An investigation of administrative initiatives aimed at improving students interest in English course with digital aided materials

Problems in the use of printed materials can be alleviated by the use of digital materials. School administrators also have a responsibility in the use of digital materials for students' interest and learning. The literature points to a research gap focusing on school administrators' initiatives in the use of digital materials. In terms of implementation, effective initiatives and practices of school stakeholders are important to improve student engagement and learning. In this framework, scientific evidence-based interventions can support student development. The aim of the study is to examine managerial initiatives in compulsory formal education focused on the use of digital materials for students' interest and learning. In this context, an exploratory mixed design that serves data diversity and in-depth analysis was utilized. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through focus group discussions, semi-structured individual interviews and surveys with teachers and administrators. The study group and sample of the study consisted of teachers and school administrators working in public primary, secondary and high schools in the city center of Aksaray province in the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants were accessed through criterion sampling, easily accessible and snowball sampling techniques in the purposive sampling method. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and exploratory factor analysis and analysis of variance (t-test, ANOVA). There is a harmony between qualitative and quantitative findings. In the content analysis, a total of 143 codes were grouped under five themes. The most prominent theme according to code frequency is "the impact of digital materials on student learning". The most frequently emphasized code in this theme is "attracting attention and motivation". Administrative initiatives ranked second in terms of code density. The codes that stand out in this theme are "lack of support" and "lack of guidance". Lack of infrastructure is also among the frequently emphasized themes. Qualitative data revealed differences in views and experiences between teachers and school administrators. Teachers' lack of conceptual knowledge about the concept of "digital material" was identified. Quantitative data were factorized under three dimensions: (1) Teaching process, (2) Student interest and learning, (3) Administrative initiative. Teachers and school administrators are aware of the importance of digital materials. They agreed on the positive contribution to student interest and learning, but disagreed on managerial initiatives. Teachers report that managerial initiatives focused on the use of digital materials for student engagement and learning are inadequate, while administrators report that they are effective in the opposite direction. A significant effect of the task variable on this incompatibility was found. Being in the position of teacher or administrator leads to a significant difference in perception score. Being a teacher or administrator has a significant difference in perception scores. In addition to the task variable, institutional variables such as location, school level and school size also cause differences in the perception scores of managerial initiatives. Based on the results of the research, recommendations were developed for the field of practice and research.