Background/Purpose Physical Education Teacher Education programs are required to produce physical educators with the ability to effectively integrate technology into their teaching (NASPE, 2008). Preservice teachers have not perceived themselves as proficient in technology use (Liang et al., 2006). Bandura (1997) declared that self-efficacy beliefs are one of the most powerful motives of behavior; therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate preservice physical education teachers' self-efficacy to integrate technology into physical education throughout their student teaching experiences.
Method A mixed-method design involved the administration of the CTIS-PE-1- and -2 questionnaires to 60 preservice teachers at the beginning and ending points of a student teaching placement. In addition, a series of three, qualitatively-driven student teaching technology integration log reports were collected. Results were triangulated and used to examine the effects of physical education student teachers' experiences with technology on their self-efficacy beliefs to integrate technology.
Analysis/Results The results of a paired t-test indicated that self-efficacy to integrate technology into physical education significantly improved over the course of a student teaching placement. Pearson's r correlations suggested strong, positive relationships between technology experiences and self-efficacy. Hierarchical linear multiple regression analyses showed that technology experiences significantly predicted levels of self-efficacy to integrate technology. Results of technology log content analyses indicated that preservice teachers had successful experiences with technology.
Conclusions Results of the study suggest that preservice physical education teachers' self-efficacy beliefs to integrate technology improved and were partially impacted by their experiences with technology during their student teaching placements.