Scheduled for Poster Session: Research on Teaching and Instruction in Schools and Higher Education, Thursday, April 10, 2008, 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Reseach Consortium Poster Sessions


Infusing Technology Into Early Field Experience in Physical Education

Myung-Ah Lee and Taiwo Ande, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN

One of the new challenges in teacher education programs is to improve the use of technology for preservice teachers. More recently, the use of technology became one of the teacher standards (ISTE-NET, 2002; NASPE, 2005) that should be accomplished in active ways. Teachers' technology competency is classified into three dimensions, operation, facilitation, and integration levels, and teachers' attitude toward technology is classified into two dimensions, aversion and affinity (Ince, Ward, Lee, Ang, & Lee, 2005). Ince, Goodway, Ward, and Lee (2006) found that inservice teachers improved technology competency and attitude through a professional development. Meanwhile they provided specific guidelines for technology improvement in teacher education. Yet there has been little empirical evidence on how to improve preservice teachers' use of technology. Although preservice teachers have better technology competency and attitude relative to inservice teachers (Ince, et al., 2005) still they need to be prepared with the necessary technology skills, especially to facilitate and integrate technology into their teaching. The purpose of this study was to examine how to improve preservice teachers' use of technology during a teaching method course, which was specifically designed for preservice teachers to use, facilitate, and integrate technology into the early field experience. Sixty eight preservice teachers (F=33, M= 35) participated in this study and completed their technology integrated course assignments over planning, teaching, and reflection cycle. The Technology Competency and Attitude Questionnaire in Physical Education (TCAQ-PE; Ince, et al., 2005) was used to measure the intervention effects at the beginning and end of each semester. Data were collected over the course of 5 semesters. Descriptive statistics and an independent sample t-test were used to compare competency and attitude levels from pre- to post-intervention. This study revealed that the preservice teachers' overall technology competency improved significantly after taking the technology integrated teaching method course (p< .05), and the improvement was mostly attributed to the operation level. Facilitation and integration competency improved a little but no statistical significance was found. Preservice teachers' attitude toward technology did not change after taking this course. It was possible to impact on preservice teachers' technology competency in operation level after the technology integrated teaching method course but facilitation and integration competency as well as attitude seemed to need long-term intervention efforts across various content and method courses.
Keyword(s): pre-service/student, professional preparation, technology

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