Synychych, M. (2024). Integrating technology and access to digital literacy in secondary education in British education. In M. T. Tatto (Ed.), Empowering teachers for equitable and sustainable education (pp. 109 – 129). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032699295-7

Abstract:

“This action research study was conducted in British Columbia and employed an embedded mixed-methods case study design. It used the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework as an analytical lens for exploring how teacher preparation and school information technology (IT) infrastructure mediate the use of technology in secondary science classrooms. The four study participants were purposely selected from within the science department at the researcher’s school and included the researcher herself. All participants were grade 10 science teachers who taught the course at least once in the two years before the study. Data collection commenced with the review of the grade 10 science curriculum, followed by an online teacher questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The data was triangulated to enhance trustworthiness, and the transcripts of the teacher interviews and the study manuscript were member-checked. The study findings suggest that teachers’ self-perceived low levels of technological knowledge, lack of technological training, and inadequate school IT infrastructure inhibit teachers’ and students’ engagement with technology. The study revealed relevant and context-specific insights that, in addition to addressing the initial hypothesis, can propel changes in how the school and the district mediate teachers’ and students’ use of technology across the district’s classrooms.”