Investigating the impact of an integrated approach to the development of preservice teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)
Introduction
Common Core Standards, now adopted by 45 states across the U.S., place increased attention to the use of new technologies as a way to acquire knowledge and skills in core subject matter areas (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010). The standards are not only designed to promote benchmarks of student achievement in literacy and mathematics, but they are also intended to reflect the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college, the workplace, and life in a technological society (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010). This shift makes it necessary for new teachers to enter the classroom with the knowledge and skills required to design and implement rigorous standards-based lessons that emphasize strategic use of technology in support of curricular goals (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007).
Existing research indicates that a critical factor influencing new teachers' adoption of technology is the quantity and quality of technology experiences included in their teacher education program (Agyei and Voogt, 2011, Tondeur et al., 2012). Although this generation of preservice teachers is more technologically savvy and actively engaged with digital media, knowledge and skills alone are not sufficient conditions for curricular use of technology in support of rigorous standards (Lei, 2009, Margaryan et al., 2011). Niess (2008), in particular, argues that since this generation of future teachers has not traditionally experienced their own content learning with digital technologies, they need specialized instruction on how to teach their core content with technology while simultaneously guiding students in learning about new forms of technology.
Recent calls have indicated that to prepare prospective teachers for effective use of technology, teacher education programs must help them build knowledge of content, good pedagogical practices, and technical skills as well as an understanding of how these constructs interactively relate to one another (Koehler & Mishra, 2008). In fact, the interactions among content, pedagogy and technology form the core of what has been called technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), a distinct type of flexible knowledge required for effective use of technology in classroom teaching (Angeli and Valanides, 2009, Mishra and Koehler, 2006, Niess, 2005).
While researchers and teacher educators have embraced the TPACK framework with excitement (Graham, 2011), recommendations on how to develop and assess TPACK vary widely in the literature (Koehler et al., 2012, Polly et al., 2010, Tondeur et al., 2012). Further, limited research exists to date examining the actual technology topics addressed across teacher education institutions, the impact of these topics on teaching practice, and the empirical basis for the inclusion of these topics within the teacher education curriculum (Hew and Brush, 2007, Lawless and Pellegrino, 2007, Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al., 2012).
Section snippets
Purpose and significance of the study
The purpose of this study is to describe a pedagogical approach, aimed at advancing preservice teachers' learning on the use of technology and investigate its impact on participants' knowledge (i.e., TPACK) and practice. The approach discussed in the study consisted of an educational technology course with a specific set of technology topics offered in conjunction with methods courses and field experience. This integrated approach aimed at fostering both technological knowledge as well as
Conceptual framework
This work is grounded in the theoretical framework of TPACK, which is used to describe the knowledge base required for effective use of technology in teaching and learning (see Fig. 1; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Beginning with Pierson's (2001) initial articulation of the idea, TPACK has emerged as a key construct in teacher preparation to emphasize a content-specific orientation to technology integration (Angeli & Valanides, 2005; Koehler and Mishra, 2005, Margerum-Leys and Marz, 2004, Niess, 2005
Approaches to the development of preservice teachers' TPACK
A common strategy used to advance preservice teachers' TPACK is the delivery of a technology course, which has been consistently offered since the early 1990s (Niess, 2012, Polly et al., 2010). Specifically, a survey of 1439 institutions with teacher education programs in the U.S. revealed that 85% of them offer an educational technology course (Kleiner, Thomas, & Lewis, 2007). This course has frequently focused on learning about different technologies (e.g., word processors, presentation
Rationale for an integrated approach
In recent years, a number of teacher preparation programs strive to reinforce their stand alone educational technology course by infusing technology in methods coursework and field experience, providing a more integrated approach to the development of preservice teachers TPACK (e.g., Gronseth et al., 2010). Niess and colleagues (e.g., Niess, 2005, Niess and Gillow-Wilson, 2013, Suharwoto and Niess, 2006), in particular, conducted a number of studies examining preservice teachers' development of
Participants
Participants included 88 preservice teachers enrolled in 4 sections of the required educational technology course offered in conjunction with methods courses and field experience during one semester. All sections utilized the same syllabus, which instructors developed and refined collaboratively. Further, instructors worked together throughout the duration of the study to ensure fidelity of implementation. One section was taught by the first author, two sections were taught by the second author
Preservice teachers' knowledge development
Scores on each of the scales associated with the Survey of Preservice Teachers Knowledge, TK, CK, PK, PCK, TCK, TPK, TPACK, and the TOTAL (total score on all items) were computed for each participant at the beginning of the course (pre measure) and at the end of the course (post measure). To test for the significance of the gain score (post measure-pre measure), a repeated measures t-test was conducted on each of the scales. These results are tabulated in Table 4. As seen in Table 4 there is a
Limitations
Two limitations are evident in this work. First, data were collected from self-reported measures such as surveys and case reports. Although case reports provide rich accounts of preservice teachers' thinking in the process of planning, organizing and implementing curricular uses of technologies they are still generated from the perspective of the participants. Nevertheless, we believe that the combination of those two sources provided a reliable measure of preservice teachers' TPACK over time.
Discussion, conclusion and implications
This study examined how and to what extent participation in an integrated approach that juxtaposed an educational technology course with methods courses and field experience through careful instructional design, influenced preservice teachers' TPACK development and practice. Quantitative and qualitative data collected through the Survey of Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Teaching and Technology and case reports revealed that participants experienced significant gains in all TPACK constructs.
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