GATEways to Teacher Education A journal of the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators
Gerald Eads, Amy Farah, Katharine E. Page, and Kimberly Swartzentruber, Georgia Gwinnett College
Now more than ever before, society has become dependent upon digital technologies to stay connected to the world. In education, it is no different. Technology is a powerful tool that can be utilized to promote student learning, but teachers must first be equipped with the skills to integrate technology effectively. As they prepare to enter the profession, pre-service teachers are often charged with the role of taking the lead on modeling and implementing new and innovative instructional technologies. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important for educator preparation programs to better prepare teacher candidates to integrate technology in the classroom with increased levels of confidence (Al-Ruz & Khasawneh, 2011). The purpose of the initial phase of this study is to investigate potential factors influencing preservice teachers’ technology self-efficacy so that faculty in an educator preparation program can use this information to make decisions as to how best to design and deliver instruction to preservice teachers so they will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively teach 21stcentury learners. Theoretical Framework Self-efficacy is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and is about one’s belief or perception in his or her capabilities to perform or adopt a specific behavior (Bandura, 2001). Self-efficacy
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is best examined within a specific context because a variety of factors can influence personal, behavioral, and environmental selfefficacy (Bandura, 2001). If one’s confidence is very high, then he or she is more likely to take risks or adopt certain behaviors, whereas the opposite is true for someone with very low confidence (Bandura, 2001). Definitions Technology Self-Efficacy: Teachers’ beliefs in their ability to effectively integrate technology into their classrooms. Technology Integration: The deliberate fusing of technology tools and resources into both teaching and learning aspects of the classroom. Literature Review Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs play an important role in their decision to integrate technology into their classrooms (Vannatta and Fordham, 2004). Because self-efficacy is connected to one’s own beliefs about his or her capability, if one does not feel capable of performing a task or fears failing at the task, then one is less likely to attempt that task (Henson, 2002). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs are useful indicators of levels of technology integration (Wang, Ertmer, & Newby, 2004). Holden and Rada (2011) suggest that by increasing teachers’ technology self-efficacy, they might directly
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