Pre-service Technology Teachers Research Articles

Finding The T and E In STEAM: A lesson taught and learned

We have seen students struggling with understanding and defining technology during years of educating pre-service teachers. This study describes lessons with pre-service technology teachers as we try, for us, a new way of scaffolding their understandings. By teaching technology through STEAM, we aimed to get our students thinking about technology and exploring what technology is for them. We chose aesthetic learning processes as a tool to reach this aim. The concept of aesthetic learning processes has been developed within Scandinavian educational research and is often used in our specific teaching environment within higher education. Students were introduced to the stop-motion movie technique and asked to express what technology meant to them. We analysed the student's movies through inductive analysis. Even though it was the aim of the students' task, we discovered that little technology content knowledge did transfer to the stop motion movies. On the other hand, from an aesthetic perspective, they were great. The movie gave us something to consider as teachers. It taught us what could be made better when trying to understand technology this way. We learned that in a STEAM setting, we lost the T and E and discuss the implications of interdisciplinary teaching.

Analyze of the Effects of Pre-Service Technology Teachers Flipped-Learning Lesson on the Self-Directed Learning, Learning Motivation, and Lesson Satisfaction

Analyze of the Effects of Pre-Service Technology Teachers Flipped-Learning Lesson on the Self-Directed Learning, Learning Motivation, and Lesson Satisfaction

예비 기술교사의 3D프린팅 활용능력 함양을 위한 체험활동과제 및 수업자료 개발

This study aims to improve the ability of pre-service technology teachers to use 3D printing through an experiential learning activity. A three-step process was followed to achieve this goal: preparation, development, and improvement.
 During the preparation stage, preliminary skills and information needed to use 3D printers were identified and refined in a meeting with technology education experts. In addition, known problems in existing makerspaces were derived by analyzing their requirements and status. The need to develop an experiential learning activity to improve the 3D printing utilization ability of pre-service teachers was identified by analyzing technology teacher qualification standards, curriculums, and textbooks.
 During the development stage, the subject and content of the learning activity were determined using the requirement analysis obtained in the preparation stage. In particular, efforts were made to incorporate the required 3D-printing knowledge and skills identified in the preparation stage into this activity. The experiential activity task includes topics that enable individuals to learn the modeling and printing process during the three stages of 3D printing (modeling, printing, post-processing). The task can also be tailored, taking into account personal interests and ideas in real life. An 8-hour class was organized, which included two modeling practices. Then, teaching materials (teaching/learning guidance and class presentation materials), as well as learning materials (student activity sheets), were developed and evaluated by experts. As a result of the analysis of the questions in the multiple-choice questionnaire, it was determined that the content of the experiential activity task was suitable, with an average score of 4.50 or higher for all items. Based on other, more subjective evaluations, the experiential activity task and related data were revised and supplemented.
 During the improvement stage, a preliminary test was conducted with 46 undergraduate students of a technology education department. The test results were collected using a study satisfaction test sheet. For all items of this test, the average score was 4.20 or higher, which indicates a satisfactory level in all areas. After reflecting and expressing opinions, the experiential activity task was further modified and supplemented.
 This study yielded positive results in expert verification and preliminary testing with students, which reflects the proposed goal. The findings demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed revision and suggest that it can be valuable in enhancing the 3D printing skills of pre-service teachers as well as helping them design 3D printing classes to teach.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Experience of Learning about Sustainability in Technology Education in South Africa

There have been many calls for the integration of Education for Sustainable development in the training of pre-service teachers so that they can develop sustainability action competence to address sustainability issues now and in the future in their communities. This qualitative pilot project sought to explore pre-service technology teachers’ (PSTTs) experiences of learning about sustainability in the processing of the polymers module, when they were engaged in community-based assessment tasks. Data was collated from 25 PSTTs enrolled for the processing of the polymers module using reflective diaries and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that PSTTs had three key experiences of learning about sustainability, making a difference, learning as hands-on, minds-on, and hearts-on and sustainable pedagogies. At a theoretical level, the findings highlight the value of adopting an ESD lens and experiential learning approach to infuse learning about sustainability when teaching technology education. Further, the findings indicate that if PSTTs are challenged to participate actively in sustainability issues in their communities, they make informed choices about their role in society as future teachers, the pedagogies they plan to adopt, and the kinds of learning they strive to promote in learners.

Using virtual reality technologies in STEM education: ICT pre-service teachers’ perceptions

This study aims to investigate the perceptions, expectations, and experiences of information and communication technology (ICT) pre-service teachers regarding the potential of using virtual reality (VR) as a learning and teaching tool in STEM education. The research participants included 44 ICT pre-service teachers. The data were collected through the self-efficacy and pedagogical usage questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and content analyses were used for analysis. The results show that most ICT pre-service teachers did not have the experience of using VR technology, although they stated that using VR technology had a positive impact on STEM education in many ways. They felt that using VR technologies in STEM education can be more useful and effective in the process of exploring inaccessible places. Some participants had some concerns about using VR in the classroom, for example, VR is a costly tool, and it might isolate and distract students from the real world.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Integration of Mobile Learning Technologies for Instruction

The use of mobile devices for learning can broaden the scope of higher education and enable it to reach students better. This study aimed to analyze the integration of pre-service teachers in mobile learning technology for teaching. The population for this study consisted of all pre-service teachers in the metropolis. The Proportional Sampling technique selected 150 respondents based on their estimated population using the Israeli Model. The data collection instrument was an adapted questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to answer research questions and test the proposed hypothesis with product and service solution statistics (SPSS) version 20.0 at a significance level of 0.05. The findings show that pre-service teachers integrate mobile technology for learning at Ilorin university. There are no significant differences in pre-service teacher technology integration for mobile learning by gender. The study concludes that pre-service teachers can improve learning if appropriate mobile technologies are used for learning. Therefore, it is suggested that Pre-service teachers apply mobile technology for learning regardless of their gender.

The Dimension of Textile use in the Expression of Verbal Creativity

The article investigates the Baltic pre-service Technology teachers' expression of verbal creativity in their final years of study and analyzes the constituent dimension of sustainable textile consumption. The students' verbal creativity was examined using a verbal expression questionnaire compiled following the methodological recommendations of E. P. Torrance for diagnosing a person’s creativity. The development of sustainable textile consumption is part of the Technological education curriculum analyzing responsible consumption issues that are becoming more complex. In most cases, education directly depends on the educator's knowledge, skills, values, habits, experience, and communication. The present research disclosed students – pre service teachers understanding that handicrafts are not related to ethnicity, values, or a phenomenon, which calls for exceptional protection. The integral model of tasks on identification/development of verbal creativity expression and identification/development of sustainable textile consumption was presented in the article.

Insights into Engineering Education Teaching Practice in Slovenian Primary Schools during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Distance Learning Model

When the Covid-19 pandemic started in March 2020, the educational process had to be redesigned to meet current needs. At the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana, pre-service engineering and technology teachers (3rd and 4th years of undergraduate two-subject teachers’ study programme) are obliged to complete a teaching practice in educational institutions and submit a teaching practice diary. Due to the closure of primary schools, the teaching practice was transformed to distance/online practice. This empirical study examines a recently developed intuitive model for distance learning, which took place during the teaching practice. Teaching practice diaries served as an instrument for gathering data. The sample size encompasses 56 lesson plan activities for the compulsory primary school Design and Technology subject for students aged 12–15 years at 15 primary schools in different parts of Slovenia carried out during online teaching practice by 11 pre-service technology teachers in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic years. The research methodology is focused on lesson-type determination and model elements analysis in lesson plan making and implementation activity. Distance learning model elements are evaluated with regard to online/offline learning tools from e-learning platforms to engineering education field-specific tools (e.g., technical drawings and electric circuits). Online teaching practice was as new for pre-service technology teachers and teacher-mentors as online learning was new for students. The advantages and disadvantages are highlighted. Furthermore, the distance learning model from the first Covid-19 wave teaching practice was adapted to challenge the second Covid-19 wave. The pandemic has enabled the rise of blended learning, which has been gaining focus in secondary and higher education levels in recent years; however, it encountered obstacles when entering the primary school domain. How to encompass blended learning into the evolved distance learning model will be shown.

5 - An Investigation into the Effectiveness of the University Curriculum in Preparing Pre-service Technology Teachers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the univer- sity curriculum in preparing pre-service technology teachers. The study examines the course guide of the technology education course at one of the universities of technology in South Africa in relation to grades 7–9 (senior phase) of the technology policy document. The study found that the university technology curriculum places emphasis on both content breadth (CB) and content strands (CS). However, some of the CSs in the university technology curriculum have no relevance to the CB and were not designed to enhance its depth. Therefore, this means that the CSs of the university technology curriculum were not designed to focus on the notion of ‘fitness- for-purpose’ which is market driven. However, it is imperative that students be given an opportunity to explore both CB and content depth (CD) as well as how other CSs can be used to develop a deeper understanding of CB.

An Overview of Educational Technology for Preservice Teachers in the Digital Age

Technological tools, including networking hardware, media, and machines, have been incorporated into education to facilitate learning for many decades. The conveyance of knowledge through technology becomes fast, easy, and enjoyable for the learner while vastly improving the understanding of concepts. Research insights reveal that through the use of technological tools, the participatory capacity of students increases, and interest levels are raised. Education has evolved, over the centuries, in its form, nature, and manner of deliverance. When written communication had not yet developed, word of mouth and observation were the most common means of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. Teaching was mostly verbal, delivered through plays, songs, and poems. Writing as a means of communication only gained significance by the end of the 15th century. The use of chalkboards and blackboards as a method of learning and teaching gained popularity at the end of the 18th century. Still, now in the 21st century, more advanced technological tools play an important role in facilitating learning and teaching. This study examines the effectiveness of educational technology in English teacher education programs, emphasising the development of preservice teachers’ language and pedagogical skills.

TRAINING PRE-SERVICE TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS TO DEVELOP SCHOOLCHILDREN’S TECHNICAL LITERACY

Technical literacy is a component of professional competence of the pre-service technology teacher. However, the course content of technical disciplines in the pedagogical universities of Ukraine is not consistent with the content knowledge subsequently used in teaching practice of a technology teacher. Also, there is a need in general technical literacy of the students, yet it is developed only in its engineering design aspect. In the paper, it was proved that for the general technical literacy of pre-service technology teachers the basic concepts are the following technical phenomena: motion transmission, changes in kinematic parameters of motion, changes in force parameters of motion. Natural and scientific foundations of the machine drives were used as the basic topic-specific knowledge. It was hypothesized that effectiveness of teaching technical literacy to children would raise if the narrative about the technical phenomena is included in the content of the “Utility machinery” course for the pre-service technology teachers. The pedagogical experiment was performed in the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University (Ukraine). It included ascertaining, formative, and control stages. At the ascertaining stage of the pedagogical experiment, the students’ readiness level to study technical phenomena was determined. At the formative stage, the students’ readiness to develop children’s technical literacy was measured. At the control stage, students’ readiness level to develop technical literacy was estimated in experimental and control groups. Theoretical value of the results is in substantiating technical topic-specific content knowledge as necessary for the pre-service technology teachers. Practical significance of the results is in implementation of the narratives about technical phenomena in the learning practice of the students of pedagogical university. Keywords: multidisciplinary approach, narrative approach, technical phenomena, technology teachers

What pre-service teacher technology integration conceals and reveals: “Colorblind” technology in schools

Teacher education often under-theorizes race. The field of teacher education and technology integration is also complicit in assuming a race-neutral space into which technologies are integrated. This paper explores what pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) technology integrationreveals about racialized assumptions. The research applies theoretical frameworks from teacher preparation, Whiteness and Critical Race studies, and technology integration. This study points toward a relationship between PST development, beliefs about technology, and an intersection with race awareness. The PSTs made assumptions about learning deficits, appropriate behaviors, and classroom environment, based on Whiteness, which impacted how they integrated technology. These findings complexify current educational technology narratives of technology integration which emphasize the relationship between teacher beliefs about knowledge acquisition and technology integration, but often divorce those beliefs from assumptions about race. Implications for practice include the need to confront white supremacy concealed within the technologies and pedagogies that teacher educators choose in the classroom.

Effects of infusing the engineering design process into STEM project-based learning to develop preservice technology teachers\u2019 engineering design thinking

BackgroundThis study focuses on probing preservice technology teachers’ cognitive structures and how they construct engineering design in technology-learning activities and explores the effects of infusing an engineering design process into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) project-based learning to develop preservice technology teachers’ cognitive structures for engineering design thinking.ResultsThe study employed a quasi-experimental design, and twenty-eight preservice technology teachers participated in the teaching experiment. The flow-map method and metalistening technique were utilized to enable preservice technology teachers to create flow maps of engineering design, and a chi-square test was employed to analyze the data. The results suggest that (1) applying the engineering design process to STEM project-based learning is beneficial for developing preservice technology teachers’ schema of design thinking, especially with respect to clarifying the problem, generating ideas, modeling, and feasibility analysis, and (2) it is important to encourage teachers to further explore the systematic concepts of engineering design thinking and expand their abilities by merging the engineering design process into STEM project-based learning.ConclusionsThe findings of this study provide initial evidence on the effects of infusing the engineering design process into STEM project-based learning to develop preservice technology teachers’ engineering design thinking. However, further work should focus on exploring how to overcome the weaknesses of preservice technology teachers’ engineering design thinking by adding a few elements of engineering design thinking pedagogy, e.g., designing learning activities that are relevant to real life.

Development of an instrument for exploring preservice technology teachers’ maker‐based technological pedagogical content knowledge

AbstractWith the development of the maker movement, more and more teachers are applying a broad range of technological tools in their pedagogy, instead of only information technology. This study details the development and validation of the Teachers Maker‐based TPACK Survey Instrument (TMTSI), a revised model designed to measure technology teachers’ maker‐based technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in utilizing maker‐based tools to support their teaching. We recruited 165 preservice secondary technology teachers in Taiwan for this study and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to validate the instrument. Our findings suggest that TMTSI provided a valid and highly reliable research‐based instrument that also serves as a professional development model to help scaffold the development of K‐12 technology teachers. This paper details the theoretical foundations of TMTSI, reports on its reliability and validity, and discusses the application and implications of TMTSI for teacher education and professional development.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a preservice teacher technology training module incorporating SQD strategies

Preparation to use information and communication technology (ICT) is an important component of preservice language teachers’ training, and various existing teacher training models propose a range of strategies for increasing their technology knowledge and technology adoption rates. However, the relative effectiveness of these strategies remains unclear. Based on Tondeur et al.’s (2012) Synthesis of Qualitative Data model, which delineates the six main teacher preparation strategies (i.e., role modeling, reflection, instructional design, collaboration, authentic experience, and continuous feedback), the present study designed a 4 week training module for preservice language teachers and examined how these training strategies affected 63 participants’ perceived technology knowledge and attitudes toward technology adoption. Among the six training strategies, reflection and instructional design had the highest positive impacts on these preservice teachers’ self-reported knowledge about and attitudes towards using ICT. As well as revealing the relative impacts of each training strategy, the results indicate that our designed training module has considerable potential for application to teacher training in other subjects.

Pre-service Technology Teachers' Experiences of Project Based Learning as Pedagogy for Education for Sustainable Development

This paper reports on a qualitative study, which embraced the interpretative paradigm. The study explored Pre–Service Technology Teachers' (PSTTs) experiences of Project–based learning (PBL) as pedagogy while learning about Education for Sustainable development (ESD) at a university in South Africa. The paper advances the rationale that adopting a pedagogy that contextualised PBL has allowed for transformation in the perception and behaviour of PSTTs about sustainability issues, critical citizenship as well as their role as future teachers. Furthermore, it improved the capacity of people to address environmental and developmental issues. Mezirow, theory on transformative learning guided the study theoretically. Fifty-four PSTTs, who were enrolled for the processing module in technology education in 2016, were purposively selected to participate in the study. Participants were assured of confidentiality and anonymity. Data was generated in three stages. This paper reports on stage two and three of data generation, which required PSTTs to participate in focus group interviews and maintain a reflective diary of their experiences of PBL and ESD. Data was subjected to thematic analysis. The findings revealed that PBL increased application of content to solve sustainability problems. Furthermore, the findings bring to the fore new dimensions to the learning that PSTTs experienced when they engaged in PBL, such as overcoming prejudices, team work, awareness of their social responsibilities to the community and the development of skills for sustainability change agents. These finding have implication for pedagogy used to infuse ESD within the curriculum and overcome social cultural stereotypes.

Exploring pre-service technology teachers’ content and instructional knowledge to determine teaching readiness

Instructional practice plays a significant role in revealing how well teachers understand the subjects they teach. Many studies have been conducted in South Africa on the relationship between teachers’ knowledge of well-established subjects like Science and Mathematics and how well teachers apply their knowledge in the classroom. However, relatively little research has been done on the subject of Technology, which was only included in the national school curriculum after 1994. The aim of this study was to explore pre-service (i.e. in-training) Technology teachers’ content knowledge and instructional knowledge in the context of various theories about teaching. The study followed a case study approach. Five female pre-service Technology teachers, who were in their final year of teacher training at a South African university of technology and were doing their in-school practicum were observed. Video recorder was used to capture the delivering of a lesson to a class of Grade 8 learners. The researcher used the 9E instructional model, which comprises nine phases in the presentation of a lesson, as the basis for her observation work and final analysis. A key finding was that the content and instructional knowledge displayed by most pre-service Technology teachers was inadequate, which weakened their effectiveness in the classroom. As a result, learners were deprived of the opportunity to sharpen their cognitive skills and develop authentic interest in Technology. This study, though limited in scope, has laid an important foundation for more in-depth studies to be conducted on the extent of content and instructional knowledge in the sphere of Technology Education, which should be of value to other universities offering teacher-training programmes.

Analysis of Science and Technology Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs on the Construction of the Teachers’ Professional Identity during the Initial Training Process

This study focuses on exploring the beliefs regarding the construction and development of Teacher’s Professional Identity (TPI) of Secondary Education Master’s Degree (SEMD) students from the areas of Science and Technology. An ‘S-TPI’ questionnaire, measured using a Likert scale, was used to obtain the opinions of 279 future teachers in the 2014-2018 academic years. After analysing the data, no significant differences were found between the two groups (Science and Technology). However, there were significant differences in the responses obtained for the four dimensions on the scale with regard to the students’ gender. We noticed an important relationship between the global view of professional identity and the development of educational skills linked to socio-educative and methodological aspects. These results may contribute to improving knowledge concerning future teachers’ beliefs and have served as a basis on which to design activities that will enable us to integrate TPI into the initial training process.

Academic Performance and Entrepreneurial Intention of Pre – Service Technology and Livelihood Education Teachers

Several studies revealed that entrepreneurship education affects the development of the intention of a person to become an entrepreneur. Cognizant of the previous findings, this study examined the entrepreneurial intention of the pre-service Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and determined its relationship to academic performance. The descriptive correlation research design was used to come up with an objective description of the relationship of the variables involved. The statistical treatment used was frequency, percentage, Pearson correlation and formulas developed by Icek Ajzen in the TPB. The results showed that students have satisfactory academic performance, very much favorable attitude toward becoming entrepreneurs, moderately favorable perceived subjective norm, and very much easy perceived behavioral control. The variables involved in this study revealed a negligible relationship. In light of these findings, the researcher recommends that important people belong in the university should engage themselves to entrepreneurial capability activities such as seminars, training, workshops, conferences, among others to develop entrepreneurial mindset because they were influencers of the development of entrepreneurial intention among students. Parents and other family members should be involved in entrepreneurial activities to serve as role models. Collaboration between family and the university is highly encouraged to make entrepreneurial programs effective. Moreover, by providing simulations, practicum or authentic entrepreneurial activities, students utilize practical knowledge, skills, values, and attitude; thus, these activities improve their academic performance.

Investigating Perception of the 21st Century Skills among Nigerian Preservice Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers

Investigating Perception of the 21st Century Skills among Nigerian Preservice Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers