Student teachers’ thinking processes and ICT integration: Predictors of prospective teaching behaviors with educational technology

Student teachers should be prepared to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their future teaching and learning practices. Despite the increased availability and support for ICT integration, relatively few teachers intend to integrate ICT into their teaching activities (e.g., Ertmer, 2005). The available research has thus far mainly focused on isolated teacher related variables to explain the weak level of ICT integration. Also, most of this research was set up in Western settings. The present study centers on the impact of Chinese student teachers’ gender, constructivist teaching beliefs, teaching self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and computer attitudes on their prospective ICT use. For this purpose, a survey was set up involving student teachers from four Normal Universities in China (N = 727). Results show that prospective ICT integration significantly correlates with all teacher related variables, except for gender. Building on the results of a path analysis model, prospective ICT integration could be directly predicted on the base of teacher thinking variables (constructivist teaching beliefs, teacher self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy and computer attitudes in education), and indirectly by the gender of the student teachers. Implications for teacher education and further research are discussed.     

Little experience with ICT: Are they really the Net Generation student-teachers?

The aim of this study is to investigate the complexity of past experiences with ICT, pedagogical beliefs, and attitude toward ICT in education that the Net Generation student teachers have about their intention to teach and learn with technology. This study has a particular focus on their lived experiences as school students where ICT related policies were actively enacted in Korea and Singapore for the past decade. To unpack the profile of the Net Generation student teachers, we selected six factors (i.e., past ICT experiences, personal computer use, constructivist belief, computer efficacy, attitude toward computer in education, and prospective computer use) related to ICT use and examined them empirically with 225 first- or second-year student teachers in Korea and Singapore. Overall, our findings indicate that student teachers in both countries tend to hold fairly constructivist beliefs and positive computer efficacy and attitude; attributes that teacher educators can tap on. Student teachers' perceptions about their use of computers for personal purposes and their past experiences with ICT were not relatively high compared to the other variables examined. This study also provides empirical evidence that students teachers who hold constructivist beliefs, have strong computer efficacy, and show positive attitudes toward computers in education are more interested in using computers in future teaching practices. As a conclusion, we argue that the profile of the Net Generation student teachers shows a more heterogeneous composition than we initially expected, and that teacher educators need to be cautious about making generational assumptions solely based on the structural and technological changes.     

Predicting ICT integration into classroom teaching in Chinese primary schools: exploring the complex interplay of teacher‐related variables

Available research has explored a wide variety of factors influencing information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption and integration in classroom teaching; however, existing research seldom centre on the combined impact of these variables. In addition, the little research available is set up in the Chinese context. The latter is important given that the different cultural context in which the interplay between teacher beliefs and educational practices has only been documented quiet little. The present study centres on the complex interplay of a number of internal teacher variables to explain ICT classroom integration. These variables comprise ‘teachers’ constructivist teaching beliefs’, ‘teacher attitudes towards computers in education’, ‘teachers’ computer motivation’, ‘teacher perception of ICT‐related policy’. A survey was set up, involving 820 Chinese primary school teachers. Path modeling was used to explore the direct and indirect effects of the teacher‐related variables on their level of ICT classroom integration. Firstly, two distinctive types of ICT use can be distinguished in the Chinese context: (a) teacher supportive use of ICT that refers to the use of ICT for e.g. student administration, preparing worksheets, developing evaluation activities; and (b) classroom use of ICT to support and enhance the actual teaching and learning process. The results show that classroom use of ICT directly depends on teachers' computer motivation and the supportive use of ICT. Teachers' constructivist beliefs, their attitudes towards computers in education and perceptions about the ICT‐related school policy influence ICT integration in an indirect way. The results demonstrate how the complex interplay between teacher‐related variables and ICT integration in the classroom is partly in line with findings in non‐Asian contexts. A number of differences can be explained by the particular Chinese context. In particular an indirect relationship was found between teachers' constructivist beliefs and their level of ICT integration.     

microLESSONS in teacher education: Examining pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs

It is a challenge for teacher educators to shift pre-service teachers away from traditional pedagogical beliefs towards constructivist ones. At the National Institute of Education in Singapore, microLESSONS is introduced into the instructional technology course of the teacher education program to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to adopt constructivist instructional approaches towards the design of multimedia learning packages. Based on a class of pre-service teachers in the Diploma in Education program, this paper examines how participation in the microLESSONS series changes pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. Although the study shows that the beliefs of pre-service teachers are resistant to change and are unlikely to be affected by a short, one-off constructivist-based practical experience provided by the microLESSONS series, the series may have enhanced their confidence in designing and developing multimedia learning packages based on constructivist principles. The series has also given them a better understanding of the diverse use of technology for enhancing teaching and learning.     

Epistemology and learning: Impact on pedagogical practices and technology use in Singapore schools

This paper reports on two studies conducted in 2006 in the Singapore schools to investigate the relationships between teachers’ beliefs about knowledge and learning, their pedagogical practices, and uses of information and communications technologies (ICT). Three primary research questions were examined in this research: First, do teachers’ beliefs about knowledge and learning influence the uses of ICT, pedagogical approaches, and types of assessments used in the Singapore schools? Second, does the school culture influence the uses of pedagogical approaches and ICT by Singapore teachers in their classes? Third, are the epistemic ideas about the nature of knowledge and learning beliefs that are stable cognitive structures or are they resources that are more adaptively shaped to different contexts? In Study 1, 1882 teachers from 51 schools took part in the 187-item online survey on these areas, and Study 2 involved eight principals, two vice-principals, 33 heads of department, and 60 teachers in structured interviews. It had been hypothesized that beliefs about the nature of knowledge being complex and changing would be associated with more learner-centered pedagogical practices and uses of technology in the classrooms. However, the main findings of Study 1 suggest that it is not epistemological beliefs of teachers about knowledge and knowing that shape pedagogical practices in Singapore schools, but rather teachers’ beliefs about learning. From the interviews in Study 2, it appears that teachers tend to mix pedagogical strategies consisting of both teacher-directed and learner-centered approaches primarily based on beliefs about learning. Our research findings also suggest that epistemic ideas teachers have may not be relatively fixed and stable “beliefs” but rather are more contextually influenced epistemic resources. The paper concludes with a discussion of these findings and their implications for theory, practice, and future research.     

Designing effective professional development for technology integration in schools

This study aims to explore the critical factors for effective professional development (PD) activities to support teachers' technology integration and suggests a design model: flipped PD. The following questions are investigated: What are the core features of effective teacher PD, what are the implications of core features in effective technology integration PD, and what are the best practices for designing a flipped PD model for preparing teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms? First, we discuss the core features of effective teacher PD: content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, collective participation, and the role of context. Second, we explore design factors in recent technology integration PD studies: learner centred, relevance and reflection, evidence of student learning, support and follow-up, student voice, and initial implementation with teacher leaders. Finally, we present a discussion of our recommendations for a flipped model for technology integration PD.     

Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their use of digital media in classrooms: Sharpening the focus of the ‘will, skill, tool’ model and integrating teachers’ constructivist orientations

The ‘will, skill, tool’ model is a well-established theoretical framework that elucidates the conditions under which teachers are most likely to employ information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom. Past studies have shown that these three factors explain a very high degree of variance in the frequency of classroom ICT use. The present study replicates past findings using a different set of measures and hones in on possible subfactors. Furthermore, the study examines teacher affiliation for constructivist-style teaching, which is often considered to facilitate the pedagogical use of digital media. The study’s survey of 357 Swiss secondary school teachers reveals significant positive correlations between will, skill, and tool variables and the combined frequency and diversity of technology use in teaching. A multiple linear regression model was used to identify relevant subfactors. Five factors account for a total of 60% of the explained variance in the intensity of classroom ICT use. Computer and Internet applications are more often used by teachers in the classroom when: (1) teachers consider themselves to be more competent in using ICT for teaching; (2) more computers are readily available; (3) the teacher is a form teacher and responsible for the class; (4) the teacher is more convinced that computers improve student learning; and (5) the teacher more often employs constructivist forms of teaching and learning. The impact of constructivist teaching was small, however.     

Teachers' perceptions of the barriers to technology integration and practices with technology under situated professional development

This case study examines 18 elementary school teachers' perceptions of the barriers to technology integration (access, vision, professional development, time, and beliefs) and instructional practices with technology after two years of situated professional development. Months after transitioning from mentoring to teacher-led communities of practice, teachers continued to report positive perceptions of several barriers and were observed engaging in desirable instructional practices. Interviews suggest that the situated professional development activities helped create an environment that supported teachers' decisions to integrate technology. Implications for teacher professional development and technology integration are discussed in conjunction with the strengths and limitations of the study.     

Understanding preservice teachers' technology use through TPACK framework

This study discusses preservice teachers' achievement barriers to technology integration, using principles of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as an evaluative framework. Technology‐capable participants each freely chose a content area to comprise project. Data analysis based on interactions among core components of TPACK revealed that participants struggled with developing new knowledge. Lack of pedagogical experience limited development of appropriate technology integration approaches. Creating new knowledge bases based on different teaching components can be difficult for preservice teachers because it requires a deep understanding of core knowledge and interpretation of the teaching context and its dynamics. Developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an important factor in overall technology integration; teachers must make it a priority to acquire PCK before integrating technology. In preservice teacher education, PCK development must be supported with actual teaching experience. We believe that the results of the study may provide valuable insight with respect to proper focus on technology integration and recognizing limitations and challenges within TPACK principles to both those who teach technology integration and those who design TPACK‐based activities.     

Mutual Misunderstanding: Preservice Science Teachers’ and Instructors’ Mismatching(?) Priorities

Abstract

There is a growing movement to incorporate and integrate ethics and socioscientific issues (SSIs) into the school science curriculum. Educating prospective science teachers about the importance of SSI is an important aspect of this movement. One area of particular interest is the role of participant beliefs about SSI in shaping the content of teacher education courses, particularly in the physical sciences. This study compared the beliefs of teacher candidates with the beliefs of their instructors on the topic of injecting ethics and SSI into teaching the physical sciences. Findings indicate that teacher candidates have progressive views about teaching ethics and SSI. However, instructor practices are based on a belief that their students hold the opposite view. The result is a mismatching of student and instructor priorities and ambiguity around the teaching of science and ethics.     

Developing situated knowledge about teaching with technology via Web-enhanced Case-based activity

Situated, case-based approaches, featuring virtual teachers’ activity and reasoning in university classrooms, may provide a viable alternative to immersive field-based apprenticeships. Despite widespread advocacy on situated teacher education, research on preservice teachers’ situated learning remains rare. This study examined how preservice teachers gain situated knowledge about teaching with technology by engaging the experiences of practicing teachers through Web-enhanced, Case-based activity (CBA). Situated knowledge of exemplary teachers often espouses a constructivist epistemology and a student-centered pedagogy when they use computers for teaching. Also, their knowledge for teaching with technology requires linking computer skills with associated curriculum and pedagogical strategies. Based on this initial framework, in this study, preservice teachers’ changes in perceptions and understanding about teaching with technology were documented over the course of a semester. A qualitative case study was used, and constant comparative methods were used to continually compare emerging themes and refine categories. Web-enhanced CBA helped most preservice teachers to both understand appropriate uses of technology and refined their perspectives by using experienced teachers’ captured knowledge and practices. Research is needed to refine our understanding of situated case-based approaches’ potential to promote both meaningful technology integration knowledge and skill and to address a range of everyday classroom teaching and learning issues, decisions, and practices.     

Teacher value beliefs associated with using technology: Addressing professional and student needs

Studies have indicated that when teachers believe technology uses are valuable, they are more likely to incorporate those uses into their practices. This hermeneutical phenomenology study investigated the value beliefs that underlie teachers’ uses of technology. To measure value beliefs, teachers’ uses (and reasons for those uses) of technology for teaching and learning were examined. Data were collected from eight award-winning teachers through an interview, observation, and electronic portfolio. Findings indicated that teachers used technology to address professional (e.g., creating customized classroom materials, improving classroom management by engaging students) and student needs (e.g., enhancing student comprehension, equipping students with technology skills), all of which related to the underlying value belief of promoting student learning. Based on these findings, professional development activities should emphasize the potential impact of specific technology uses on student learning.     

The effects of mathematics instruction using spatial temporal cognition on teacher efficacy and instructional practices

This paper examined the effects of an instructional approach known as Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) on teacher beliefs about mathematics teaching. Participants were 339 elementary teachers teaching grades 2–5 who were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine the effects of the intervention on self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and instructional practices using scientific reasoning. While the treatment did not yield significant effects in teacher outcomes, our secondary analysis indicated that time on ST Math and the integration of ST Math into daily instructions were positively associated with teacher efficacy and instructional practices using scientific reasoning. Implications of the results on teacher beliefs about mathematics teaching are discussed.     

Exploring the links between pre-service teachers’ beliefs and video-based reflection in wikis

In teacher education, video has been used frequently for the development of competencies for effective teaching. However, few empirical studies have investigated reciprocal relationships between pre-service teachers’ beliefs and video-based reflection activities. The present study investigated the influences of epistemological beliefs about mathematics on video-based reflection in wikis. Elementary school pre-service teachers had carried out reflective writing and questioning activities after watching a video clip about mathematics learning or instruction in wikis for six weeks. This study also explored the relationships between video-based reflection activities and the change of mathematical beliefs for teaching (MBT). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to examine the links between beliefs and reflection activities. This study found that epistemological beliefs partially influenced reflective writing and questioning activities in wikis. In addition, video-based reflection activities were beneficial for the beliefs of mathematical knowledge and students. This study also identified a few reflection and question categories that were closely related to the change of MBT. Lastly, implications of this study were discussed in regard to video-based reflection practices in teacher education.     

How teachers integrate a math computer game: Professional development use,teaching practices,and student achievement

As more attention is placed on designing digital educational games to align with schools' academic aims (e.g., Common Core), questions arise regarding how professional development (PD) may support teachers' using games for instruction and how such integration might impact students' achievement. This study seeks to (a) understand how teachers use PD resources (e.g., technology personnel and game‐use workshops) for integration; (b) determine how teachers integrate games into their instruction; and (c) examine how those teaching practices are associated with student achievement. This mixed method study used survey and interview responses from elementary school teachers (n = 863) with access to PD resources for implementing a math game intervention and standardized math‐test scores from their second‐ through sixth‐grade students (n = 10,715). Findings showed few teachers sought PD assistance for integration, but many desired such support. Some reported using integrative practices (i.e., referencing game and using game‐generated progress reports) to identify struggling students, whereas several found integration challenging. Teachers' reordering of game objectives to align with lessons and viewing of game‐based PD videos were associated with increased student math achievement in our OLS‐analysis. However, this result was no longer statistically significant within a school fixed‐effects model, suggesting school differences may influence how strongly teachers' practices are associated with student achievement.     

Exploring the link between teachers’ educational belief profiles and different types of computer use in the classroom

The purpose of the study reported in this article was to analyse the relationship between teachers’ educational beliefs and their typical approach to computer use in the classroom. In this context, the question arises whether particular profiles of teachers can be distinguished based on their beliefs about good education. A survey of 574 elementary school teachers was conducted that focused both on teachers’ traditional or constructivist beliefs about education and on different types of computer use: ‘computers as an information tool’, ‘computers as a learning tool’ and ‘basic computers skills’. Cluster analysis resulted in four distinct teacher profiles, reflecting relatively homogeneous scale scores, based on varying levels of traditional and constructivist beliefs teachers hold about education. Overall results indicate that teachers with relatively strong constructivist beliefs who also have strong traditional beliefs report a higher frequency of computer use. In addition, results point at a specific relationship between teachers’ belief profiles and how computers are used in the classroom. Implications for the role of educational beliefs in supporting teachers to integrate ICT in the classroom are discussed.     

Linking teacher beliefs, practices and student inquiry-based learning in a CSCL environment: A tale of two teachers

The links uncovered by research connecting teacher beliefs to classroom practice and student inquiry-based learning are tenuous. This study aims at examining (a) how teacher beliefs influenced practices; and (b) how the influence on practices, in turn, impacted student inquiry learning in a CSCL environment. Through a fine-grained comparative analysis of two cases, this study explores how two teachers with different collections of beliefs enacted the same mathematics lesson on division and fractions in a CSCL environment premised on inquiry principles, and what the connections between different enactments and students’ progressive inquiry process and outcomes were. The findings suggest that the two teachers’ adherence to different beliefs led to different practices, which in turn contributed to different student learning processes and outcomes. We interpret these differences that shaped the students’ opportunities for progressive inquiry in the CSCL environment. We conclude that the teacher holding “innovation-oriented” beliefs tended to enact the lesson in patterns of inquiry-principle-based practices and technology-enhanced orchestration; these patterns interacted with each other to contribute to student inquiry learning and effective use of technology affordances.     

A study of high school English teachers’ behavior,concerns and beliefs in integrating information technology into English instruction

This study investigates the current trends and patterns of teachers’ concerns and teaching behavior with respect to technology integration. The following concerns of English teachers are addressed: teaching practice, perceive barriers of technology integration in the English instruction and the technology deployed in the classroom. Participants in this study were 332 junior and senior high school English teachers from Taipei and Kaohsiung Cities. The study found that despite pressure on schools to increase the application of technology, the adoption of teaching and learning practices using new technologies has been limited in terms of teachers’ SoCQ (The Stages of Concerns Questionnaire), their teaching behavior as well as their use of technology. Teachers’ concerns are generally oriented toward Personal and informational issues. English teachers’ technology-mediated English teaching behaviors are modest, and most teachers used technology to prepare their teaching activities instead of structuring higher levels of usage. As identified in the literature, higher levels of computer training, computer literacy, well-supported school environment, creative teaching practices and positive beliefs about technology integration among teachers result in higher task intensity, impact concerns and more technology-mediated teaching behaviors in the classroom. In terms of the difficulties affecting teachers’ technology integration into English instruction, this study identified significant relationships between first and second-order barriers. Implications for teachers’ technology integration are proposed.     

Identifying discriminating variables between teachers who fully integrate computers and teachers with limited integration

Given the prevalence of computers in education today, it is critical to understand teachers’ perspectives regarding computer integration in their classrooms. The current study surveyed a random sample of a heterogeneous group of 185 elementary and 204 secondary teachers in order to provide a comprehensive summary of teacher characteristics and variables that best discriminate between teachers who integrate computers and those who do not. Discriminant Function Analysis indicated seven variables for elementary teachers and six for secondary teachers (accounting for 74% and 68% of the variance, respectively) that discriminated between high and low integrators. Variables included positive teaching experiences with computers; teacher’s comfort with computers; beliefs supporting the use of computers as an instructional tool; training; motivation; support; and teaching efficacy. Implications for support of computer integration in the classroom are discussed.     

Technological pedagogical content knowledge – a review of the literature

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has been introduced as a conceptual framework for the knowledge base teachers need to effectively teach with technology. The framework stems from the notion that technology integration in a specific educational context benefits from a careful alignment of content, pedagogy and the potential of technology, and that teachers who want to integrate technology in their teaching practice therefore need to be competent in all three domains. This study is a systematic literature review about TPACK of 55 peer‐reviewed journal articles (and one book chapter), published between 2005 and 2011. The purpose of the review was to investigate the theoretical basis and the practical use of TPACK. Findings showed different understandings of TPACK and of technological knowledge. Implications of these different views impacted the way TPACK was measured. Notions about TPACK in subject domains were hardly found in the studies selected for this review. Teacher knowledge (TPACK) and beliefs about pedagogy and technology are intertwined. Both determine whether a teacher decides to teach with technology. Active involvement in (re)design and enactment of technology‐enhanced lessons was found as a promising strategy for the development of TPACK in (student‐)teachers. Future directions for research are discussed.