Abstract
This paper is particularly relevant in the context of a global pandemic when the majority of teaching is conducted online or in a hybrid environment that requires long hours in front of a screen. Online teaching is becoming increasingly important throughout education, and our findings draw attention to some of the challenges and possible pitfalls of the extensive use of digital technologies and, consequently, implications for teacher education. In the paper, we explore student teachers’ perceptions of digital downsides, their teaching tools self-efficacy, their resilience to digital distractions, and physical discomfort from the use of digital technology. We aim to identify these four concepts and examine whether and how they interconnect. A cross-sectional design was used to analyse data from 561 first-year student teachers enrolled in two teacher education programmes in two universities in Norway in 2019. The findings indicate that resilience to digital distractions decreases and a higher level of reported physical discomfort from digital technology increases student teachers’ perceived downsides of digital technologies. Overall, 38% of the variation in perceived digital downsides within the two teacher education programmes can be explained by these two concepts, as well as to the study programme the student teachers attended.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned an extended use of online and hybrid teaching in teacher education programmes and education in general
Descriptive Findings on the Item Level The answers about digital downsides showed that 22% of the subjects thought that the use of digital technology can reduce focus on schoolwork, 26% agreed that it reduces unity and the notion of belonging in the class and 49% agreed that it leads to uncritical copying of content
30% agreed that the use of digital technology leads to sore eyes, 28% reported getting a headache and 22% said that they get pain in the shoulders and arms
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned an extended use of online and hybrid teaching in teacher education programmes and education in general. Student teachers face both opportunities and challenges in the ways they use digital technology and how well they are equipped to meet the demands of technology-enhanced teaching and learning. Limited critical discussion has taken place on the downsides of the technology and how the technology interferes with learning processes and may cause physical discomfort (Binboga & Korhan, 2014; Selwyn, 2016; Lai & Bower, 2019)
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More From: Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education (NJCIE)
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