1 – Pivoting the Traditional Educational
Environment to Online Learning During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Make learning easier for teachers and students" 2 6 4 0 0 0 3 2 2 0 0
"The new normal" 2 2 0 1 3 1 3 0 1 0 0
Actions taken on the onset of COVID-19 3 2 5 7 0 0 6 4 1 2 0
Lack of student involvement 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
Learning continuity plan 3 2 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Learning gain and learning loss 3 8 2 0 1 4 0 2 2 0 1
Senior teachers / teachers’ perception of the
learning environment
2 2 4 7 3 3 1 6 2 0 0
Teaching and learning post COVID-19 14 8 7 1 8 3 2 1 1 5 2
Traditional and digital pedagogy 14 2 3 2 7 0 5 5 4 4 1
Theme 2 – Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic
and the Influence on Societal Needs
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
COVID-19 Protocols and Mandates 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 2 4 3 2
Code Application by Participants
Conceptual Codes RP1 RP2 RP3 RP4 RP5 RP6 RP7 RP8 RP9 RP10 RP11
Community Support 3 0 0 1 0 2 9 2 1 6 15
Digital divide - The Haves and Have Nots 4 2 1 6 3 1 1 2 4 3 5
Low socio-economic status (SES) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 4 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 3 3 3
Mental Health Support 6 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 1 0 1
Uncertainty and fear of length of pandemic 10 1 0 0 1 0 2 3 3 1 2
Understanding student needs 6 3 2 4 4 5 3 2 1 5 4
Working in survival mode 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 3 0
Theme 3 – Leveraging Digital Technologies for
Online Learning in the K–12 Education System
to Sustain School Operation
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Aversion to technology" 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
AI in education 1 3 0 2 6 0 5 0 1 3 0
IT Department 0 3 4 0 0 2 5 0 2 1 0
Technological Advancements 5 12 1 3 6 1 5 0 0 0 1
Technological education support 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 2 4
Using technology with a purpose 2 2 5 0 5 2 2 4 2 1 2
Virtual/Hybrid Learning Environment 17 6 7 2 8 4 8 2 8 12 9
Web-based solutions 0 1 3 0 4 0 2 3 3 2 2
Theme 4 – Emergency Economic Response to
an Unprecedented Global Crisis
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Education Technologies 7 5 1 1 2 2 0 2 3 2 4
Elementary & Secondary School Emergency
Relief (ESSER)Fund
2 2 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 2 1
Financial implications of technology 11 1 4 0 2 1 1 1 5 4 2
Learning Management Systems (LMS) 6 6 21 4 4 5 8 0 0 5 1
Professional Development 3 0 0 4 0 2 8 0 0 4 4
Training 4 0 4 3 0 5 7 8 4 1 0
Theme 5 – K–12 Education Leaders
Perspectives on the Challenges and Benefits of
Adopting Digital Transformation Strategies
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brainstorming and Collaboration 2 0 2 2 1 5 4 1 3 4 0
Challenges 3 9 4 1 6 6 2 3 2 0 6
Communication 1 0 0 3 1 8 5 6 4 2 8
Conflict among leaders 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 0
Creating digital transformation strategies 2 9 2 1 2 7 8 2 7 9 3
Education Leaders involvement and
decisionmaking
10 18 8 5 11 6 7 5 4 7 6
Ensuring access to digital technology 3 2 1 5 1 0 6 1 11 5 3
Leadership roles 3 5 0 3 2 3 3 3 6 3 1
Lessons learned 0 3 0 0 3 4 3 3 2 4 1
Proactive vs Reactive Approach 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 0
Resistance to change 0 9 1 0 1 5 3 0 2 2 2
Specific needs and strategic goals 0 0 0 4 1 3 0 1 5 3 0
Transformative Experience and Resilient
Adaptation
2 1 6 3 2 7 4 2 6 6 3
The step-by-step coding process generated five categories that contained patterns
and trends that were based on the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating
digital transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment to online
learning during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data that
emerged from the codes were grouped into categories to ultimately develop themes that
would emerge from the analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). In axial coding, the goal is to
group the related codes into categories and then examine the data to determine the
connections and relationships between categories (Saldaña, 2021). During this phase, it is
essential to be flexible when delving deeper into the data analysis to effectively go
through the process of grouping and regrouping codes. The first category was focused on
educational changes in which 231 codes had emerged from the data. The second category
is financial structured solutions which contained 194 codes. The third category was
technological solution which contained 218 codes. The fourth category in which 439
codes emerged from was emergency educational think tanks. The last category was social
impact which consisted of 197 codes. The numbers next to each code in Table 4 represent
the frequency in which the codes were used to describe participants’ lived experiences
Table 4
Organization of the Data Into Codes, Categories, and Themes
Category 1: Category 2: Category 3: Category 4: Category 5: Social
Educational Financial Structured Technological Emergency Impact (197)
Changes (231) Solutions (194) Solutions (218) Educational Think
Tanks (439)
Theme 1 – Pivot to
Online Learning
During the COVID19
Pandemic
Subtheme 1a –
Emergency
Economic Response
to an Unprecedented
Global Crisis
Subtheme 1b –
Leveraging of
Digital
Technologies for
Online Learning in
the K–12 Education
System to Sustain
School Operation
Theme 2 – K–12
Education Leaders
Perspectives on the
Challenges and
Benefits of
Adopting Digital
Transformation
Strategies
Theme 5 –
Navigation of the
COVID-19
Pandemic and its
Influence on
Societal Needs
"Make learning easier
for teachers and
students" (19)
"The new normal" (13)
Actions taken on the
onset of COVID-19
(30)
Lack of student
involvement (6)
Learning continuity
plan (11)
Learning gain and
learning loss (23) Senior
teachers / teachers’
perception of the
learning environment
(30) Teaching and
learning post COVID-
19 (52) Traditional and
digital pedagogy (47)
Elementary &
Secondary School
Emergency Relief
(ESSER)Fund (12)
Financial
implications of
technology (32)
Professional
Development (25)
Training (36)
EdTech (29)
Learning Management
System (LMS) (60)
AI in education (21)
"Aversion to
technology" (4) IT
Department (17)
Technological
Advancements (34)
Technological
education support (12)
Using technology with a
purpose (27)
Virtual/Hybrid
Learning Environment
(83)
Web-based solutions
(20
Challenges (42)
Conflict among leaders
(7)
Brainstorming and
Collaboration (24)
Communication (38)
Creating digital
transformation
strategies (52) Ensuring
access to digital
technology (38)
Leadership roles (32)
Lessons learned (23)
Proactive vs Reactive
Approach (12)
Resistance to change
(25)
Specific needs and
strategic goals (17)
Education Leaders
involvement and
decision-making (87)
Transformative
Experience and
Resilient Adaptation
(42)
COVID-19 Protocols
and Mandates (18)
Digital divide -The
Haves and Have Nots
(32)
Low socio-economic
status (SES) (5)
Mental Health Support
(13)
Uncertainty and fear
of length of pandemic
(23)
Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs (19)
Community Support
(39)
Understanding student
needs (39)
Working in survival
mode (9)
The data in each of these categories were further analyzed to represent three
related themes and two subthemes. These were created based on the responses from the
interview questions with each participant, which ultimately addresses the central research
question for this study. Rubin & Rubin (2012) suggests that the richness of the data
allows you to keep “generating new themes and fine-grained analysis” which is intended
to provide solid evidence to help answer the research question (p. 70). The themes that
emerged from the data are (a) pivot to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
(with the two subthemes of emergency economic response to an unprecedented global
crisis and leveraging of digital technologies for online learning in the K–12 education
system to sustain school operations), (b) education leaders’ perspectives on the
challenges and benefits of adopting digital transformation strategies, and (c) navigation of
the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on societal needs (see Table 5).
Table 5
Themes, Subthemes, and Categories
Theme/subtheme Category No. of
participants
f of codes
1. Pivot to online learning during the COVID-
19 pandemic
Educational changes 11 231
a. Emergency economic response to an
unprecedented global crisis
Financial structured
solutions
11 194
b. Leveraging of digital technologies for
online learning in the K–12 education
system to sustain school operation
Technological solutions 11 218
2. K–12 education leaders’ perspectives on the
challenges and benefits of adopting digital
transformation strategies
Emergency educational
think tanks
11 439
3. Navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic and
its influence on societal needs
Social impact 11 197
Note. K–12 = kindergarten through Grade 12.
The data analysis process is designed to demonstrate how the data is interpreted
and what observations or conclusions are developed from the data collection, therefore
providing the qualitative researcher with contextual insights to address the research
question (Levitt et al., 2018). Table 6 provides examples of the thematic analysis process,
where examples of the research participants excerpt from the interview questions are
displayed to show how the data set was organized by identifying, analyzing, and
reporting how themes emerged from the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The illustration
describes the inductive approach taken to move from specific codes, categories, to
developing themes and subthemes.
Table 6
Example of Thematic Analysis Process for Mapping Excerpts to Themes/Subthemes
Interview excerpt Code Category Subtheme Theme
“But now that we have
experienced that, let’s say
something happens
tomorrow, at least we have
Canvas and we have
Google Meet, and
Microsoft Teams as a way
to deliver instructions that
they are used to.”
Teaching and learning
post
COVID-19
Educational
changes Pivot of online
learning
during the
COVID-19
pandemic
“I think we just had access to
everything, like all that
money was rolling in with
the ESSER funding, and
we were able to buy
everything and do
everything.”
Elementary and
Secondary School
Emergency Relief
(ESSER) Fund
Financial
structured
solutions
Emergency
economic
response to an
unprecedented
global crisis
“So, I remember there being
some options, there was
like Zoom, there was
Google Meets, there was
Teams.”
Web-based solutions Technological
solutions
Leveraging of
digital
technologies for
online learning
to sustain school
operations
“I would say that COVID
definitely propelled us
further and faster than we
would have gone, had it
not happened. So, I don't
think we would be at the
point we are now, if we
hadn't had to step on the
gas, and transform and
say, How can we do
almost everything digital if
we have to.”
Creation of digital
transformation
strategies
Emergency
educational
think tanks
K–12 education
leaders
perspectives
on the
challenges
and benefits
of adopting
digital
transformatio
n strategies
“Our district is a very, very
diverse socioeconomic
area. And so, we have lots
of kids that have their own
computers, phones, and
then we had lots and lots
of kids that had nothing,
like not a phone, not a
laptop, not a desktop,
nothing.”
Digital divide––the
haves and havenots
Social impact Navigation of the
COVID19
pandemic and
its influence
on societal
needs
The discrepant cases or unexpected outcomes that emerged from the data analysis
was an overarching emphasis on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in which the theory
suggests that humans must satisfy their most fundamental needs prior to addressing the
more complex needs (Shoib et al., 2022). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses on five
areas: (a) physiological needs, (b) safety and security, (c) love and belonging, (d)
selfesteem, and (e) self-actualization (Shoib et al., 2022). During the COVID-19
pandemic there was a strong focus on providing families with basic needs such as food,
shelter, safety, family well-being, and job security. Illustrating this emphasis, RP10
stated, It’s for the safety of everyone. And I think that really was the turn when you think
about Maslow, the Maslow hierarchy, we have to kind of be aware of everyone’s safety
and the safest place for everyone was to be locked in their house. Because we did not
know. As we started to learn more, then we were like, okay, these are the concessions
you make.
RP11 stated:
And it’s like that, hierarchy of needs, like, Maslow’s, like, you’re just trying to
survive, and you’re trying to think about, is my family going to be okay, do I need
to wash my groceries before I put them in my refrigerator? Do I send my kid in a
mask? Is it safe? Is it not safe? Should I get a vaccine? Should I not get a vaccine?
Well, if I don’t, what will happen? Is my grandma, okay, like, people were just in
a really awful headspace.
RP9 stated: “So that was our main concern, wasn’t so much instruction, as 100%. But
let’s pause for a moment to make sure that our families are healthy, okay, have food to
eat, can pay their bills, that sort of thing.”
While these excerpts do not specifically address the research question, it was
mentioned nineteen times by 64% of the participants. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was
an unintended finding that cultivated the participants lived experience with the
phenomenon and shaped their vision on how to navigate this unprecedented crisis to
ensure the mental health and stability of the educational community. According to RP6:
“I think even though it was a crisis, we could have slowed it down. But that’s in
hindsight, it was a very emotionally charged time.” While administrators were focused on
transitioning their brick-and-mortar schools to online learning, there was a deep concern
about social anxiety in students that manifested through habitual use of digital
technology, in addition to concerns about educator burnout as the transition was difficult
for some. The distress with individuals’ physical health declining during this crisis,
impacted their ability to mobilize within their social circles, leading to a decline in their
mental health, which ultimately had a ripple effect on their fundamental needs (Shoib et
al., 2022).
Evidence of Trustworthiness
Credibility
In qualitative research, credibility involves the trustworthiness, authenticity, and
validity of the research results (Vella, 2024). Credibility is designed to enhance the
fidelity of the data collection process and ensure that the researcher reduces the
possibility of bias or any subjective experience that can change the participants
perceptions of the phenomenon. In this research study, the raw data were collected
through interviews with 11 participants, then transcribed using a transcription service.
The focus was on the participants lived experiences with the phenomenon and was
captured through questions that were established in the interview guide. Participants
involvement was crucial to the data collection process and required building a positive
rapport with each participant to gather as much detail about their shared experience.
According to Rubin and Rubin (2012), credibility also demonstrates how effectively the
researcher carried out the research.
To reinforce the credibility of the data (e.g., that it was accurate and trustworthy),
I used two techniques: member-checking and triangulation. Member-checking has been
traditionally used to verify how accurately a researcher has captured the participants
viewpoints (Vella, 2024). After reading each transcript several times and ensuring that
the participants experiences were captured accurately, each participant was provided a
copy of the transcript via email for review as part of the member-checking process to
ensure the validity of the information collected and that it truthfully reflected our
conversation. Participants were provided with the opportunity to provide feedback,
corrections, or additional insights to share regarding their experiences.
To further assess the credibility of my findings, I used a reflective journal to
document my thoughts, feelings, and reactions to participants responses, while also
capturing any personal bias. Triangulation was an effective strategy to use to increase the
credibility and validity of the findings through cross-checking of multiple sources such as
the semistructured interview transcripts, reflective journal notes and document analysis
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). I used triangulation to verify the trustworthiness of my
research and to ensure that my data were reliable and consistent with the participants’
lived experiences.
Transferability
Transparency is a crucial attribute in qualitative research, and it is essential in
understanding the approach the researcher used to obtain their reported results (Rubin &
Rubin, 2012; Shufutinsky, 2020). The need for transparency in the research process is
vital as it encourages and motivates the researcher to have an in-depth understanding of
the data when writing up their findings (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). Transferability was
demonstrated by providing a rich and detailed description of the research process (Rubin
& Rubin, 2012) and how it encapsulated the participants lived experiences with creating
digital transformation strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic. To ensure that the data captured was transparent, I maintained a reflective
journal which captured the process I followed to conduct this research study, thereby
allowing a clear description for anyone to follow (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). For this
research study, I recruited participants from my professional network, the Walden
University Participant Pool, as well as through social media groups. The participants held
various leadership roles, they were located in different places throughout the United
States, and worked for the public, private, charter school systems, and educational service
providers. The excerpts from this study showed the diverse population that the
participants served and the connection with their experiences in undergoing a devastating
crisis. The similarity in the data produced was instrumental in reaching data saturation.
Dependability
Dependability is another concept used to assess rigor in qualitative research and it
is a way for researchers to develop validity methods that aligns with the research question
and conceptual framework (Ravitch & Carl, 2019). Dependability commonly refers to the
stability of the data and the process that was taken by the researcher to conduct the
research study (Ravitch & Carl, 2019). The idea for this concept is to be able to have the
research study replicated by other researchers, given a detailed outline of how the study
was conducted. In this research study, dependability was achieved through audit trails
and triangulation which helped establish credibility and trustworthiness of the data. The
detailed audit trail and field notes were captured in my reflective journal, which included
all field notes, memos, observations, and document analysis that were captured during the
data collection and analysis process.
Confirmability
The trustworthiness of all research study relies on the researcher’s ability to
accurately represent a true account of the participants experiences without contributing
any biases to their interpretation of the data. Confirmability refers to how the result from
the study is influenced by the participants inputs on their experiences with the
phenomenon, and not the researcher’s subjective biases, motivation, or interest (Hagood
& Skinner, 2015). To increase the validity of my findings, I employed member-checking
by sending a copy of the transcripts to the participants to ensure I captured the true
essence of their experiences. I also maintained an audit trail with detailed descriptions of
the process I followed, ensuring that I conveyed an accurate account of the participants
experiences in my findings and not impose any of my personal bias on the data. To
further achieve confirmability, I engaged in reflexive processes by keeping memos on
information about my topic and an ongoing reflective journal that captured my thoughts,
ideas, and findings as I immersed myself in the data collection process (Ravitch & Carl,
2019).
Study Results
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual
framework that grounded this research study includes Trist and Bamforth’s STS theory
and Wade’s DBT model. Both frameworks used in this study are suitable for assessing
the experiences of education leaders with embracing digital transformation strategies.
This research study addresses a significant gap in the research regarding K–12 education
leaders’ role in pivoting their traditional brick-and-mortar learning environment to online
learning during the onset of the crisis.
The overarching research question that guides this research study is: What are the
lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies
to pivot the traditional learning environment to online learning during the wake and
aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? The data collected was done through
semistructured interviews with 11 participants who provided rich thick data in which I
was able to examine for thematic analysis through identification of recurring themes or
patterns in the data. The results from this study generated five categories, in which three
major themes and two subthemes emerged from the experiences of K–12 education
leaders undergoing this phenomenon (see Table 5). The interview questions identified in
Table 7 helped to address the central research question and informed the data collection
and analysis process.
Table 7
Interview Questions and Subquestions to Address the Research Question
Research question
What are the lived
experiences of K–
12 education
leaders in creating
digital
transformation
strategies to pivot
the traditional
learning
environment to
online learning
during the wake
and aftermath of
the COVID19
pandemic?
Interview question
1. “To get us started, please introduce
yourself by sharing your name, title, and
where you are from (not recorded).”
2. “Provide a concise explanation of your
leadership role and duties in the education
system.”
3. “Please share details about the individuals
or departments with the authority to make
technology-related decisions in your
organization.”
a. “What position did you hold in the K–
12 school system during the onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic?”
b. “How has your position changed since
COVID-19?”
a. “How did they play a part in adopting
and integrating digital technologies to
facilitate your school’s transition to
operating remotely during the
COVID-19 crisis?”
b. “What digital transformation strategies
did they create to pivot the educational
environment to ensure learning
continuity during an emergency?”
c. “What were some lessons learned?”
4. “What factors related to the COVID-19
pandemic have influenced your decision
to switch from the traditional face-toface
classroom experience to an online
learning platform?”
a. “In what way has the pandemic changed
the way your school system functions?”
b. “What are the biggest challenges in
adopting a new learning platform in
your school system?”
5. “How did you leverage the experience of
others within your organization or external
environment (e.g., other school districts)
to improve the digital infrastructure at
your school or district?”
a. “How has your use of digital technologies
affected your organization’s ability to
maximize the full potential of digital
transformation?”
b. “Why was developing a digital
transformation strategy vital for the
educational environment?”
c. “Who were the major stakeholders involved
in creating a digital transformation strategy
for your school system?”
d. “What type of experience and skill sets did
your team possess to ensure the successful
implementation of digital technology?”
6. “What were the key fundamental principles
in driving a successful digital
transformation strategy?”
a. “What were the needs and strategic
goals of your school environment?”
b. “How did you fulfill those needs in
an emergency?”
c. “What partnerships did you create
to foster positive digital
transformation outcomes within
your school system to accelerate
change and drive initiatives to a
new level?”
7. “What impact has adopting digital
technologies had on transitioning your
school to online learning?”
a. “Explain the culture of the school
community with adopting to
Subquestion
Research question Interview question
change in the learning environment.”
b. “How did you handle resistance to
change? How did you motivate the
school community?”
c. “What was your experience with the
digital divide?”
d. “In what ways has the transition
influenced students’ learning
outcomes, administrators’ and
teachers’ views of the learning
environment, and staff’s ability to work
in a collaborative virtual
environment?”
8. “What were the financial implications
during and after the COVID-19
pandemic of implementing new digital
transformation strategies throughout your
campus community?”
a. “What technologies did you use to
achieve your digital transformation
goals?”
9. “How has this experience influenced your
perspectives on the future of the K– 12
education system?”
Note. K–12 = kindergarten through Grade. 12.
For this study, the philosophical underpinnings of hermeneutic phenomenology
were used to understand the shared meaning of K–12 educators experiences
implementing digital transformation strategies to propel the advancement of their
education system during an unprecedented moment in history. The fundamental premise
of hermeneutics is on the interpretation of human experience (Vella, 2024).
“Hermeneutics explores the intricate relationships between interpretation and its
significance for human existence, offering insights into the nuanced ways in which
individuals make sense of the world and their place within it” (Vella, 2024, p. 666). As a
qualitative researcher, the hermeneutic method is vital in recognizing, understanding, and
Subquestion
analyzing participants responses to the interview questions which formulates their
account of their lived experience with the phenomenon.
Through the hermeneutic phenomenology method, the following three themes
were developed: (a) pivot to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, (b)
education leaders’ perspectives on the challenges and benefits of adopting digital
transformation strategies, and (c) navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence
on societal needs. In addition, two subthemes emerged from the data: (a) emergency
economic response to an unprecedented global crisis and (b) leveraging of digital
technologies for online learning in the K–12 education system to sustain school
operations. These themes would be further explained through the participants excerpts
from the data analysis to give an accurate description of their experience in response to
the interview questions and how the shared experience is relative to the research question.
Category 1: Educational Changes
Theme 1: The Pivot to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The first theme is pivoting the traditional educational learning environment to
online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. It falls under Category 1, which is
educational changes. In this category, relevant codes were grouped together to formulate
the sudden/emergency changes to the education system that occurred at the onset of the
pandemic. The unfortunate events of the pandemic led to abrupt changes in the education
system worldwide, forcing sudden changes to their face-to-face mode of teaching and
immediately having to transition to online learning (Oyedotun, 2020). Table 8 reflects the
codes that were generated from the data to formulate the theme and the number of times
the code was referenced in the excerpts, as well as the number of participants who
referenced the code.
Table 8
Theme 1 Data Analysis and Frequency of Codes Referenced
Theme Code f of excerpts No. of
participants
1. Pivot to online
learning
during the
COVID-19
pandemic
“Make learning easier for teachers and
students” “The new normal”
Actions taken on the onset of COVID-19
Lack of student involvement
Learning continuity plan
Learning gain and learning loss
Senior teachers/teachers’ perception of the
learning environment
Teaching and learning post COVID-19
Traditional and digital pedagogy Total
19
13
30 6
11
23
30
52
47
231
6
7
8
4
5
8
9
11
10
8
Theme 1 highlights some of the rapid changes that occurred at the onset of the
pandemic and the influence it had on the K–12 education system. This theme describes
the following: (a) education leaders’ overall perception of the learning environment, (b)
the necessary actions needed to ensure that learning continued amidst worldwide turmoil,
(c) identifies the challenges and benefits of integrating traditional and digital pedagogies,
and (d) substantiates the need to provide support for teachers and students to move
forward with technological changes that will ultimately impact the way educators teach
and the way students learn. Overall, this theme provides an understanding of how
technology evolves and plays a meaningful role in the various aspects of the learning
environment, bridging the gap between the traditional way of learning and the adaptation
of digital technologies. This was made clear through the direct quotes that participants
expressed about their experiences with the phenomenon.
RP2 described their lived experience dealing with changes brought on by the COVID-19
pandemic by stating the following:
So, it’s sad that COVID happened and all that. Without it, I don’t think we would
have made the technological advances that we made just because we absolutely
had to. And once you do it, there’s really no going back. Because this is the world
that these students are living in. And so, we can’t just say, oh, we’re tired of
technology, we want to go back to paper, paper books and or, writing notes on
paper, that’s just not the world that we’re going to be sending them off into. And
so, the world changed as well with COVID because it had to. And so, we’re
trying to prepare students for this new world of using technology as much as
possible, but in a responsible way, that’s still going to help them learn.
RP7 also shared their sentiments by stating the following:
So, it’s been very, very rewarding, challenging, but also amazing to see the
progress we’ve made. And I don’t see that going back, now that we’ve immersed
ourselves in online learning, those opportunities are always going to have to be
there in some way, shape, or form, whether it’s just for an inclement weather day,
or whether it’s some districts are running a K–12 cyber school along with their
physical school. It has shown us that it’s not dependent upon four walls, that we
don’t just need a classroom, that we can learn anywhere, we have provided access,
and sometimes external learning spaces. We improved Wi-Fi access points
outside the building. So, we have our devices and are one-to-one, we can go
anywhere to learn. And we know if we need to pivot, I hope we never have to
pivot at that extent again, but if we have to pivot and go back home, we can
successfully educate students from home as well. So, it let us know that we have
the ability to adapt and diversify.
RP 5 also added to the discussion by stating the following:
I think it’s also going to shift the level of rigor in the classroom, because why are
you teaching students? Why spend time on content, when you can just create a
prompt that you can give students or teach students how to create a prompt. If
they’re curious to learn something, let’s teach students how to create prompts so
that they can learn any topic that they want to, so then there’s going to be less
time like teaching content and more time dedicated towards helping students
develop higher level thinking skills like, synthesizing information, evaluating
things, creating things or finding solutions to really challenging problems. So, I
think that is the direction that things are headed. We’ve been hearing about
21stcentury skills forever; at least it feels that way. But I think schools really are
going to need to embrace that, because the technology is so advanced, that it’s
really not necessary for people to focus on content anymore. So, like, how do we
make this more challenging for students? How do we make it more exciting? It’s
also going to make things a lot more student centered in the sense that, students
can learn anything they want at any time.
RP10 stated:
We thought that the technology would help disrupt the game of school, but it’s
only enabled a different game of school. We knew how to play the game of
school already. We can’t shake the factory model. And now that we had that
behavior barrier removed, we just continued playing the game. ‘We triaged, but
we did not do brain surgery.’ We never actually moved to a new level of learning
kind of thing. And I was like, that’s interesting, when I think about it and reflect
on it. Like, because the technology wasn’t being used in a transformative way, it
was being used to deliver content. Content and compliance are what I can say, a
lot of it was content and compliance, never really reached full engagement and
actual empowerment for learners, that we can pretend to play school virtually, we
can pretend to play school in person. But the difference is really how you’ve
leveraged the tool for the learner. And there’s a level that has to be clearly
instructed, clearly supported by a school district, to the educators, and that
pedagogy has to be taught. If we just give folks the tools and the technology, it
doesn’t mean it’s actually going to do anything other than what you’ve always
been doing.
Category 2: Financial Structured Solutions
Subtheme 1a: Emergency Economic Response to an Unprecedented Global Crisis
Subtheme 1a is emergency economic response to an unprecedented global crisis
and it is organized under category 2 financial structured solutions. The subtheme in this
qualitative research study is a more specific and detailed concept that falls under the
broader theme associated with Theme 1, which is pivoting the traditional educational
learning environment to online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. To present a
richer, detailed analysis of the data, this subtheme is designed to provide more in-depth
information of the dynamics of the education environment during the onset of the
pandemic and the financial solutions that were available to provide a more inclusive
school system for all students. Table 9 reflects the codes that were generated from the
data to formulate the subtheme, the number of times the code was referenced in the
excerpts, as well as the number of participants who referenced the code.
Table 9
Subtheme 1a Data Analysis and Frequency of Codes Referenced
Subtheme Code f of excerpts No. of
participants
1a. Emergency
economic
response to an
unprecedented
global crisis
Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief Fund
Financial implications of technology
Professional development
Training
Education technologies
Learning management systems Total
12
32
25
36
29
60
194
8
10
6
8
10
9
4
Code: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. The
unfortunate events of the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for the
education sector, requiring the United States federal government to quickly intervene on
their behalf by providing a structured economic relief program (Owens, 2024). The
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund was a federal
program created in three stages (ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III) to offer vital
support to the education system dealing with the impacts of the pandemic (Owens, 2024).
The federal government provided K–12 institutions across the United States with
emergency funds of approximately $190,000,000,000 in aid for school districts to use to
enhance resilience, drive innovation, and assist with educational barriers that would not
allow them to adequately respond to the COVID-19 crisis (Owens, 2024, U.S.
Department of Education, n.d.). According to Mahler (2024), the ESSER funds could be
used to support the following investment opportunities in schools or districts across the
country:
•“Technology and infrastructure improvements – purchasing technology,
funding special activities, and implementing summer or after-school
programs.
•Attempts to close the education gap caused by lost instructional time due
to COVID-related closures and absences.
•Addressing the needs of low-income, underserved, or special needs
students.
•Hiring additional staff or supporting existing staff with PD opportunities.
•Supporting administrators and staff with resources needed to address their
individual schools and student populations.
•Providing mental health services and related support systems.”
The ESSER funds have been a vital component to school districts being able to
pivot from face-to-face learning to remote learning during the pandemic by allowing
them to respond to the crisis and implement digital transformation strategies that kept
their institutions thriving in turbulent times. These funds are set to expire by September
2024, with an allocated time frame for which the money in each program must be spent
by a specific deadline (Mahler, 2024). During the interview process, 73% of the
participants described their experience with how these federal government funds were
allocated and how it benefited their school environment.
RP2 stated the following:
But luckily, with some of the stuff that we implemented, we had some money. I
can’t remember where the money came from, but it had to do with COVID. It was
like ESSER funds, I’m not even quite sure. But like, all of our Chromebooks that
we bought this year, we were able to pay for that with money related to COVID
funds from the government. So, if we didn’t have that, we probably would not
have been able to go ahead and make the leap to get our own technology. So, we
really tried to capitalize anything that we could utilize that funding for we did.
RP5 provided their perspectives on the federal funding received for their schools: I
mean, no, I think that there was actually a lot of funding. Schools received a lot of
funding during the pandemic and that was really helpful with kind of helping us do a lot
of things that we needed to do. So, I would say that funding was not an issue during the
pandemic, if anything, it was great. So, I think like, next school year, though, I think that
schools might struggle a bit in terms of like budget, because a lot of the COVID-19
ARPA funds will dry up at the end of the school year. So, I think you're going to see
some schools like struggling with that. RP1 provided input on the ability to use federal
funding for tutoring opportunities for students’ and PD workshops for their staff.
They did try through ESSER funds to add in some tutoring and things like that.
But, when it comes to tutoring, it is very inconsistent because now there is
transportation issue. All the kids that you try to target to give them the tutoring
that they need, they don’t show up. So, that didn’t work as well. What did work in
terms of ESSER funds that came from the Federal escrow funds, was the teacher
planning days, which was a lot of valuable time that teachers got to collaborate
with their POCs. RP11 shared their experience as well with the extra funding they
received from the federal government.
I think we just had access to everything, like all that money was rolling in with the
ESSER funding, and we were able to buy everything and do everything. And now
it’s like, oh, there’s no money left. And so, we’re now trying to figure out, like,
what do we keep? What do we not? How to be able to afford this moving
forward?”
RP6 contributed their thoughts as well on the funding received.
So, we used grant funding, I don’t know where that money came from, to be
honest with you. But we used funding to purchase a laptop for every single
student. And I think they did that within 2 months, 3 months, if I’m remembering
correctly.
RP7 added their contribution to their experience: “I think during the pandemic, we had
lots of funding coming from the state and beyond. The extra money certainly helped us to
get devices and to get software.”
RP8 further elaborated on how the funds were used in their school district.
The good thing about it, if I’m not mistaken, one of the laws had come out where
they have given millions of dollars to help, and they meaning the government…It
was money allocated to help during COVID. And this was for whatever areas the
school district leaders needed help in. So that’s how we were able in Texas, to
provide those kits to students. That was technology base, as well as the training
for the teachers. Because we did, also received a better laptop ourselves as
teachers, and we received a lot of training. And a lot of this training came from
the companies that built onto those platforms.
Code: Financial Implications of Technology. The global pandemic has further
exacerbated a funding crisis in the education sector that was already struggling from
budget cuts, necessitating the need to examine deeper into the financial implications of
the school system during COVID-19. While many school districts relied on the ESSER
funds to provide their schools with the necessary resources to ensure a smooth
transformation of their educational environment. Many also focused on the financial
implications of their decision and how it impacted their day-to-day operation. RP1
shared their perception of the decision-making process for adopting digital
technologies:
But, in coming up with that, I think with the technology piece and figuring out the
policies around it, and what we utilize, and what we’re not utilizing, a few things
that come into mind when they’re making those decisions. You’re looking at the
costs of the hardware, you’re looking at the platforms and how much they cost.
And at the end of the day, this is a public school system, you’re looking at cost.
So, a lot of times you may have fallen in love with a certain platform, but maybe
they’ve chosen to go to a lesser platform because it costs a lot less. Or maybe
they’re utilizing a different brand of laptop that breaks all the time because it costs
a lot less. I think in a lot of school districts, their policy is to go for the cheapest
bidder and that’s when we get into the rigmarole of education and at the back and
forth of how sometimes the systems don’t work out that well.
RP2 provided their feedback on the financial implications of adopting digital
technologies: “It’s definitely expensive. I feel like every year I add another piece of
software, where there’s like, $10,000 more.”
Code: Learning Management Systems. In many instances, school districts had
to abruptly redesign their traditional pedagogy and change their instructional practices to
ensure learning continuity in a virtual environment during the wake and aftermath of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The ESSER funds provided this economic relief as it was used by
many school districts to purchase new technology to enable remote, hybrid, and face-
toface learning (Mahler, 2024; Owens, 2024). K–12 school leaders implemented a
comprehensive LMS in their educational landscape to create, manage, and deliver
instructional content. Figure 1 shows the various LMS that were used by the participants
to facilitate this transformation.
Figure 1
Commonly Used Learning Management Systems During COVID-19
Several participants discussed their digital transformation process in adopting a
LMS within their school environment.
RP1 offered the following insights to using Canvas:
So, we use Canvas kind of an online classroom where you can input your
PowerPoints, your anchor charts, you can put your vocabulary, you can assign
quizzes, tests, Nearpod, everything that happened once in that platform, and it
makes it easier for the teachers to grade things. But it’s not this free-form thing,
it’s really more of an organizational tool, as opposed to something that teachers
are using to deliver instruction consistently. Here is an opportunity to say that,
okay, as a school, we’re all going to utilize Canvas. Canvas is going to be what
we use as a way to store your PowerPoints, anchor charts, and all assessments.
Canvas
Google
Classroom
Schoology Moodle
Microsoft
Teams
Seesaw
All that stuff happens on Canvas, that is something that can happen school-wide
when it comes to using it as an organizational tool.
RP3 shared their experience with having to spearhead the adoption of an LMS system
within their school by providing the following excerpt:
I was toying with Google Classroom before the pandemic happened. I’d post
some assignments here and there, just play with it, however, nobody in our school
had used it at that point in time. So, when the pandemic hit, we had to figure out
what we were going to use as an LMS, because obviously you have to have
something to post. They didn’t want to pay for Canvas at the time, so I suggested
using Google Classroom. As a result of this, I got a feel for the program. I got to
figure out how to post, collect, and grade things. So, it ended up that I was
responsible for writing a little training piece for everybody to look at so that all of
the grade levels and classes could use Google Classroom as the LMS for the
students to be able to be assigned and turn in work.
RP11 provided feedback on various LMS that were used throughout different grade
levels:
Okay, so we already had Schoology, in place for our secondary schools. So that
was nice, because that was like, in the very early adoption stages, like the teachers
at the high school were really starting to dig in and middle school had just sort of
launched it with their students prior to the pandemic. So, we got kind of lucky in
that way, because they had a platform at least to roll out content, but they still
were definitely not proficient in using that platform. So, there was some support
around Schoology for secondary. And then at the intermediate level, when the
pandemic first happened, everyone K–6 [kindergarten through Grade 6], was in
Seesaw. So, lots of support in how to transition Seesaw because previously, they
had been on shared iPads, and each individual student didn’t have like, the email
login like we have now. So, there was a lot of support in the platforms.
Intermediate eventually went to Google Classroom, so, we supported that.
RP6 shared the following experience:
So, we did use, and we continue to use even though we’re no longer fully remote,
the platform called Schoology. And that was our main platform for secondary 7–
12, the elementary use Teams. So, it was like, they felt that Schoology was a little
too advanced for the little ones. It was a little nuanced, and they felt that Teams
was just more accessible.
Code: Professional Development. Participants also expressed the PD and
training opportunities that were offered at their schools to assimilate students, staff, and
families to the various learning platforms and EdTech that were being implemented to
foster an innovative and collaborative learning environment.
RP11 shared their perspectives on the phenomenon:
At this point, K–6, we knew not everyone even had the same type of device. So,
there were a lot of barriers to cross. So, we launched a professional learning day
with our learning coaches, admin was even involved because we had a lot of
administrators who were also technologically savvy. It was really all hands on
deck, any teacher, even who wanted to participate could help lead a session. So,
we had a huge PD day, that was all on Zoom, we launched lots of different tools
to try to capture the learning how we had in the classroom but make it feasible for
families to not necessarily have to be synchronous with the learning. So again,
just really trying to think on our feet, we created a website, we recorded all of
those sessions, put them online, just in case teachers weren’t able to attend. But
then we had on the website, a Google Form that people could submit questions,
they could ask about different apps. We really tried to focus a lot of the
professional development on the learning.
RP6 also provided their experience with attending PD:
And through those Zooms, we would receive direct PD, either from the vendor
that we purchased something from, or the Director and Assistant Director of
Technology themselves. I just remember being inundated with Zooms about
technology, which I really don’t think there was any other way to do it at that
time.
RP4 shared their experience with PD opportunities:
A lot of professional development, communication, hands on, pivoting, sitting in
small groups, or a large group, while one person is doing something on Zoom, and
seeing how they manipulate how they’re able to go into the assessment. So, let’s
say for instance we’re having a PD, and someone’s doing a Zoom presentation,
we’ve pivoted. You can see how it is supposed to be done and how you were
doing it wrong. They may teach a shortcut on how to do something. Google!
Pivoting, pivoting, that was something we strongly used.
RP6 provided a reflection piece on the assumptions made about kid’s use of technology
in the following excerpt:
So, I wouldn’t say those digital tools came naturally to kids, I think that was a
misunderstanding, like, adults just thought they were going to put laptops in front
of kids, and they’d be fine. We found that kids really needed help and training.
They could text, but they don’t know how to use apps necessarily, that we
needed. So overall, though, I think that it has enhanced outcomes for kids by
giving them a variety of ways to learn and show what they know.
The next aspect that played a crucial part in education leaders transforming their
learning environment to an online platform was developing a student centered focus by
engaging students in learning through effective use of EdTech. This concept highlighted
participant’s self-efficacy of implementing digital technologies at their schools or
districts to embrace virtual learning. Figure 2 depicts the various EdTech tools that was
implemented to provide students with high-quality education during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Figure 2
Sample EdTech Tools Implemented at Participants’ K–12 Schools
Note. K–12 = kindergarten through Grade 12.
RP 10 reiterated the importance of EdTech by stating the following:
It’s not about just delivery of content, like the goal is to get learners empowered
by educational technology. But it was almost impossible to get to the point where
you can empower learners to use technology to do all of the wonderful things that
we know we can use technology for. Because just getting the learners on the
internet was its own task.
RP5 provided their contribution on the topic by offering the following:
Google
Workspace Flip Read 180 Seesaw
Plickers Kahoot Parent Square Remind
Skyward Go Guardian Pear Deck Khan
Academy
Locked Down
Browser
Digital White
Boards Data Casting Edpuzzle
YouTube Alchemie Odysseyware Office 365
And then in terms of tools, I think things like EdPuzzle became very big, things
like Pear Deck, became very big. What else? Jam board? There’s another one that
schools use a lot. And I can’t remember, but like digital whiteboards. So, there
was like some instructional tools, like instructional headset tools that became very
popular during this time. Khan Academy is something that also is coming up for
me as an Ed Tech tool, like because it’s very self-paced, teachers can assign
something on Khan Academy to students. So those were things that became very
popular.
Category 3: Technological Solutions
Subtheme 1b: Leveraging of Digital Technologies for Online Learning to Sustain
School Operations
The thematic analysis process yielded Subtheme 1b leveraging digital
technologies for online learning in the K–12 education system to sustain school
operation. The 218 codes generated from this theme were grouped under Category 3:
Technological Solutions. As with Subtheme 1a, this subtheme falls under the broader
theme associated with Theme 1, which is pivoting the traditional educational learning
environment to online learning during the covid-19 pandemic.
The onset of the global pandemic caused schools in the K–12 education system to
immediately shut down face-to-face instruction due to the uncertainty and severity of the
pandemic. As a result, education leaders were forced to develop strategies to convert their
face-to-face setting to an online learning platform that would allow learning and business
operation to continue amid the turbulence they encountered. This subtheme describes the
strategies that education leaders created to explore various learning options by leveraging
the use of digital technologies to immediately transition the traditional school
environment to virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant shift for
schools, districts, teachers, students, and families. The K–12 school system had to
immediately adopt web-based videoconferencing solutions such as Zoom, Microsoft
Teams, or Google Meet for virtual classes and LMS such as the ones listed in Figure 2 to
deliver lessons, provide assignments, organize instructional materials, and administer
assessments. Table 10 reflects the codes that were generated from the data to formulate
the subtheme, the number of times the code was referenced in the excerpts, as well as the
number of participants who referenced each code.
Table 10
Subtheme 1b Data Analysis and Frequency of Codes Referenced
Subtheme Code f of excerpts No. of
participants
1b. Leveraging
digital
technologies
for online
learning in the
K–12
education
system to
sustain school
operations
AI in education
“Aversion to technology”
IT department
Technological advancements
EdTech support
Using technology with a purpose
Virtual/hybrid learning environment
Web-based solutions
Total
21
4
17
34
12
27
83
20
218
7
3
6
8
5
10
11
8
7
Note. IT = information technology; K–12 = kindergarten through Grade 12.
Conceptual Code: Virtual/Hybrid Learning Environment. Online education
was a new concept for many K–12 school systems and required an in-depth analysis of
the lack of resources available to students and staff in accessing and using technology
effectively. The idea of transitioning to distance learning was made feasible with modern
technologies such as LMS, videoconferencing tools, and personal devices for each
student (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022). This dynamic shift in the learning
environment required educators to modify their teaching materials for online learning and
students had to adopt to new technologies. The data shared by participants showcased
several methods that schools implemented to minimize the disruption brought on by the
COVID-19 pandemic and how they removed the confinement of working within their
brick-and-mortar setting to a virtual.
RP1 shared their perspectives on embracing virtual learning:
I think there should be some type of hybrid approach to education now that we
are at this point. When you are heavily reliant upon a digital, or a traditional way
of teaching, that transition is very painstaking. It takes a while for everybody to
transition into that mode. But after the pandemic, now you have, kind of a hybrid
approach to delivering instruction, to where, I can post assignments, without
having to print out a bunch of paper, I can deliver assessments, I can post videos
into that online platform. Let’s say there is another pandemic, let’s say that we are
switching back to virtual, I do think that effective instruction can happen in that
format.
RP2 expressed some of the challenges associated with transitioning their school to online
learning:
So, I’m trying to determine, do you need to be at school? Can you work from home?
So, they eventually determined, yes, you could be hybrid at home, or you can be
here at school. And so that was challenging over the summer, to try to determine
how are we going to do that, because we knew what we had done for that quarter when
COVID initially happened, that wasn’t going to cut it. And we were all in survival mode.
That was the year we ended up pushing our start date back a week, because teachers were
just not ready for all the new technology that they were going to have to use and trying to
implement a hybrid and in person model. I feel like I spent that whole year just tracking
who was on the hybrid list versus who is here in person. So, it was just a lot on my end,
communicating who was here versus who’s at home. I was the main point of contact for
the whole school grades K through 12 on if they had any sort of technology issues while
they were at home. RP11 shared an unexpected outcome of students adapting and
thriving in the online environment:
There was this small population of students, who we noticed, were actually
thriving better in this online environment than they were in a face-to-face setting.
And we created, like, literally off the ground. This was to start the 2020 school
year, an online school. So, we had never previously had an online school in our
district. And really, just with the lift of the administrators and some key faculty,
we were able to launch this online program for all students K–12. That program
ran through the 2021-2022 school year. And then, in the transition to the next
school year, which would have been the 22-23 school year, we noticed that our
population K–6, was really dwindling. And that the secondary level was really
where we were seeing the numbers actually grow. Our high school teachers and,
and some of our middle school teachers, were really excited about creating
courses specifically for online learning. And I also think that providing these
different opportunities for kids, who the brick-and-mortar schools aren’t for them,
has also been really eye opening, especially for our community. I don’t think all
people in our community realized it was a need. And now that they can see it.
And it’s successful. I don’t know. I think we’re headed in the right direction. And
I hope that we continue with this momentum that we have now to focus on
creativity and innovation. And like I said, students at the very center of the
learning.
Conceptual Code: Web-Based Solutions. As part of their digital transformation
strategy, many schools have integrated elements of virtual learning by offering hybrid,
synchronous or asynchronous classes into their curriculum. To support this initiative and
ensure learning continuity, web-based solutions became pivotal to managing the
transition from face-to-face to online learning. Videoconferencing software tools such as
Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams were in existence prior to the pandemic,
however, these platforms became widely used at the onset of the pandemic as they
enabled online interaction, virtual classes, meetings, trainings, and professional
development sessions. These web-based solutions were beneficial in transforming the
learning environment as it accommodated real-time interaction with multiple users and
offered features such as screen sharing, breakout rooms, recording, chats, polls, filters,
and file sharing. The following excerpts reveals participants lived experiences with this
phenomenon.
RP 5 shared the following: “So, I remember there being some options, there was
like Zoom, there was Google Meets, there was Teams.” RP 7 shared similar sentiments:
“We used Zoom heavily during the pandemic. And then since we got back, we used it for
flex space, we realize we can do inclement weather at home.” RP10 highlighted their
observation of videoconferencing tools that were used in their environment: If I think
about the technology that was used to make it work, so much videoconferencing, so much
videoconferencing, so anything that had a videoconferencing where you could share a
screen, I saw everybody using everything. I mean, I saw people linking their phones or
their iPads to their Zoom rooms, so that they could use it as like a document caster, so
that they could do math problems and students could follow along. So, for synchronous
education, I was really impressed with the amount of videoconferencing that actually
happened. I know that when I was in the classroom, before COVID, I don’t think I ever
used any videoconferencing software ever before. In my current role, I learned it quickly
because it was more necessary in that role, but then to turn and have to teach educators
knowing that they were in the same point that I was probably the year before having
never used it before. So, videoconferencing seemed like the real like, I don't know,
surprise, the fact that I use it now every day, I mean, more than 50% of my meetings are
now videoconferencing meetings where they may have been in person once previously.
So, when I think about education, videoconferencing was huge. So, I think definitely, the
videoconferencing piece has been transformational. It’s changed the way we do
some of the work. I don’t know that it’s changed the work with the learners as
much. I think it’s changed more of the work that’s like the paperwork, the
paperwork, and the stakeholder work, I think has changed more because of the
videoconferencing.
RP9 shared their experience with being a ‘Google School’:
Both schools were already Google schools. So, the Google Workspace was
already very familiar. So having Google Meet, and collaborative with all the
Google tools was very beneficial. I think we started using Zoom at first, just
because they had more tools available compared to Google Meet at that time. And
then it wasn’t until maybe after that first summer, where Google Meet updated
their Google Meet platform. Where it could have the recording and more control
than that kind of thing. So, I must say, like, even COVID, kind of push Google to
do more updates with their Google Workspace tools that is more fit for school and
learning. Unfortunately, Microsoft is really nice, but they’re a little slow to the
game. And in the Google workspace, like it was already a lot of the tools are part
of that platform, but I must say at their prices, after COVID and having to renew
the Google workspace. It was ridiculous.
Conceptual Code: Technological Advancements. Across the United States, K–
12 schools have been equipped with computers and software programs in the classroom
for several decades (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022), allowing educators to enhance
the learning spectrum and provide diverse instructions. The use of digital technologies
has played a significant role in shaping the way the education system was able to shift its
core method of operating during the COVID-19 crisis. The technological advancements
have led to a widespread of EdTech centered on having a well-defined digital
infrastructure to sustain robust systems that requires substantial connectivity and
bandwidth (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022). While schools were able to quickly
pivot and ensure they had an LMS, video-conferencing solutions, and one-to-one devices
for all students, connectivity remained a primary concern for students who were not able
to have internet access from home (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022). To combat these
issues, schools provided students with Wi-Fi enabled devices, families were able to
connect online through programs issued by their internet service providers, and in some
instances students either went to their school parking lot, library, or fast-food restaurant
to get Wi-Fi accessibility. The following excerpts shows participants experiences with
technology.
RP1 shared the following thoughts on technology:
I think my closing thoughts on this would be technology is a very important thing
that can happen in the classroom or instruction. I mean, as you’ve seen with a lot
of the universities, everybody has switched over to a digital format. There’s a
time when they would like, kind of shun schools that were purely online, but
every school has an online component at this point, every school. So, I do think it
is very important to have that as an option.
RP2 also provided their input being the person in charge of all technology needs,
implementation, and maintenance for K–12 at their school:
So, it’s sad that COVID happened and all that. Without it, I don’t think we would
have made the technological advances that we have made just because we
absolutely had to. I think definitely with just the technological transformation that
COVID brought about, I mean, it is a completely different world than it was 5
years ago, as far as how people use technology to work. I think technology is
almost a little like Pandora’s box. Once you open it and start using a lot of it, it’s
kind of hard to dial it back.
RP4 provides information on the various types of technology used to meet the needs of
students:
We’re using smart boards. There’s a lot of smart boards being used and laptops.
Well, again, because my population, a lot of these students have speech devices.
They use speech devices, adaptive devices, where students who may have
physical, upper extremities or lower extremities were able to use; devices for
those who have loss of hearing. So, there’s an adaptive station that we use, the
main thing is the multisensory piece, audio is a big thing. But one thing I know
for sure that the device, the tech piece will remain. It’s not going to be the same
as you and I speaking today. It’s not going to be back as how it was before the
pandemic.
RP7 further expands on the growth of technology in modern day society:
I think the first thing is they need to be willing to explore new technologies, they
need to have that awareness of trends that are out in the horizon. There are new
things coming out all the time, technology changes exponentially. So, you can’t
just stay relevant with the things that you already know, you need to continue to
grow your skill set. And also realize you’re never going to be the expert on all
things. This experience is just the foundation of everything I thought about
learning. I knew technology was always going to be important. And I always
knew that it was something that we could use to engage our learners. I never in a
million years had you told me when I first started teaching that we will be
teaching from home, I would have laughed. So, it’s amazing how far we have
come. Because as a result of this pandemic, the fact that we can connect and
collaborate with learners and teachers outside of the classroom and making things
available 24/7 on demand has been huge for everybody, families and our
educators.
Conceptual Code: AI in Education. Among the many codes that were derived
from Subtheme 1b, AI in education has been a recurrent topic from participants. There
has been an unprecedented level of interest in exploring and enhancing the use of AI
technologies for educational purposes (X. Chen et al., 2020). AI enhanced digital
technology have been crucial in our everyday life, significantly changing our thought
processes, behaviors, and interactions (X. Chen et al., 2020). The synergy between AI
and EdTech helps facilitate better decision-making and fosters an effective learning
management solution. AI in education will enrich the learning and teaching experience
for students and educators, providing a more flexible and inquiry based interactive
learning experience that increases engagement levels. Educators can use AI technology to
develop tailored lesson plans for students, thereby meeting each student at their level to
increase their learning outcomes. The participants in this research study expressed their
thoughts on AI in education, and how it can be beneficial to the learning environment.
RP5 shared their view on AI in education:
You see what’s going on with AI, like it’s changing again. Unfortunately, the
school systems, they’re not as responsive. They’re very slow responding to
things. So, everyone right now is still grappling with AI. What implications it has
for education? Like, how is it going to change the way that we teach? How is it
going to change how students learn? But we have to kind of embrace those
changes, because if not, the school system will become obsolete. I just think you
have to, it’s out of necessity, you have to keep up with these changes, and you
have to adapt. It’s something that we need to do. And some of the concerns
people are just scared, and they’re not sure if AI is going to take over their job?
What’s my role going to be now? So, those are real concerns that people have. I
don’t think AI is ever going to, at least for the foreseeable future, I don’t think it
is going to replace teachers. But I do think it is going to change the way that
teaching and learning happens. I think we need to support teachers with learning
how they can use AI, to make their work easier. Because there’s a lot of pluses
with AI and technology in general. I think, right now, there’s some pretty
awesome stuff that is coming out, that is going to make teachers lives a lot easier.
Everything is going to have AI. Apple is coming out with a software update in
September, you're going to have AI on your iPhone, you can talk to Siri and ask
her to do a lesson plan. It’s going to be that easy. I think there’s going to be less
time and effort put into things like planning. I think there’s going to be less time
and effort put into things like grading, like writing assignments. So, it can help
and also just creation of content, like you can tell AI to create some text around
the civil war that students can read, and you can tell it to produce it at three
different reading levels. So, things like that are going to be a lot easier, it’s going
to make teachers lives a lot easier.
RP7 also provided a brief overview on their perception of AI in education:
Like right now, if we’re not exploring and figuring out what is on the cutting edge
of artificial intelligence, we’re behind the ball. We’ve started training our
teachers, they understand that there are some really great things that could happen,
and professional health supports and certainly time savers that are available
through AI. But I have also tried to stress and so have the trainers in our district
that it is only as good as the person who is giving the prompts and not failed
proof. You need to do your research, and you need to overlook and see and check
everything. Because there is bias inherent in all things AI because there’s bias in
programming. So, we need to make sure that we’re getting our lens on there and
making sure that whatever we are creating through AI or enhancing through AI
generally reflects what we want to give our students.
Category 4: Emergency Educational Think Tanks
Theme 2: Education Leaders’ Perspectives on the Challenges and Benefits of Adopting
Digital Transformation Strategies
The second theme that derived from the thematic analysis is K–12 education
leaders’ perspectives on the challenges and benefits of adopting digital transformation
strategies, which falls under Category 4: Emergency Educational Think Tanks. This
category grouped all the relevant codes that focused on education leaders’ roles and
collaborative framework during a state of emergency in transforming the traditional
learning environment by adopting digital technologies to develop online and hybrid
learning models. There were 13 codes that emerged from the data, of which 439 excerpts
were coded. Table 11 reflects the codes that were generated from the data to formulate
the theme, the number of times the code was referenced in the excerpts, as well as the
number of participants who referenced each code.
Table 11
Theme 2 Data Analysis and Frequency of Codes Referenced
Theme Code f of excerpts No. of
participants
2. Education
leaders’
perspectives on
the challenges
and benefits of
adopting
digital
transformation
strategies
Challenges
Conflict among leaders
Brainstorming and collaboration
Communication
Creating digital transformation strategies
Ensuring access to digital technology
Leadership roles
Lessons learned
Proactive vs. reactive approach
Resistance to change
Specific need and strategic goals
Education leaders’ involvement and
decisionmaking
42 7
24
38
52
38
32
23
12
25
17
87
42
10
3
9
9
11
10
10
8
5
8
6
11
11
Transformative experience and resilient adaption
Total 439 7
Conceptual Code: Challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the K–12
education system to shift to online learning, enabling administrators, staff, educators,
students, and parents to leverage web-based videoconferencing solutions, online access to
course materials via an LMS, and virtual collaboration tools to foster an interactive
remote learning experience. The pandemic affected the education system worldwide and
challenged the leadership qualities and actions of K–12 school administrators
(WhartonBeck et al., 2024). Many schools made it a top priority to guarantee that
resources and support were distributed fairly, ensuring an inclusive education for all
students (WhartonBeck et al., 2024). This code highlights the challenges that 10
education leaders faced navigating the obstacles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
and the lasting impact it had on the K–12 education system.
Several education leaders described the complexities of integrating technology to
enhance learning and engagement in the virtual classroom environment.
RP8 stated the following:
I think one of the biggest challenges is once again, the infrastructure and that’s
something that we had to get the city and the state of Texas to become a part of.
However, those teachers were still exploring how to integrate technology into
their classrooms. Yes, it was a horrible experience.
RP2 provided their perspective on this obstacle:
Some of the issues we did run into, I think more so in 2020, that fourth quarter,
was Wi-Fi issues. Some students didn’t have good Wi-Fi at home, and we heard
of some kids were having to go sit near McDonald’s to be able to do some stuff. I
do know, I think some of our kids that play sports, I think our athletic director,
like some of them would go to her house or come over to the school so they can
get Wi-Fi. But they weren’t very widespread issues.
RP5 shared the following sentiment:
But that was really challenging and trying to figure out like, how are we going to
provide instructions to students that are here and then at the same time, provide
instructions to students that are at home. So, there was a lot of logistical
challenges and I think for us, just trying to figure out those things, was really
important. So, I think the biggest challenge is, to go back to your original
question, was just getting people comfortable with using technology.
Education leaders also shared their experience with overcoming challenges with
educators adopting technology.
RP9 discussed the following:
I can make a video but now they have to watch the video. And I love teachers, but
they’re the worst when it comes to reading emails or watching videos. They’re
not going to do it. So, that part was probably the hardest, it’s me as the tech
trainer getting in contact with those that I know need help, but I can’t. Those are
the ones that you had to physically go into the classroom to show them, but we’re
not allowed to go in. So that piece is probably the hardest with the online
platforms it was at the public school was definitely more than teachers than
anything else.
RP2 shared the following:
And, honestly, one of the biggest issues that I found was with the teachers. We’ve
tried to do a lot of things to where a teacher would be able to troubleshoot, like in
their own classroom… But they were constantly sending kids up to me that had
issues. It is a lot of work. So, we are asking a lot of our teachers. I know that has
been difficult and has increased their workload.
RP3 provided the following perspective:
It was difficult for teachers to remember to turn the Zoom camera on at the start of
class, and it was difficult to communicate with the kids a lot of the times. Some of
the teachers struggled with getting things posted correctly, and students had some
trouble getting things turned in and having them be graded correctly, and things
like that.
Conceptual Code: Education Leaders’ Involvement and Decision-Making.
During the COVID-19 crisis, education leaders were faced with unique and
unprecedented challenges when making decisions for the betterment of their school
throughout these relentless times. The participants shared perspectives focused on
implementing strategic goals that kept the health and safety of the entire school
community at the forefront, while also focusing on flexibility and adaptability,
technology integration, equitable access to technology, teacher and staff support,
innovation and creativity, community involvement, and the future outlook of the school
system.
RP1 provided their view on how technology related decisions should be made.
The people at the top making these policies must be familiar with the technology
before they make the policies…I think you want to talk to somebody in that field
first and get a good idea about what it is before you start putting together policies
around something that you don’t truly understand. It can be a tool, or it can be
your worst nightmare. So, you have to figure out what is going to work best for
the people that you have in your building. If it is a group that can really handle the
technology, great. But if it’s a group that really struggles with it, a low-income
area, maybe high ELL [English Language Learner] population, whatever that
situation may be, I might have to take a step back and do some things to kind of
build towards that.
RP2 shared their overarching goal in their decision-making process:
I think K–12 education was having to play catch up with things to make sure
we’re preparing for college and the workforce, so that students don’t have that knowledge
gap when they leave us, and they’re just completely lost. We want them to be prepared
for stepping into whatever they choose after they leave us. RP11 provided a breakdown
of the key players responsible for decision-making within their school.
Prior to the pandemic, we have this, we call it the RTR team, and it stands for the
road to relevance was the kind of initiative that we had taken. So, that team had
already been developed and we had some really great key players on that team.
Stakeholders, like community members, it wasn’t just internal staff. And so,
we’ve really leaned heavily into that team to make those decisions.
Conceptual Code: Creation of Digital Transformation Strategies and
Ensuring of Access to Digital Technology. The digital transformation in education
phenomenon has accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic (McCarthy et al., 2023)
causing leaders globally to make informed decisions to protect students and staff,
meanwhile ensuring the sustainability of the education environment. The unforeseen
crisis led to a major disruption of the education system, impacting 1,600,000,000 students
in over 100 countries (UNESCO, 2023). The worldwide school closures raised awareness
to the inequalities in education, which highlighted the disparities in technological
selfefficacy, support services, learning loss, access to resources, the digital divide, digital
literacy, reliable network and internet connectivity. The technological surge has
contributed to a rapid increased use of internet services, video-conferencing tools, and
LMSs to facilitate a synchronous and asynchronous learning environment (De’ et al.,
2020).
The rapid advancement of digitalization has created a dynamic shift to the
education ecosystem using emerging digital technologies as shown in Figure 3, such as
cloud computing, machine learning, blockchain, IoT, AI, and ICT (Y Chen & Biswas,
2021; De’ et al., 2020; Trenerry et al., 2021; Wilson et al., 2021). The integration of these
technologies has created an immersive learning experience through transforming
instructional learning by fostering increased virtual learning opportunities, providing
innovative solutions for alternative education models, adoption of digital tools, and
developing digital pedagogies to change the traditional classroom environment. Given the
significant role technology plays in facilitating remote learning, it is crucial to examine
how technological advancements affect social equality (De’ et al., 2020).
Figure 3
Digital Transformation Technologies in K–12 Education
Note. K–12 = kindergarten through Grade. 12.
RP1 expressed their process with making change in their school environment. “It
started with device distribution… preparing people through the integration of technology
in a traditional setting.” RP2 shared their experience with creating digital transformation
strategies at their school:
I would say that COVID definitely propelled us further and faster than we would
have gone, had it not happened. So, I don't think we would be at the point we are
now, if we hadn’t had to step on the gas, and transform and say, How can we do
almost everything digital if we have to? We kind of did about the same thing we
Digital
Transformation
Technologies in
K–12 Education
Internet of
Things
Information
and
Communication
Technology
Machine
Learning
Artificial
Intelligence
Cloud
Computing
Blockchain
did in secondary, like you can put some prerecorded videos, instructional videos
up there. Different things like that for students to do more asynchronous type of
work for the 2020 initial onset. So, we had to think, how are we going to do this
on a daily basis when we had kids in the classroom and kids at home? So, we said
we need some sort of live option to be able to interact with the kids at home. So,
we looked into one program called Panopto. And we went ahead and got that one.
We’re having to build the plane as we fly it.
RP11 shared their personal experience with ensuring access to digital technology: So
right before the pandemic hit, my superintendent actually retired, and my assistant
superintendent became the superintendent. We had just hired a new assistant
super. And luckily, my assistant superintendent, who I had been working with
who’s now the super had been so integral in the rollout of going one-to-one in the
high school, we were already prepping for the middle school. So, the devices
actually had already been ordered and were in house. So, at the point when the
pandemic happened, our high school was already one-to-one, our middle school
devices were already sitting in our school buildings. And we really were only
missing our intermediate and elementary buildings. And so, what we ended up
doing, because of his leadership, was we took our 5-year plan, and we
crunched it down into 30 days. He was a huge part of that, it’s a big move to
make, it’s a lot of money to spend. But we were headed in that direction anyway, and he
made the call, he worked with Apple to get pricing. We ended up moving completely
one-to-one for the 2020 school year in every building K–12. Now, during the pandemic,
during the initial close in March, at the elementary buildings, because, you know,
everyone wanted iPads at that point. We had carts in all of the buildings. So, what we did
is we sent out a survey to families just saying like, do you need a device? Or do you have
something you can use and any family who needed one, we tried to get them a device and
a hotspot to get them through the March, April, May. But then the following year, we did
go fully oneto-one, by purchasing additional devices. But I felt like it was so important
for us to have a leader who really understood and could respond quickly to that because
we just felt like no one knew how to do what we were doing. No one had been in that
before, there was no map to say we were doing it right or wrong. And the grace in the
flexibility, those two words that he used constantly, like, I think those allowed us to be
successful, or as successful as we could be during a pandemic. In assessing the needs of
students and developing strategies to transform the learning environment, RP6 provided
their experience working with community partners to combat the obstacles posed by the
pandemic.
So, developing a strategy, even if it wasn’t perfect, it enabled us as an
organization to meet the needs of the families and the kids to the best of our
ability. I think communication skills, being able to present new tools, new
strategies in a cohesive way, being able to model those strategies, those
instructional tools, is very important. I do know that there were charitable
organizations that were trying to help us. Also, the Lions Club, some civic
organizations, there was a real surge of people wanting to help. The problem with
that other than the library is that sometimes people want to help, but we were also
worried about cybersecurity. So, we really couldn’t, it’s my recollection that we
couldn’t really open the doors digitally, or monetarily, like, there’s just sometimes
people want to help, but it doesn’t fit with what we need. And it was just a strange
time. But the library was definitely a resource we were able to use, because
they’re public. They’re easy to vet, so I remember like, digital novels, we were
able to give, like digital library cards to every single student, and then they could
access the novels through Libby. So, that was a very strong partnership.
RP5 shared their sentiments on embracing technology:
I think we need to embrace technology more. I think that the pandemic forced
educators, everyone really to kind of just embrace technologies in ways they
would not have if there were not a pandemic. So, there’s a lot of great things that
came out of that, in terms of technology.
RP7 discussed the strategies they created to ensure a smooth transition in adopting digital
technologies at their school:
So, we operated, we created a student help desk. So, the parents could call in and
get support or online tickets where they could get help that way. We learned that
our family’s exposure to technology and their experiences are very different. We
have to be able to meet them at their level. And so, a lot of how-to-use and FAQs
and video tutorials on how to do things from a parent lens or student lens from
home were very needed as well. So, I have to work very well with my network
administrator and the tech team here, as well as our one sole technology integrator
and our curriculum and assessment director, to make sure that we’re continuing to
grow and merge our skill sets in a way that’s productive for students. Making sure
that policy is created and updated continually to reflect the landscape of
technology as it transforms because it continually transforms. So, you can’t just
keep adding initials and tools to an existing policy; it doesn’t work. Eventually,
you have to recreate and make a new policy. And we know that we can if we need
to pivot. I hope we never have to pivot to that extent again, but if we have to pivot
and go back home, we can successfully educate students from home as well. So, it
lets us know that we have the ability to adapt and diversify.
RP10 provided their insights on the importance of having a strategic plan to transform
their school:
So, we also started to create the resources, started to create a matrix, started to
create kind of the step-by-step this is what you need to think about first, this is
what you need to do second, this is what you need to do third, from a multitude of
levels. The first level was that we did this from more of a strategic level. Like how
are we going to get devices in the hands of students? How are we going to make
sure that there is some sort of internet service? What are you doing, in which case
we all networked and shared each of our strategies with one another and created
this step-by-step sort of playbook if you will. And that’s what I strategized and
created was probably weeks and weeks’ worth of short how-to-do things, how to
teach remotely, what’s important to get sorted out first, how to set classroom
norms and Zoom, how to use Google Classroom and all those bits. So, I guess, in
sum, we were busy, and I guess in a lot of different areas. I think that was
probably one of the biggest hurdles for us to face was, how do we do
connectivity? How do we make sure everyone has a device, everyone has a
network? Everyone has all of those things just to get connected, never mind the
how to use the tool and actually join a classroom and make all of that happen. The
strategy is important because it gives everyone a common goal, a common touch
point, and common input. When you have some
sort of strategy of attack, it can give you less of a stress load, it gives you an idea
of okay, this is where we’re going and why we’re going there. This is the
intention behind it I feel like when it comes to digital transformation, we have an
interesting wealth of experience because we’re not just doing it internally. We get
to do it with districts and see what their needs are. The key principles in a digital
transformation strategy. For me, I think the biggest piece is the vision that you
have in a digital transformation. When you’re working towards digital
transformation, you have to know what your end goal is. If you don’t have a clear
one, like COVID, did not give us a clear one other than get the kids online and get
them learning. You’re not going to drive the strategy anywhere. So, I think that’s
a big, big piece of it is the vision and the purpose and the goal behind it.
Transformation strategy is a lot more of okay, what is our end goal? What are we
trying to make sure our learners are leading with? Are we preparing them? But the
idea of how we’re preparing them for the careers of tomorrow, but moreover, how
we’re preparing them with so many skills that can be adaptable in whatever means
that is necessary. So, for me, when I think about the importance of technology,
and how we make technology transform education, and transform the learners, I
think that the vision is a big piece of it. Because you can’t make decisions, if you
don’t really know where you’re headed, or why you’re headed there. You can
create the strategy once you know where you’re headed and why. And that why, I
think is just so important.
Conceptual Code: Transformative Experience and Resilient Adaptation. The
COVID-19 pandemic brought on a transformative experience for K–12 education leaders
as they created emergency response plans to build and restore a resilient school system
with a student-centered focus. Numerous challenges emerged that required immediate
solutions and modifications to school policies and procedures to ensure equitable and
effective online learning solutions for all students (Huck & Zhang, 2021). The traditional
instructional methods had to be adapted for online platforms, in which the accessibility to
online resources had to be developed and made available to students and educators, the
way in which assessments were issued had to be modified to ensure a secure testing
environment, educators had to integrate new pedagogical strategies, and parental
involvement was a contributing factor to the successful transition to remote learning. The
following excerpts demonstrates participants lived experience with leveraging technology
to enhance the learning experience.
RP1 shared the following:
What it taught me is how resilient I am and how a lot of educators are. It showed
me our limits in terms of how students learn, and how teachers learn, and how
flexible they can be, and how much of a toll it can take on you.
RP11 expressed their view on change: “In education, the only constant is change. I guess
we just never expected it to change that fast.”
RP6 echoed similar sentiments:
I would say, at least 2, 3 years now past that crisis, adaptability to change is the
optimal. I think that now the adaptability of staff, students, community members,
that’s strength. I think it’s enhanced student learning outcomes. I just like the
stretching of the rubber band, like understanding that we are capable of great
things, that we are capable of understanding that we have a really great capacity
to lead and to help deliver high levels of instruction.
RP4 also agreed that change is pivotal: “But we have to always be adaptable for change,
because it will not be the same ever. It will always change, there will always be
something newer or something to learn.”
RP9 shared their view on the influence of the pandemic on teaching:
It forced teachers to really embrace more technology than what they were doing
before. I like the future. I like the options that it has presented for students who
don’t always feel safe, comfortable, in a big public, or even just a little public
school.
Conceptual Code: Communication and Collaboration. The COVID-19
pandemic ushered in a time in world history where it impacted many sectors in our
economy and an immediate shut down to the education system was necessary to
minimize the widespread transmission of the deadly virus. As a result, communication
and collaboration among various entity were essential in navigating the challenges of the
pandemic. To mitigate possible risks of spreading the virus, education leaders became
activist in helping to manage the health care crisis, provide clear and accurate
communication from the CDC, WHO, the National Institutes of Health, and local
government authorities regarding health protocols and safety measures, as well as create
strategies to adapt to a new way of thinking, working and learning.
The K–12 education landscape has forever changed because of the COVID-19
pandemic. To ensure learning continuity and reduce the disruption to the learning
environment, it was pivotal for educators, students, parents, and staff to work together to
create a smooth transition to online instruction. To stay abreast of the recurring changes,
clear communication and collaboration was essential in maintaining a functional and
effective school system, where educators were afforded the flexibility to create
innovative solutions for online learning and teaching, students participated in remote or
hybrid learning, and families felt supported, all while safeguarding the safety and
wellbeing of the school community. The transition required effective collaboration
among administrators, educators, and IT staff to rapidly deploy digital devices and tools,
training, and PD opportunities. Disseminating a plan of action for how the school system
will operate under the new protocols, understanding how to access course materials,
digital technologies, resolving issues associated with equity issues, network connectivity,
and navigating educational resources was essential in creating an inclusive learning
environment.
RP11 shared their view on being transparent about communication:
So, I would say it was just that fail forward mentality of, we can’t do it unless we
try. And we are going to openly communicate with our faculty and staff and
community that we are going to give this our best, and we will continue to make
adjustments. I think for us, it just went back to the learning. Like we have a lot of
conversations around what does learning look like for our students. And how do
we maximize engagement and even empowerment, like we wanted to utilize
student voice as much as we could.
RP6 shared the following sentiments on the effectiveness of communication and having
empathy:
I think, also, something that’s not really talked about, is really just listening to
people and having that emotional IQ for them. I’m an empathetic person, like I
have very high standards for my staff. But at the end of the day, we’re all people.
And I think that if you can help people manage all of these new or if you help
them manage not only their own crises in their own health scares in their own
family lives during that time and be cognizant of the fact that we are all human
handling emotions. That goes a long way so that when you’re teaching these
digital platforms, and you’re serving up new tools, new this, new that, if you’re
doing it in a professionally, empathetic way, I think you can get more out of
people, and I can speak for myself. That’s the approach I took. And I think that
was successful. I would say, rationale; like communicating rationale,
communicating how IT connects to our vision and mission as a school district.
So, the rationale, the connection to our vision, basically, the why? So yes, we’re
doing this because of the pandemic, but that’s not enough, how is this connecting
to the learning? And why is this the best one for the learning? So, one of the
principles would be the why. Understanding your why and being able to
communicate the why to your staff and the community. So, communication has to
be key. And I would also say just communication has improved. We held
webinars, I remember holding webinars myself, trying to communicate with
parents explaining to them, what we’re doing, why we’re doing it. So, just being
transparent. Transparent was, I think, very helpful to the community at large, even
if we got a lot of pushbacks here and there. Leading with empathy and
understanding and working one-to-one with people, sometimes, just leading with
empathy but with patience. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that
relationships were enhanced, positive, professional relationships were most likely
enhanced, because people were helping each other just get through it.
Conceptual Code: Lessons Learned. The lessons learned during this
catastrophic moment in time have created opportunities for continuous improvements in
educational practices to help shape the future of the education system. Technology plays
a pivotal role in enhancing the learning environment and changing the dynamics of a
traditional educational model. The following excerpts highlight participants lived
experience with the phenomenon and the lessons they learned through this sudden change
in the education system.
RP6 provided their views on the topic:
In my role, the lesson learned is that less is more. We don’t need all the bells and
whistles. But the lesson is just for me, slow down, don’t pile on a ton of things for
people. Let’s get good at using one to three things and then maybe we look to see
it enhancing with other types of digital platforms. But the lesson I think would be
just slow down and give folks a chance to analyze.
RP10 shared their perspective on the major takeaways from the pandemic:
Whew, lessons learned. There are so many lessons learned. Just where to begin?
Like when I think about one of the big ones for me, it was the fact that we didn’t
know how unconnected people were. Like, I really think we didn’t understand
just how little connectivity some of our school districts, and even like some of my
colleagues were like, there’s just this blanket assumption. And really a big learn
across even, I would say, the Commonwealth. Like there were a lot more people
having that aha moment that the lack of connectivity was a real concern that
needs to be addressed. And needs to have money attached with it, not one of those
good old unfunded mandates, sort of situations. So, I think that was a big lesson
learned. I think another really great lesson learned was around the resiliency of
educators. I worked with a lot of educators who did not use technology until
COVID. They’re like, No, I don’t need that. And then like, they had their aha
moment
RP9 provided their insight on moving away from the traditional mode of education and
embracing a new way of learning:
I think some of the lessons learned are needed. I think education in general, has a
hard time changing from just doing traditional things. Whether it’s how we set up
desks in the classroom, how we just do a lot of just things, because this is how
we’ve always done it, we’ve never really had a push to really have to look into,
maybe this isn’t the best way that we need to be doing this. So, I think we’ve
learned that we don’t have to always do education the same. And that it’s okay to
change and look into different educational practices that are a better fit for kids in
the community, like the virtual schools that are now available for students who
work better in that kind of environment. So, I think the biggest lesson is making
sure that we’re doing education that fits the population and the types of kids and
students and families that we have now, instead of just doing it always the
traditional way, because that’s how we’ve always done it.
Category 5: Social Impact
Theme 3: Navigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Influence on Social Needs
The final theme that emerged from this research study is Theme 3: Navigation of
the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Influence on Social Needs, which emerged from
Category 5: Social Impact. This category grouped all the conceptual codes relevant to
participants social and emotional needs. The data that emerged from this theme
highlighted participants lived experiences with societal influence of the pandemic and
how it played a major role in their ability to help families navigate the challenges. There
were several discrepant cases that emerged from this theme as the unintended results that
were given provided a better understanding of the overall impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on school-wide decisions. There were nine codes that emerged from the data,
in which 197 excerpts were captured to show participants experience with the
phenomenon. Table 12 reflects the codes that were generated from the data to formulate
the theme, the number of times the code was referenced in the excerpts, as well as the
number of participants who referenced each code.
Table 12
Theme 3 Data Analysis and Frequency of Codes Referenced
Theme Code f of excerpts No. of
participants
3. Navigation of
the COVID-19
pandemic and
the influence on
societal needs
COVID-19 protocols and mandates
Digital divide––the haves and have-nots
Low socioeconomic status
Mental health support
Uncertainty and fear of length of pandemic
Maslow's hierarchy of needs leadership
Community support
Understanding student needs
Working in survival mode
Total
18
32 5
13
23
19
39
39
9
197
6
3
2
5
8
7
8
11
7
7
Conceptual Code: The Digital Divide—The Haves and Have-Nots. The codes
derived from this category highlighted the disparity among people of low socioeconomic
status and those that have financial stability. The immediate shutdown and closure of
schools throughout the United States shifted the trajectory of the K–12 education system.
Causing leaders to reassess their school dynamics and make decisions that were suitable
and sustainable for students and educators beyond the traditional classroom experience.
The lack of technological resources among families became evident during the COVID19
pandemic and posed unprecedented challenges for K–12 education leaders as they altered
their school system to embrace drastic changes to the learning environment. The data
analysis results showed leaders’ primary focus was to ensure a fair distribution of
resources and support systems to meet the needs of individuals. As education leaders
navigated the storms of uncertainties, they relied on innovative technological solutions to
pivot to emergency remote learning to reduce interruptions to the academic environment.
RP1 described the digital divide experienced by students who had support at home versus
those who lacked support.
So, at the previous school, the kids that came from probably a two-parent
household that had home support, and all that, and the parents that were probably
educators, they probably did well, because they had somebody at home with them. They
had somebody to help them with the work during the pandemic, versus a lot of the kids
where they can’t get on to their device to learn because they’re at somebody else’s
house because their parents are essential workers. RP11 provides their experience with
challenges faced because of the digital divide and the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity and
family support.
As a school administrator, like, you wouldn’t even think about the stuff that we
went through like, the students don’t have Wi-Fi, so then we get them Wi-Fi, or
we’re in a rural area. So, we got them a Wi-Fi, and it’s still not working. So, their
options are to drive to the school to get onto Wi-Fi. The digital divide, obviously,
we noticed right off the bat, whenever we delivered devices, secondary wise, and
then we knew we had to figure out elementary, so that became clear. We figured
that out, and then nobody had Wi-Fi, then we had to order Wi-Fi. Then the digital
divide then became even to like, people losing their jobs and needing support
financially, like with meals, so then we provided meals to the families. And, even
like I said about those rural families who lived out on farms who couldn’t get
internet, like, we were just constantly innovating and trying to figure out the best
ways that we could support everyone. And then we did whatever we could to
support them and our local community, the local food bank, like just so many
different organizations came out to support even with Wi-Fi, like, businesses
would say, like park in our parking lot, we have Wi-Fi here, to try to get families
a little closer to their homes, so they didn’t have to come all the way to the
school. So definitely, it was there. And then the digital divide, like whenever I
think about the teachers, like teachers who weren’t tech savvy, before the
pandemic, and then had to figure it out. I actually feel like the pandemic forced
that gap to finally close. Like, there was really no choice. You know, everyone
sort of had to figure it out. And they did.
RP6 provided their view on how their school district partnered with the local library,
civic organizations, and religious groups to address the concerns with the digital divide.
Our district is a very, very diverse socioeconomic area. And so, we have lots of
kids that have their own computers, phones, and then we had lots and lots of kids
that had nothing; like not a phone, not a laptop, not a desktop, nothing.
RP7 emphasized the dynamics of their school district, where half is suburban, and the
other half is more urban.
I, certainly as a coach and as a teacher, saw that digital divide. We are a very
divided district. Half of our district is more suburban setting, and the other half of
our district is more urban. And we definitely saw the haves and have-nots. And
also, just the comfort levels of people were very, like, I’m very comfortable using
technology, or I don’t like technology; I fear it and I don’t want to use it. So, that
divide existed amongst our faculty as well.
RP10 highlights their experience with the digital divide in their region, where many
students lack internet access.
I don’t know, nobody recognized the inequity of it, that so many students don’t go
home and have the internet, or if they do, it’s not going to be good enough to be
joining a videoconference call. And I feel like that was really powerful. And I
think coming out, like, even now, we’re still grappling with the fact that we don’t
have connectivity everywhere. So, the idea of even assigning something and
saying, well just go home and finish it on the internet isn’t a reality for a number
of our learners. Even post COVID. So, I think that was probably a big learn for
me. The digital divide is an interesting one. Because we’re in a region where there
are literally places that don’t get cell service, let alone internet service like that.
So, the haves and have-nots, they were pretty massive. There was definitely a
haves and have-nots situation.
Conceptual Code: Community Support. School administrators in the K–12
education system throughout the United States faced many problems as they were
unprepared to deal with the unimaginable COVID-19 crisis. The rapid change to the
school system was received by some with acceptance and gratitude and perceived by
others with resentment and pushback. There was a heightened need for community
support to successfully implement digital transformation strategies and ensure equitable
learning experiences for all students. To enhance the effectiveness of remote learning,
education leaders needed to provide students with more than just access to software and
hardware, but they also needed to have the foresight to establish the necessary
infrastructure and support systems that enabled teachers to deliver quality instruction
(Wharton-Beck et al., 2024).
RP10 discussed their organization’s efforts with supporting districts with EdTech
and providing social and emotional support:
Our support wasn’t just in our internal people, it was supporting everybody
externally as well. To give you some perspective, I left the classroom in August,
September of 2019. So, I had been in the position I was in only that fall before
COVID occurred. So, I had not only folks that I was training that I was working
with, but also like old friends from the classroom who were calling me and
saying, hey, I know you’re in that ed tech position now. Could you help me, and I
had so many folks who were like, I’m not just an ed tech specialist, or I’m not just
a tech coach, or I’m not just the tech director, I am now also a therapist. I got to
spend about 15 - 20 minutes doing Zoom therapy, and then I get on the problem
that we’re working on, which is unique. Because I think sometimes in technology,
at least those of us who are super techy kind of people, we are not really good at
the therapy part. We can be really good with the boxes and wires and making sure
it works. You should be able to log in now, not so much in the I’m going to help
you work through your big feelings. And you’re allowed to have those big
feelings. Like that social and emotional intelligence piece was a real big part of it.
And I think that was a personal Aha. I can say that our community at my
organization was just grateful. When it came to the community of parents and
caregivers, they were just grateful for any support that they could get. There’s
occasionally a parent or a caregiver who might push back. They were not pushing
back heavily because of the way the system works. We’ve got learners at all of
the districts; we’ve got learning centers as well for certain needs. And I can’t say
that anybody was pushing back so heavily that there was a real like, outcry. RP7
shared their perspectives on the challenges they faced integrating technology into
their instructional design practices, and the importance of effective
communication, flexibility, and scaffolded support for their teachers and students.
Sometimes the lack of support at home, depending on if anyone’s at home when
you’re trying to do your schoolwork is hard. Some features require more support,
we had to divide our team up and make sure that if someone had to be in that
Zoom meeting to help run the first few, we did that. We had four when we first
started out with technology integrators. And we backed it down to three, and now
we have it down to one. So that scaffolded support, we had more than enough
support. And now more limited. But also, still allowing people to have that coach
if they want it and use it purposefully, is important to me. So, we do that for the
families, as well as the teachers, some people learn best by just clicking on
something and reading about it, some would rather watch a video and see it
happening live, and others would like to call in and get support when they need it.
So, we have that ability as well.
RP11 shared their lived experience with their organization developing digital
transformation strategies, which included creating a support channel for their school
community, building partnerships with families, being empathetic, and resilient. When
the pandemic hit, we were like, everybody’s best friend, everyone wanted to work with
us. The first thing we did was we knew we needed to create a channel for support. Like
we knew teachers were wanting to do things, we knew they needed help with how to
create digital content and then obviously they needed support just in the tech tools as
well. We have a part of our community where we knew they were struggling because
parents had to work and daycares were closed, and their children were being left at home
with neighbors or home alone. And so, that was also a key priority for us and just trying
to focus on how do we connect to those families and support them in any way that we
can. Then it was like building those partnerships with those families, and telling them
like, we’re not forgetting about you, we’re going to create a space for you, where it’s not
just some online program that your kids click through, because that’s kind of what we
had at first. I think just like listening to our community and their needs,
and really making a priority to reach all of our learners, and the partnerships with
the teachers and the families were huge. Hopefully, this is the hardest thing that
this generation ever has to go through. And it’s okay to be like, man, that was
hard. I think we have to acknowledge that. That was just a big part of my work
with my faculty and staff; it’s okay to say you’re tired, it’s okay to even say
teaching feels different now. And so just in talking with them, I would
acknowledge their feelings and just say you have every right to be scared, you
have every right to be frustrated. This is what I know. This is what I can do to
help you. If that’s not going to help you. This is an option we have, but I care
about you, and I love your kids and we’re going to do whatever we can to get us
through this time. This is not going to be forever. But we have to figure out what
to do for now. I think we all spend a lot of time on the phone as School
Administrators, with our families doing a lot of that, the reassurance, we care
about you, we understand. We did not want to get involved in the political
divisiveness that was surrounding, the mask mandate. Like, if you did great, if
you didn’t, then we got to figure out a plan. So, we really just tried to, love and
support our families through that really challenging time. I think the pandemic
showed us, we can do anything as long as we stick together.
Conceptual Code: Understanding Students’ Needs. The uncertainty of the
COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a period where K–12 education leaders had to
immediately pivot and focused their attention on implementing digital transformation
strategies, embracing technology to support a transformative learning experience,
supporting staff through PD opportunities, managing the transition to online and hybrid
learning, providing students with equitable instruction, handling resistance to change,
addressing concerns with the digital divide, providing students with one-to-one digital
devices and flexible options for learning, initiating virtual learning programs,
implementing LMS at their schools, and maintaining rigor in instruction. However, the
underlying factor for effective change was attributed to their primary focus on ensuring
that they understood and met student’s basic needs to enhance their learning outcomes.
RP1 discussed the challenges of teaching in a virtual environment and the lack of
support for students with an individualized education program (IEP):
We have to troubleshoot through what is better with this group of students versus
another group of students. You’re dealing with the engagement, student
engagement, they don’t have anyone in front of them, you have students with
IEPs and 504 plans. The ones that really excelled were students that really didn’t
need it as much, or the students who learn in that type of environment. But the
ones that needed that extra support, that needed the support that came with 504
plans and IEPs, they didn’t get that consistent support. I have to look at what
works for my demographic and my students, from a standpoint of what are the
needs. What are my immediate needs? Because that’s how I’m programmed as an
educator. I’m pretty sure every other educator administrator is programmed the
same way.
RP2 shared their experience with managing the transition to online learning and meeting
student’s needs.
We were basically trying to be all things to all people at the time. Because
obviously, you don’t want to say you have to be here in school, or you just need
to withdraw. They didn’t want a mass exodus of people because they didn’t feel
safe being in person. So, trying to meet the needs of students who are home all the
time, versus students who are here all the time, versus students that were just sent
home for certain periods of time. What we have to do is connect with our students
to really get them intrinsically motivated and learning.
RP6 shared their perspectives on digital transformation strategies in the education system
and enhancing students learning outcomes through digital technology.
We did the best we could, we provided instruction for students, continuous
instruction. I think we handled it better than maybe some other districts did. We
just always strive to strike a balance; we want them to be digitally fluent. But we
also don’t want to just sit them in front of the computer. So, I definitely think it’s
enhanced. Students learn in many different ways, and I think we’re more
equipped now to meet those needs. You know, reach students that can’t even
come to school for mental health reasons or physical health reasons, switching to
digital platforms for those students; that enhances a whole population of students
who may not have just received any schooling. I think it taps into students who
learn well, digitally. It gives those kids a space to flourish. And overall, I think
the day that we live in, the times we live in, our students now are all digital,
native digital learners.
Summary
In Chapter 4, I presented the results of this qualitative phenomenological research
study, which included the research setting, participant demographics, data collection, data
analysis, and evidence of trustworthiness. Data were collected from 11 K–12 education
leaders from various institutions throughout the United States in a semistructured
interview format that was conducted virtually. The central research question for this study
was, What are the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital
transformation strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment to online learning
during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research study was
grounded on the conceptual framework that incorporates the STS theory and DBT model.
Triangulation was used in this study to determine the trustworthiness of the data and to
ensure that the data were reliable and consistent with the participants’ lived experience
with the phenomenon. Member-checking was used to determine the credibility of the data
by allowing participants to examine the interview transcripts and provide feedback.
I engaged in thematic analysis of the data after completing a first- and
secondcycle coding process, which resulted in the creation of 51 conceptual codes that
was derived from 1,278 excerpts. From the coding process, the emergence of five
categories, three overarching themes, and two subthemes were created from the rich-thick
data that was collected from the participants. The following themes were formed from the
data analysis process: (a) pivot to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, (b) K–
12 education leaders’ perspectives on the challenges and benefits of adopting digital
transformation strategies, and (c) navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence
on societal needs. In addition, two subthemes emerged from the data: (a) emergency
economic response to an unprecedented global crisis and (b) leveraging of digital
technologies for online learning in the K–12 education system to sustain school
operation.
Each theme in the research study highlighted participant’s experiences in creating
digital transformation strategies for their school environment during turbulent times.
Chapter 5 of this research study will be the overall culmination of my research findings
through an in-depth comparative analysis of the results and the literature review
conducted in Chapter 2. In this chapter, I will discuss the purpose and nature of the study,
the interpretation of my findings, the limitations of the study, recommendations for future
practice, implications for positive social change, and a conclusion.
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived
experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies during
the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual framework that
grounded this research study includes Trist and Bamforth’s STS theory and Wade’s DBT
model. The nature of this qualitative study was to address the research question: What are
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies to pivot the traditional learning environment to online learning during the wake
and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? The aim of this study was to contribute to the
body of knowledge on the limited research on how education leaders in the K–12 school
system responded to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis and their
implementation plan for adopting digital technologies to pivot the learning environment.
The unparalleled events of this crisis impacted over 1,600,000,000 students
worldwide leading to immediate closures of schools (UNESCO, 2023), thereby causing
education leaders to shift their school environment to online learning by adopting digital
pedagogy to ensure learning continuity. A major finding from this study highlighted the
emphasis placed by education leaders to embrace digital transformation in education to
stay relevant in today’s technological landscape. Another key finding was the need for
strong leadership, leaders who are visionaries and hold accountability for their
decisionmaking to ensure a successful technology implementation. From an academic
standpoint, the key findings were understanding student’s basic needs, delivering
technology solutions to students and staff, providing equitable instruction, flexible
learning opportunities, and adapting to remote and hybrid learning. Despite the
challenges with integrating technology into the education system during the pandemic,
education leaders saw the need to create a unified strategy that would tackle issues related
to digital infrastructure, such as limited bandwidth, network connectivity and internet
accessibility. Education leaders viewed the unfortunate events of this crisis as an
opportunity to support transformative learning practices and create an
asynchronous/synchronous learning experience for educators and students.
The data collection method for this research study consisted of conducting
audiorecorded, semistructured interviews with 11 participants who met the established
criteria for participation in the study. The interviews ranged from 36 – 79 minutes, with
an average interview time of 57 minutes. The data collection process continued until data
saturation was met after the eight interviews, at which point no new themes emerged
from the interviews. Member-checking, triangulation, and reflexivity was used to ensure
the trustworthiness and reliability of the data. I used thematic analysis to identify,
organize, and gain insight into the patterns and themes that were derived from the data
(Braun & Clarke, 2006), which resulted in 51 conceptual codes, five categories, three
themes and two subthemes.
The five categories were (a) educational changes, (b) financial structured
solutions, (c) technological solutions, (d) emergency educational think tanks, and (e)
social impact. The three overarching themes were (a) pivot to online learning during the
COVID-19 pandemic, (b) K–12 education leader’s perspectives on the challenges and
benefits of adopting digital transformation strategies, and (c) navigation of the COVID19
pandemic and its influence on societal needs. I begin Chapter 5 by discussing the purpose
and nature of the study and providing a summary of the key findings. Chapter 5 further
covers the interpretation of the findings, limitations of the study, recommendations for
future practice, implications for positive social change, and will conclude with final
points that highlights the key essence and importance of this research study.
Interpretation of Findings
The findings from this study provide insights into the research question on the
lived experiences of K–12 education leaders navigating the challenges faced with
implementing digital transformation strategies during and after the wake of the COVID19
pandemic. These findings are interpreted through the lens of the three themes and two
subthemes that emerged from the data analysis. The themes are (a) pivot to online
learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) education leaders’ perspectives on the
challenges and benefits of adopting digital transformation strategies, and (c) navigation of
the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on societal needs. The two subthemes for
Theme 1 are as follows: (a) emergency economic response to an unprecedented global
crisis and (b) leveraging of digital technologies for online learning. The interpretation of
the findings will verify, refute, or add to the body of knowledge around education
leaders’ response to ensuring learning continuity through implementation of digital
transformation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing them to the
literature review discussed in Chapter 2.
Theme 1: Pivot to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The key findings of this study aligns with the research study conducted by Huck
and Zhang (2021) and Wharton-Beck et al. (2024), which focused on the challenges and
opportunities school leaders faced with ensuring equitable access to technology and
learning for all students, improving communication with educators, staff, students, and
family; offering PD and training opportunities for educators to improve their digital
selfefficacy; developing digital pedagogies and EdTech tools to enhance the online
learning environment; implementing digital transformation strategies, and providing
flexible options for students to engage in active learning.
The onset of the global pandemic in March 2020 brought on many changes in the
K–12 school system in the United States. Education leaders discussed their experiences
shifting their organizational structure to create a hybrid approach to learning to address
the diverse needs of the education system. Leaders had to immediately make informed
decisions to safeguard the health and well-being of their school environment by following
government and public health officials mandate to temporarily shut down the schools to
reduce the spread of the virus (Tan, 2021). The drastic social distancing measure that was
taken as a precautionary method to decrease the transmission rate, created a dynamic
change in the learning environment, forcing administrators to develop digital
transformation strategies to move the traditional classroom model to an online learning
platform.
The pandemic caused a major disruption to the education environment,
highlighting the inexperience of most schools who had no prior history of an online
learning component (Parveen et al., 2022). Implementing disruptive EdTech was a
catalyst for moving the education system to online learning, as leaders expressed their
experience with adapting to this change in the learning ecosystem. The rapid
technological changes exacerbated as educators felt unprepared with embracing
technology and creating a hybrid model for learning. In many instances, leaders shared
their experience with tremendous learning loss, technology challenges that influenced
remote learning, students perceived acceptance with lack of face-to-face instruction,
educators experiencing increased workload and stress due to the pace of change, parents
concerns with balancing screen time and digital fluency, difficulties associated with
transitioning from paper-based to technology infused curriculum, security issues related
to comfortability with using technology for online assessments, chronic absence and lack
of student engagement, and inconsistent support for students with IEPs.
To facilitate the smooth transition to online learning during the crisis, many
education leaders led various initiatives to create digital transformation strategies to pivot
the traditional mode of learning by incorporating project-based learning, a flipped
classroom model, authentic teaching methods that focuses on critical thinking and
literacy, developing processes for embedding IEP goals into the digital pedagogy, using
instructional tools such as EdPuzzle, SeeSaw or Khan Academy and providing
instructions through video-conferencing solutions such as Zoom, Google Meet, or
Microsoft Teams. Leaders created initiatives to create a one-to-one digital environment
by effectively distributing laptops and materials to students to ensure equitable access to a
transformative learning experience. As RP 10 stated: “Educators had an ‘aha’ moment
with technology during COVID.” While the COVID-19 pandemic created a disturbance
to the education system, it has been credited for advancing the digital transformation
phenomenon in the K–12 academic environment, causing virtual learning and remote
work to become part of societal norm.
Subtheme 1a. Emergency Economic Response to an Unprecedented Global Crisis
The results regarding the ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency
Relief) funds add knowledge to the peer-reviewed literature found in Chapter 2, as it
explains how this program was designed as part of three COVID-19 relief packages that
was instituted by the federal government to provide K–12 schools with approximately
$190,000,000,000 in emergency funding to support various initiatives to address the
educational challenges faced by the pandemic (Mahler, 2024; Owens, 2024). The funds
were designed to be used to equip schools with the necessary resources to prevent or
respond to the needs of students who were most affected by the pandemic, mainly the
disadvantaged student population. The goal was to create a more resilient and equitable
education system (Owens, 2024) by allowing schools to invest the funds in the following
ways: (1) “invest in new technology and infrastructure improvements, (2) funding
extracurricular and academic programs, (3) hiring additional staff – or supporting
additional staff with professional development opportunities” (Mahler, 2024, para. 14).
The goal through this initiative was to bridge the educational gap associated with learning
loss due to immediate mandates for social distancing, requiring schools to shut down
(Mahler, 2024; Owens, 2024).
The population most impacted by school closures were low-income, underserved,
and special needs students (Mahler, 2024). Leveraging the ESSER funds created dynamic
opportunities for schools to increase their support network, provide educators with
technology training and PD opportunities, implement an LMS, inspire parents in the
school community by offering personalized support for their family needs (Owens, 2024).
During this transformative experience, education leaders shared how their roles
transformed to managing the school’s online learning platform, ensuring that they
adopted the solution that was most feasible for their learning environment.
The expiration of the ESSER fund brings significant financial implications to the
K–12 school system as the emergency relief package is set to expire in many states at the
end of September 2024 (Mahler, 2024; Owens, 2024). This will have a major impact on
school districts as they will have to review their budget, adjust their staffing, support, and
technological needs. In many instances, education leaders may have to make some cuts to
personnel, reassess the need for essential EdTech solutions, reevaluate their technology
policies and prioritize their long-term solutions.
Subtheme 1b. Leveraging Digital Technologies for Online Learning
The study’s findings are consistent with previous research as identified in the
literature review with leveraging experiences from others within their organization and
externally to improve their digital infrastructure (Burgess & Anderson, 2020). In this
study, education leaders shared their experience with managing the transition to online
learning, often highlighting the strategies they created, the challenges they faced, and the
insights they gained through collaborative and joint efforts with other leaders. K–12
education leaders leveraged partnerships with outside organizations and collaborated with
other school districts to share best practices with the aim of improving their digital
infrastructure. The local public library, civic organizations, and religious groups were
vital sources for many school districts as they provided digital resources and Wi-Fi
hotspots for students and families. Forming these partnerships were essential in ensuring
that the needs of the school community was being supported.
The most difficult task as described by many was implementing a remote learning
environment. For many, this was an unchartered territory with minimal experience or
exposure on how to successfully make the change. While it was a distant goal for leaders
to move in that direction in the future, the immediate school closures forced a rapid
acceleration to implementing digital transformation strategies, including the importance
of acquiring one-to-one devices for all educators and staff; implementing a robust LMS
for content distribution, assessment, and online learning; and utilizing web-based
conferencing tools for screen sharing, collaboration, and teaching.
As the pandemic propelled the digital transformation in education phenomenon,
the results support previous research of leaders reinforcing the necessity of having a
hybrid approach to learning and using technology platforms such as Google Suite, Zoom,
Microsoft Teams, Office 365, EdPuzzle, Schoology, and Canvas to facilitate and improve
student learning outcomes (Francom, Schwan, & Nuatonue, 2021). Education leaders
highlighted that in the digital age, it is imperative that students understand the importance
of critical thinking and being creators of knowledge. There was a strong recurring
emphasis among the participants on using technology as a supplement to enhance the
curriculum, especially during emergency situations. They prioritized the effectiveness
and simplicity of various platforms as they evaluated the most viable solution for their
academic environment.
The proliferation of technologies, especially AI, has a variety of advantages in the
education system. The results from the study confirmed previous research on the benefits
AI offers in changing the way teaching and learning occurs, requiring teachers to
embrace the use of technology in education (Reiss, 2021; Zafari et al., 2022). School
administrators are leveraging AI in the education system to improve teaching methods
and enhance student learning. Leaders are predicting that AI will streamline some of the
routine tasks that teachers perform such as grading and creating new lesson plans, thereby
allowing more time for student-centered activities. Leaders shared their excitement about
the future of K–12 education with AI and the need to teach students how to use the
technology properly, thereby preparing them for real-world application. The idea is that
AI will ultimately change the dynamics of the classroom structure, increasing the level of
rigor and focusing on higher order thinking skills.
Theme 2: Education Leaders’ Perspectives on the Challenges and Benefits of
Adopting Digital Transformation Strategies
The findings in the study confirms the benefits of implementing EdTech as
outlined in Chapter 2, where prior researchers view technology as a disruptive innovation
that is changing the dynamics of the learning environment (Burbules et al., 2020). The
participants in this study acknowledged the potential benefits of digital tools in providing
equitable access to a quality education (Burbules et al., 2020), therefore, enhancing
curriculum teaching and practices by investing in EdTech that supports educators and
student’s needs. Leveraging various software, hardware, network infrastructure, cloud
computing, and educational apps provides new methods for learning, such as delivering
content using web-based video-conferencing solutions or through implementing an LMS
as a repository for content to facilitate project-based learning or a flipped classroom
model. According to Burbules et al., (2020), IT has propelled the advancement of
educational reform and has facilitated the ease of knowledge sharing across society. As
such, education leaders leveraged the use of digital technology to provide students with
more flexible options by offering a personalized learning experience.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, administrators played a key role in adopting
digital technologies to ensure learning continuity. These goals are consistent with existing
literature on implementing digital technologies in the classroom worldwide (Dindar et al.,
2021; Mospan & Sysoieva, 2022). Leaders identified challenges the school community
faced with adjusting to virtual learning and adopting a new learning platform, as many
were not prepared to transition teaching online in a short span of time and lacked the
necessary technological expertise (Huck & Zhang, 2021) to foster a collaborative and
inclusive learning environment. Huck and Zhang (2021) stated that “researchers have
found that while most teachers regularly use computers in their personal and professional
lives, there is a gap between personal use, and classroom use (p. 55).” This gap was
evident in teacher’s lack of preparedness and aversion to using technology during and
post the pandemic. The gap was further bolstered with the many challenges they faced
with ensuring students had digital devices and network connectivity at home to engage in
online learning. Mitigating these issues was important to ensure an equitable learning
experience for all students.
The findings from the study are supported by previous literature on how
technology is used to effectively conduct learning in a remote environment during an
emergency (Crompton et al., 2021). In developing a digital transformation strategy in the
K–12 school system, it was imperative that stakeholders were unified by a common
purpose and goal, to sustain the integrity of the education environment. Education leaders
agreed that having a strategy in place was essential for when challenges arise, thereby
providing a central focal point for decision-making and problem-solving. Communication
and effective decision-making during this transitional period were essential in leveraging
the experiences of other education leaders undergoing similar transformations at their
school districts. For true transformation to occur in the school system it required a shift in
mindset, where educators, students, and families become receptive to the technological
changes needed to facilitate an ongoing learning environment, whether it was virtual or
hybrid. The participants agreed that a dynamic shift fostered an innovative and creative
culture offering students flexible learning opportunities, improved accessibility to
technology, equity for marginalized student, increased educators understanding of digital
technology, and enhanced collaboration with all stakeholders.
Theme 3. Navigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Influence on Societal
Needs
The result of the study is consistent with existing research on the lack of student
digital literacy skills, understanding the support students needed during the crisis
(Crompton et al., 2021) and addressing issues with the digital divide (Burgess &
Anderson, 2020). Navigating the various elements that went into fostering a collaborative
learning experience for students generated many conversations that revolved around the
challenges faced by school administrators to ensure that student’s basic needs were met,
that students received equitable instruction and learning opportunities, and that the
difficulties with moving to remote learning were minimized.
Participants shared their experience addressing the digital divide in education
during COVID-19 and highlighted the disparities faced by disadvantaged students from
low socioeconomic status versus those who came from more privileged backgrounds. The
student demographics were labeled as “the Haves and Have-Nots.” The more affluent
students had access to technology and support at home. While students from low-income
households or English Language Learners, were targeted to struggle more than their peers
that had parental support and access to resources. Education leaders experience
confirmed previous research on addressing the digital divide and ensuring equitable
access to technology for all students (Wharton-Beck et al., 2024). Education leaders
reinforced and attributed their success to implementing digital transformation strategies
in diverse socioeconomic school systems to understanding the importance of having clear
communication skills, being patient and adaptable, showing empathy and emotional
intelligence with their staff, students, and parents. The next section discusses the
limitations of the study.
Limitations of the Study
Limitations in qualitative research refers to the various elements in a study that
can impact the results and conclusions of the study in which the researcher is not able to
control (Simon & Goes, 2013). In this study, the major limitation that occurred were
factors that influenced the recruitment process. While it seemed like it would be easy to
recruit participants using purposive sampling technique, this method proved to be a
challenge with recruiting a sample size of 10-15 participants. Therefore, I had to rely on
the snowball sampling strategy to recruit additional participants until saturation was met.
Another significant factor limiting the study was the mode in which the audio recorded
interviews were conducted, which was through Microsoft Teams or direct phone call. In a
few instances the connection on Teams was not adequate, participants had trouble
accessing the platform, or calling directly was preferred. Participants had to provide their
consent to be audio recorded to proceed with the interviews.
Another limitation to the study that I experienced was connecting with individuals
in my professional network. There were several individuals that I was certain would
participate in the interview process. While many of them agreed to share their lived
experiences with the phenomenon, it was difficult to get them to commit to conducting
the interview. Once I confirmed their interest in participating, I followed up with an email
expressing my gratitude for their interest in participating in my research study. In the
email, I attached a copy of the consent form for their review. In some instances,
participants provided their written “I consent” agreement, and in other cases they did not
respond to the email. In both cases, it was difficult to get participants to commit to
scheduling an interview. The lack of interest or commitment to participate could be
attributed to the time of the school year. The recruitment process started in May 2024, at
which point many K–12 school administrators were potentially busy with end-of-
schoolyear activities (graduation ceremonies, prom, award ceremonies, PDs, end-of-year
review meetings, family obligations, travel plan, etc.), closing out the current school year,
and conducting strategic planning for the upcoming year. The time frame for conducting
interviews was not feasible for administrators who were busy wrapping up with end-
ofyear responsibilities.
The recruitment process was difficult, as I had to constantly reach out to
individuals and post my flyer on various social media platforms to ensure I would obtain
the target sample size of 10-15 participants. The inclusion criteria for involvement in the
research study had to be met, which posed as another limitation to the study regarding the
eligibility of participants. In qualitative research, the limitation is associated with
reliability and validity (Simon & Goes, 2013). As participants shared their most
memorable moments with transforming their school environments during a turbulent time
in history, the limitation to the study was ensuring there was no researcher bias, ethical
issues, and confirming the trustworthiness of the participants responses.
Recommendations
This qualitative research study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of
K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation strategies during the wake and
aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from this research study provided a
greater understanding of the concepts discussed in the literature review in relation to the
process that education leaders took to navigate the sudden disruption to the education
system. The results provided a deeper insight on how education leaders transformed their
traditional face-to-face learning environment to online learning with limited knowledge
on how to effectively incorporate digital transformation strategies. The limitations of this
research study were focused on the validity and reliability of education leaders lived
experiences with embracing technology in their school system to create a dynamic shift to
implementing various learning modalities.
The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education system has left a
tremendous impact on digital self-efficacy which contributed to the adaptation of EdTech
to support a student-centered learning atmosphere. This view confirms the study’s
conceptual framework founded on the STS theory which encompasses an inclusive
approach that jointly optimizes technological and social factors, which is a positive
indicator for increased productivity and superior work life (Govers & van Amelsvoort,
2019). In conjunction with the STS, the DBT framework is also pivotal as it fosters an
immersive leadership experience to transform an organization through innovation and
collaboration in a globally diverse digital ecosystem (Evans et al., 2022). The results
from this research study uncovered various new possibilities for further research.
Recommendation 1: Develop an Ongoing Hybrid or Blended Approach to Learning
A common theme that emerged from the study was a focus on creating a hybrid or
blended approach to education that addresses the diverse needs of the K–12 school
system. While the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for motivating education leaders
to rapidly move in this direction, the temporary plan was not an effective solution for
long-term sustainability. The gap in the literature shows that there is a lack of information
regarding digital pedagogical practices and their influence on student learning outcomes
(Raes et al., 2020). The recommendation for K–12 schools is to develop a well-defined
and structured integrative hybrid or blended approach to learning that balances traditional
and digital pedagogies that are scaffolded in small segments throughout the various grade
levels.
Many of the participants agreed that 100% of technology use in the lower grades
served inconsequential and as a detriment to learning and development for early
childhood. Whereas in the higher grades, it was purposeful as students’ advance in their
academic endeavors and prepare for the next phase of their life post-secondary school. A
hybrid or blended approach to learning, where the learner would participate in both
faceto-face and remote learning (asynchronous or synchronous), would be beneficial to
this population as it offers flexibility, personalized learning, and an engaging learning
environment (Raes et al., 2020). Providing accessibility to new learning modalities and an
immersive EdTech experience aids in the development of digital skills, builds resilience
and adaptability, and creates a dynamic approach to learning that prepares students for
the ever-changing global world. RP 9 shared: “I like the options that virtual school has
presented for students who don’t feel safe, secure in a larger environment, or who suffers
from social anxiety.”
Recommendation 2: Create a Contingency or Risk Management Plan for Remote
Learning
As K–12 education leaders traversed the challenges faced by the global health
crisis, they immediately pivoted the traditional learning model to online learning through
the adoption of one-to-one digital device for all students and teachers to use for distance
learning. The instructional approach to learning was done primarily through accessibility
to the internet, the use of web-based conferencing tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams,
and Google Meets. As well, as through the implementation of an LMS such as
Schoology, Google Classroom, and Canvas. While engaging in these various platforms
were useful during an emergency remote teaching period, being immediately thrusted
into these environments without adequate training led to burnout, feeling overwhelmed,
increased turn over, and aversion to using technology. The recommendation is to revisit
and revise the procedures that were put in place during the pandemic and create a
contingency or risk management plan and training support for all staff, students, and
teachers that would outline the specific protocols to follow in the event of an emergency
that would require remote learning. Similar to the various types of drills that are instituted
in the school system, the contingency plan would go into effect in the event of another
pandemic, inclement weather conditions, or natural disaster. Additional recommendations
for this area include organizing a focus group of teachers as part of the requirements
gathering phase of the software development lifecycle process to evaluate the
compatibility and ease of use for software solutions before purchasing licensing
agreements. This would provide educators with a sense of belonging and a voice in the
decision-making process.
Recommendation 3: Ensure Educational Sustainability Beyond the ESSER Funding
Time Frame
The financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the United
States Education Department ESSER program, which allocated approximately
$190,000,000,000 to elementary and secondary schools to combat educational challenges
that stemmed from the pandemic by equipping schools with the necessary resources
needed to implement preventative measures to mitigate possible risks to the education
system related to the COVID crisis (Mahler, 2024). The unprecedented pandemic
intensified the need for education leaders, school districts, and IT departments to engage
in technology-related decision-making to support learning continuity in a remote learning
platform. During the crisis, the education system received an overwhelming amount of
economic assistance that allowed schools to purchase new technology, provide PD
opportunities for staff and educators, offer mental health support, address the education
gap caused by learning loss, meet the needs of students from low socioeconomic
backgrounds, the underserved population, students with special needs, and ultimately
tackling the digital divide (Mahler, 2024).
While the ESSER funding contributed significantly to the digital transformation
of the K–12 education system throughout the United States, the funds will no longer be
allocated after the end of the 2024 fiscal year and all funds must be obligated by
September 2024 (Mahler, 2024). Schools and districts will need to ensure that they
commit to allocating those funds to specific projects or resources by the deadline,
otherwise the funds may not be eligible for use afterwards (Mahler, 2024). Once the
funds have been allocated, they need to be spent over the next several years in the
following manner: ESSER I by September 2026, ESSER II by September 2027, and
ESSER III by September 2028 (Mahler, 2024). Giving these timelines, education leaders
will need to strengthen their digital transformation goals to effectively utilize the funds by
the deadline.
Future research in this area can offer a more comprehensive plan that ensures that
this type of federal funding initiative becomes a standard line item in the U.S.
Department of Education budget to assist schools with financial support to ensure a safer
learning environment, address academic setback by closing the learning gap through
tutoring and extracurricular activities, offer PD opportunities for students and English
Language Learners in a digital environment, remove barriers to technology access for all
students, provide opportunities for scalability which includes infrastructure expansion,
accessibility to meaningful EdTech solutions, the ability to integrate emerging
technologies into existing system, provide training and support, upgrade technology
platforms and devices across school campus. Continuous funding of the ICT
infrastructure plays a crucial component in creating an equitable and inclusive learning
environment that meets the needs of students and educators in a globally diverse
education system.
Recommendation 4: Explore Digital Literacy Models
As the nation returned to a post pandemic world, the focus remains on equipping
students with 21st-century skills that emphasizes responsible technology use in the future
work environment. Developing a digital transformation strategy is vital for the education
system in keeping pace with technological advancements and the influence it has on
preparing students for a global workforce. While the pandemic was not anticipated, it
sped up the adoption of innovative practices and fostered a new outlook on digital
literacy, yet highlighting the disparity in literacy for students.
RP6 stated the following:
I think literacy is something that’s not really spoken about when it comes to
technology. We have students that their reading levels are very low. So, if you’re not able
to read or write, then you’re going to have a hard time using technology. Participants
identified literacy as a major contributor to the digital divide in schools. In creating a
student-centered learning environment in a technological world where literacy is vital to
embracing a rapidly increasing change in the learning environment, the focus must shift
on reducing the illiteracy rate and improving critical thinking and digital skills. Future
research on creating a digital literacy model that focuses on students’ ability to read and
write in early developmental stages can strengthen the way in which students learn, adopt
to technology, and socialize with people around them. The goal is to promote
accessibility to reading support and resources to engage students in lifelong learning
ensuring they are developing literacy skills and engaging in using ICT.
Recommendation 5: Leverage Partnerships With Internet Service Providers
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the education system to embrace emerging
technologies to facilitate continuous learning throughout their school community. This
dynamic shift in learning created an innovative and collaborative space in which
educators learned how to effectively use digital tools to reimagine the academic
landscape. However, the wake and aftermath of the global crisis highlighted the disparity
between the haves and have-nots, limiting the underserved population from having access
to internet service. Many participants credited the partnerships they leveraged with
outside organizations and other school districts to gaining insightful information to
improve their digital infrastructure and share best practices on how to adopt an online
learning presence. However, as schools return to post pandemic learning in a face-to-face
environment, there is still a need to reduce systemic inequities in the education system,
thereby ensuring that all students have access to the internet at home. As many of the
EdTech tools that were introduced during the pandemic still require internet accessibility.
Further research in this area calls for school districts and government officials to conduct
a deeper assessment of the needs of students in their community and create long term
partnerships with internet service providers, where internet accessibility becomes a
fundamental need of survival for all families.
Implications
K–12 education leaders often face challenges as they embark on their day-to-day
roles in fostering a positive learning environment for students, teachers, and staff. The
unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 changed the trajectory of the
academic setting in the United States and created an urgent need to diversify their
traditional practices to create digital transformation strategies to ensure learning
continuity. On a global scale, the pandemic caused a major disruption to the education
system, impacting 1,300,000,000 students worldwide due to immediate school closures
(UNESCO, 2020). The findings from this research study may have positive social change
implications for school administrators and districts to make informed decisions to expand
the traditional learning model and integrate the lessons learned from this catastrophic
event to create a more inclusive, innovative, and robust education system that will utilize
ICT to propel the learning landscape. The results of this study can potentially have a
positive social change impact on various levels: individual, family, organizational, and
societal/policy.
Individual and Family Level
On the individual and family level, the pandemic had an immense impact on the
lives of students and their immediate caretakers and extended the need for education
leaders to strike a balance in managing student expectations, parental concerns, and
teacher’s technological expertise. The process of creating digital transformation strategies
in the school system presented a deep awareness of the deficiency in online teaching and
learning, thereby providing insights into the latest advancements in EdTech and how it
can be used to effectively enhance the learning experience. K–12 education leaders’
attentiveness to the challenges and resilient adaptation created a positive transformative
learning experience for the school community at large.
Organizational Level
At the organizational level, clear communication, collaboration, adaptability, and
conflict resolution were essential skills that education leaders needed to possess to
successfully manage change within their school system. The decision for an immediate
lock-down of the education environment weighed heavily on administrators as the
primary concern was the health, safety, and well-being of students, staff, teachers, and
their family. Collaboration with all stakeholders increased during the pandemic and it was
pivotal in understanding the needs of each individual and organization in supporting
digital transformation in multi-faceted school districts. The participants represented
diverse school systems; private, public, and charter, with unique and differentiated needs.
They credit their success to being empathetic and understanding the emotional needs of
their staff and students.
Society/Policy Level
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a major disruption to the education
system worldwide, causing various organizations like the CDC, National Institutes of
Health, WHO, and local and state officials to impose protocols and mandates to minimize
the transmission of the deadly coronavirus. These policies were instituted to decrease the
outbreak and protect many of the global sectors and global systems (Oyedotun, 2020). K–
12 education leaders and policymakers faced a tremendous amount of pressure to
implement a structured approach to digital transformation through innovation (McCarthy
et al., 2023). Leaders had to adhere to government guidelines and immediately put their
school on lock-down and transition to remote learning, inform the school community of
the severity of the crisis, monitor and track documented cases and changes to individuals’
health, maintain a safe school community, and provide measures on how to adjust
teaching methods to safely reintroduce everyone into a face-to-face classroom
environment (e.g., social distancing, handwashing, mask mandates). As the global
pandemic reshaped society, the empirical findings from this research study showed
adaptability and resilience as a strength in response to a crisis and that community
initiatives and involvement are enforced when all entities work together to ensure a
successful digital transformation.
Methodological
K–12 education leaders emphasized the importance of digital transformation
strategies in the education system during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic. In a world where the proliferation of ICT is at the center of Industry 4.0, the
education system must embrace change to maintain a competitive advantage in an
everchanging technological ecosystem. The results from this research study highlighted
the various initiatives that K–12 education leaders used to foster positive social change in
the education system by implementing digital transformation strategies to transition from
face-to-face learning to online learning. In shifting to remote learning, administrators
reinforced the essence of technological self-efficacy in a rapidly changing environment.
This phenomenological qualitative research study gave insights into the lived
experiences of education leaders navigating the adversities faced by the COVID-19
pandemic. The in-depth, semistructured interviews with the 11 participants
highlighted the strategies school administrators took to implement digital technology to
enhance the learning experience, create a support network, provide PD and training
opportunities for teachers, and prioritize student engagement and student-centered
learning. The methodological implications of this study can be further examined with a
mixed-method study to add value to the data collection process through a quantitative
analysis.
To enhance the validity and reliability of this study, various data sources such as
surveys, questionnaires, online polls, observations, experiments, or correlational studies
can be done with a larger sample size that may yield more comparative results of the
various technology tools used to promote an interactive online learning experience.
Further research could help determine the effectiveness of leadership roles, the use of
different EdTech on learning outcomes, the strategy for how leaders make informed
decisions, success measurement of different learning modalities (in-person, hybrid, or
remote), the impact of online learning and student engagement at various grade levels
(elementary school, middle school, or high school), specific data on the population that
had internet access versus those that did not, the impact of family support with online
learning, and a comparison of the various LMS.
Practice
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced education leaders to transform their
learning environment from face-to-face to online learning and became a catalyst for
change in the K–12 education system. School administrators had to combat many
challenges relating to adopting and integrating digital technologies as some teachers had
minimal experience teaching in a virtual environment, and they lacked the preparedness
to effectively use EdTech to make the dynamic shift to online learning (Huck & Zhang,
2021). In this study, participants discussed their approach to digital transformation in
their school environment.
The positive social change implications from this study demonstrated education
leaders’ ability to effectively communicate with students, teachers, and parents; offer PD
opportunities for educators to improve their digital self-efficacy; exude social and
emotional intelligence skills, foster a supportive environment, and develop a deep-rooted
understanding of embracing technological change to transform the learning environment.
The result from this study is significant to practice as it showed resilience during a crisis,
transparency in decision-making that impacts multiple facets of the school system,
adaptive response to digital infrastructure challenges, engagement in collaboration and
problem-solving, visionary thinking in articulating the virtual goals for the school
environment, and integration of digital technologies to facilitate a transformative virtual
experience. These characteristics can serve as a guiding principle for leaders in the
education system to follow for future technological implementations in the classroom and
virtually. The lessons learned through their lived experiences can create positive social
change as leaders assess their technology integration plan and digital pedagogy to
embrace the future of online learning.
Theory
The conceptual frameworks of this study were based on the STS theory (Trist &
Bamforth, 1951) of joint optimization of technological and social factors that influence
the social subsystem and technical system; and the DBT model (Wade, 2015), which
focuses on organizational change that is exemplified by bridging the gap between
individuals, technology, and organizations. The STS theory identifies both the social and
technical aspects of how individuals adapt to the implementation of new technologies,
which can be a useful approach for education leaders as they examine pre and
postCOVID decisions for creating digital transformation strategies to propel the
technological landscape of their school environment.
The DBT framework was used in conjunction with the STS theory, as it focused
on a transformative experience that involves embracing technological change in the
organizational structure. In a quest to answer the research question, the finding in this
study is significant to theory as it adds knowledge to the body of research on education
leader’s role in creating a transformative learning experience for students and educators
through the use of ICT tools. Participants lived experiences provided insights into how
they could advance scholarship with the digital transformation phenomenon by fostering
a collaborative network that encouraged innovative ideas and an openness to diverse
perspectives.
Positive Social Change
In a traditional school setting, K–12 education leaders play a pivotal role in
creating an inclusive and supportive environment for students, staff, and teachers. They
are visionaries and strategists who are equipped to empower educational excellence and
create strategic goals for school improvement. They inspire teachers to implement
effective pedagogical practices and curricula needed to enhance student learning
outcomes. Education leaders also ensure educators obtain adequate training and PD
opportunities to maximize their skills and abilities to provide optimal student
performance. Education leaders are also responsible for the financial aspect of their
school, managing budgets, resources, and personnel, building relationships with parents
and the community, and being activists for positive social change within their school
system.
The findings from this study highlight education leaders’ perspectives on the
strategic moves they had to implement during the COVID-19 crisis to create a dynamic
shift in the learning environment from a traditional face-to-face classroom structure to an
online learning modality. The results align with empirical researchers’ view on education
leaders favoring digital transformation and technology-focused PD opportunities in their
schools (Karakose et al., 2021). The positive social change implications from this study
revealed education leader’s role in promoting equitable access to education, ensuring that
all students had access to a digital device and EdTech regardless of their socioeconomic
status. While many of the digital transformation implementations were made under
pressure, with minimum time to execute an extensive strategic plan for dispersing
technology at their schools, the empathy, passion, dedication, and resilience that they
demonstrated during this crisis, can offer valuable insights into the professional world on
how to effectively implement technological changes in a digital era. Thereby, allowing
the next generation of K–12 education leaders to be world changers in developing
strategies for a sustainable digital education system.
Conclusions
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore
the lived experiences of K–12 education leaders in creating digital transformation
strategies during the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from
this study revealed the challenges K–12 education leaders had to face during the
heightened stages of the COVID-19 crisis ensuring they met student’s basic needs,
providing equitable access to learning, and adapting to online learning. The practice of
remote learning and virtual K–12 schools were a concept that existed prior to the crisis,
but the rapid acceleration of most schools to virtual learning within a short time is
unprecedented in the history of U.S. education (Machusky & Herbert-Berger, 2022). This
dynamic change had a profound impact on every aspect of the education system, resulting
in a massive economic relief fund issued by the U.S. Department of Education to help
stabilize 16,000+ school districts and other educational agencies that were awarded the
ESSER funds to navigate the complexities of an unprecedented global crisis (U.S.
Department of Education, n.d.).
The 11 participants shared their lived experience with the phenomenon in an
indepth, semistructured interview where they discussed their experience with developing
digital transformation strategy by leveraging digital technologies for online learning.
Participants emphasized the need for strong leadership, innovation, authenticity,
accountability, resilience, and data-driven decision-making to adopt emerging
technologies into their business model. They identified the social impact the crisis had on
all stakeholders and the need to be empathetic and offer grace and flexibility while
initiating change in a diverse complex education system. As education leaders continue to
leverage the use of EdTech in the primary and secondary grade levels, they can seek
input from institutions of higher education to gain a better understanding of how to
prepare the future leaders of tomorrow on how to stay abreast with technology in today’s
revolutionary digital landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a time for a change
in the education system and now can be the time to change the traditional model of
schooling. As stated by RP 10: “It’s not just about the delivery of content, the goal is to
get learners empowered by educational technology.”
