Examining elementary school teachers’ integration of technology and enactment of TPACK in mathematics

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how elementary school teachers integrated technology into their mathematics teaching in classroom settings that were one-to-one computer environments for most of the day. Following a series of classroom observations and interviews, inductive qualitative analyses of data indicated that teachers felt that technology supported students’ mathematics learning and prepared them for their future where technology was important. However, observations indicated that despite teaching in one-to-one environments, students only used technology on rare occasions or if they finished activities early. Further, these technology-based activities were low-level review of mathematics computations. Implications include the need to provide effective support to teachers about integrating technology in meaningful ways.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved classroom observations of two-third grade teachers.FindingsFindings indicate that teachers used Chromebooks in one-to-one classrooms to provide students with extra practice on computational skills.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a need for future studies to look at teachers’ use of technology and its influence on student learning.Practical implicationsTeacher education programs and school leaders should provide opportunities for current and future teachers to learn about technology with content specific examples.Originality/valueThis study provided an examination of all of the third grade teachers in a school who all were teaching mathematics in one-to-one classroom environments.