Institute for the Integration of Technology
into Teaching and Learning
Instrument - Stages - Stages of Adoption
The Stages of Adoption of Technology (Stages v1.1) instrument is a
quick self-assessment measure. It has been used in both preservice
and inservice education to measure the impact of information technology
training as well as trends over time. It is derived from the stages
presented by Russell (1995) in research assessing adults learning to
use electronic mail. Russell's stages included: (1) awareness,
(2) learning the process, (3) understanding the application of the process,
(4) familiarity and confidence, (5) adaptation to other contexts, and
(6) creative applications to new contexts. In the Stages of Adoption of
Technology instrument (Christensen, 1997; Christensen & Knezek, 1999) the
stage descriptions are generalized to make them appropriate for any information technology.
The instrument is a fast and efficient one-time report with many possible
applications. For example, it may be useful to determine the average stage for
teachers in a school in order to target the initial level of a new school-wide
training program. It could be useful as a pre/post technology integration
training program measure for professional development. Instructors in a
university course that includes technology may find the Stages instrument
helpful for pre/post assessment of changes during the semester. The
instrument is time efficient, reliable, and valid as an indicator of an
educator's progress along a technology integration continuum.