Be the first to like this
Current evidence indicates that the use of technology during teaching and learning activities is steadily increasing (Berrett, Murphy, & Sullivan, 2012; Inan & Lowther, 2010; National Education Association, 2008), yet achieving ‘technology integration’ is a complex process of educational change. This is apparent as the use of technology in schools is still extremely varied and, in many instances, limited (e.g., Spector, 2010; Tondeur, Cooper, & Newhouse, 2010). In this respect, achieving the goal of meaningful technology integration (i.e., using technology to support 21st century teaching and learning) does not depend solely on technology-related factors (see also Arntzen & Krug, 2011; Sang, Valcke, van Braak, Tondeur, & Chang, 2010). Rather, the personal willingness of teachers plays a key role in teachers’ decisions whether and how to integrate technology within their classroom practices (Hermans, Tondeur, van Braak & Valcke, 2008; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Newby, Glazewski, & Ertmer, 2010).
According to previous studies, teachers select applications of technology that align with their selection of other curricular variables and processes (e.g., teaching strategies) and that fit into their existing beliefs about ‘good’ education (Hermans et al., 2008; Niederhauser & Stoddart, 2001). Technological devices such as computers, tablets, or interactive whiteboards do not embody one single pedagogical orientation (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007); rather, they enable the implementation of a spectrum of approaches to teaching and learning (Tondeur, Hermans, van Braak, & Valcke, 2008). In other words, the role technology plays in teachers’ classrooms depends on their conceptions of the nature of teaching and learning. In this respect, research on educational innovations suggests that technology integration can only be fully understood when teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are taken into account (Ertmer, 2005; Hermans, 2009).
With the impetus and call for increased technology integration (e.g., U.S. DOE, 2010; UNESCO, 2011), it is critically important to examine the link between teachers’ beliefs and teachers’ practices. In the last decade, the relationship between the pedagogical beliefs of teachers and their uses of technology has been examined extensively (cf. Hermans et al., 2008; Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al., 2010; Prestridge, 2009, 2010), but still this relationship remains unclear (Mueller et al., 2008). Given the centrality and importance of teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and the lack of a clear understanding about the relationship between beliefs and classroom technology use, the purpose of this review study is to examine and clarify this relationship. A meta-aggregative approach was used to locate, critically appraise, and synthesize the qualitative evidence base (see Hannes & Lockwood, 2011).
Clipping is a handy way to collect important slides you want to go back to later.