Using GoGuardian Teacher Technology to Combat Students' Digital Distractions on School-Issued Devices

Abstract

In recent years digital devices have become ubiquitous in schools in the United States and worldwide. This study set out to investigate if the specialized technology GoGuardian Teacher assists educators in combating students’ digital distractions during class time on school issued-devices. A purposeful sampling method was used to select a sample of 16 certified teacher from a public high school in South Carolina with at least one year of full-time teaching experience, currently using or having prior knowledge using GoGuardian Teacher technology. Qualitative data was collected via semi-structured interviews and observational fieldnotes. In-person or virtual (Zoom) interviews were recorded, transcribed, manually coded, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The results showed that to control digital distractions, teachers use GoGuardian Teacher technology to eliminate students’ technology distractions, engage and communicate with students, and hold students accountable for their web-irrelevant activities. The findings led to recommendations for privacy concerns, district-wide digital citizenship programs, and teacher professional development.