A Mixed-methods Study of a Teacher Preparation Program PDF Download

Author: Erin Banks Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Student teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which preservice teachers within a teacher preparation program perceived themselves to be prepared to integrate technology, specifically examining the level of confidence preservice teachers perceive themselves to have towards TPACK-related skills needed to integrate technology into their instruction. Participants in this research study were solicited based on their enrollment in the selected teacher preparation program within the last 5 years; also included were current seniors enrolled in their final semester before degree completion. This research study contains a sample size of 20 participants from a small, private university in western North Carolina. All of the participants were preservice teachers either presently employed in a public education setting after graduation or currently enrolled in the teacher preparation program at the university; and all sought or are seeking certification in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade. Like many other teacher preparation programs across the United States, this university focuses on continued improvement in preparing preservice teachers to enter future classrooms equipped with technology as part of the learning environment. -- Three questions were addressed in this study: (1) To what extent does the teacher preparation program adequately prepare the preservice teachers to integrate technology in their classroom pedagogical practices? (2) To what extent does modeling by instructors influence the disposition preservice teachers have towards integrating technology into their classroom practice? (3) To what extent does technology knowledge play a role in the preservice teacher’s confidence towards technology integration? -- A mixed-methods research design was used to explore the preparation of preservice teachers who received their training at a small, private, western North Carolina university. The Survey of Pre-service Teachers’ Knowledge of Teaching and Technology (Schmidt et al., 2009) was used to gather both quantitative as well as qualitative data pertaining to the participants. The quantitative data gathered were analyzed by grouping 5-point Likert-scale responses into positive and negative responses using percentages to identify overall perceptions based on the seven domains of Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK framework. Additionally, the researcher utilized the qualitative responses given by participants from the open-ended questions at the end of the survey as well as during a focus group to strengthen the quantitative data and formulate answers to the posed research questions. -- Each set of data was analyzed separately, which allowed for triangulation (Creswell, 2009). The positive results produced by the survey results and focus-group responses conveyed how preservice teachersperceive they have been prepared to effectively integrate technology in their classroom lessons; however, the researcher recommends further research into preservice teachers’ capacity to integrate technology through continuous assessment and reflection.