How field experience shapes pre-service primary teachers’ technology integration knowledge and practice
Authors
Type
Article
Journal Title
Teacher Development: An international journal of teachers' professional development
Book title
Publication Date
2022
Volume
Issue
Start page
1
End page
20
Publication Number of pages
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
The expectation for teachers to integrate technology within their
classroom practice is growing. However, few studies examine the
influences on pre-service teachers’ technology integration knowledge and practice, and the role of field experience in shaping these.
Narratives from semi-structured pre-COVID interviews with 35 preservice primary school teachers in one teacher education programme in Ireland, some of whom used a digital camera, were
analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Opportunities for
pre-service teachers to develop their knowledge and practice were
shaped by their interaction with the primary school context, the
people within it and the digital resources provided, the Zone of
Proximal Development (ZPD). While the initial teacher education
programme provided opportunities and digital resources to support the primary teachers’ learning, the Zone of Promoted Action,
these were ultimately shaped by the ZPD. The results have implications for professional development programmes striving to support teachers in developing innovative practice in a post-COVID era.
Keywords
Teaching practice, sociocultural theory, Zone of Proximal Development, technology integration, Digital video