Essam, R. (2021). Exploring the needs of teachers in a Middle East university using TPACK: A case study. Studies in Technology Enhanced Learning, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.b9366ecd

Abstract:

“From the researcher’s experience as an experienced trainer in a Middle East university, teachers are still resistant towards integrating technology in teaching. In order to know the reasons behind such resistance, a case study using the technological pedagogical and content knowledge framework (TPACK) was conducted to: 1) explore the needs of teachers in a Middle East university who are resistant to integrate technology in their teaching, and 2) make recommendations that could be taken into consideration for encouraging teachers to integrate technology in their teaching. The findings showed that perceived knowledge of content is a key determinant of how much teachers want to engage with given members of support staff (trainers). In additions, it was found that teachers recognize the need for a variety of different support stakeholders, but wish to relate to such people in different ways—whether in training courses, one-off workshops and/or ad hoc approaches to fill ‘gaps’ in their knowledge. The findings of this study could benefit technology-training designers by taking into consideration teachers’ needs before conducting any training in order to have effective outcomes. In addition, policy makers in higher education could also benefit from this study by knowing that the trainers’ knowledge about the subject domain of teachers is essential for having effective technology-trainings and therefore change their policies in order to reach better outcomes. Finally, implications for future research are provided.”