There is growing cognizance of the potential of technology integration in pedagogy for enhanced educational experiences, though for sub-Saharan Africa, there is evident opacity of the concept due to the region’s unique challenges slowing down bridging of the technological gap between developing and developed regions. However, improved technology-integrated pedagogical practices heavily rely on the beliefs and attitudes of educators. It is imperative for teacher educators to understand these attitudes for teacher preparation. This qualitative paper informed by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and TPACK, is the first cycle of three studies. This first cycle investigates the attitudinal predispositions of first-year preservice teachers towards the integration of technology in pedagogical practices as a case study of one university in South Africa. 400 first-year students enrolled in the Bed program were purposively sampled to respond to questionnaires, a subsample of 20 responded to focus group interviews, while 8 were treated to semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, findings indicated that, although the 400 students acknowledged the importance of technology in education, educational backgrounds, cultural contexts, personal experiences and institutional support influenced their attitudes towards the use of technology in pedagogy. The study provides insights for the development of dedicated strategies for teacher training programs such as professional development innovations to foster positive attitudes towards technology in pedagogy.

Authors:
Thuthukile Jita, University of the Free State, South Africa
Alice Dhliwayo, University of the Free State, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Prof Jita is Associate Professor and a programme director for Teaching Practice in the Department of Curriculum Studies and Higher Education in the Faculty of Education, at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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