Assistive technology adoption in special education: A logistic regression on teacher, classroom, and student factor in Taiwan

This study investigates factors influencing assistive technology (AT) adoption in special education using logistic regression analysis of data from 702 special education teachers in Taiwan. The analysis focused on teacher experience, classroom type, and student disability categories as predictors of AT use. Findings show that mobility aids had the highest utilization rate (91.5%), followed by communication (69.8%) and positioning aids (58.0%). Teachers with over 10 years of experience (OR = 1.486) and those in self-contained classrooms (OR = 1.472) are more likely to adopt AT. Student disabilities also strongly influence AT use, with mobility aids linked to physical disabilities (OR = 1.355) and communication devices more common for intellectual and emotional disabilities (OR = 1.400). Teachers' willingness to adopt AT depended on ease of use and paraprofessional support, and a strong positive correlation was found between AT adoption and teaching effectiveness. These results highlight the importance of targeted professional development and equitable resource allocation to support AT integration and improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.