Chen, M. (2021). Teachers’ conceptions and practices of teaching chinese descriptive composition with interactive spherical video-based virtual reality (Publication No. 29186357) [Doctoral dissertation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Abstract:

“Writing is an essential means that enables students to construct and extend knowledge to foster new learning. Interactive Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (ISV-VR) provides students with the opportunity to be immersed in a virtual environment comparable to the actual world. It is an educational tool that can facilitate students’ observation of real-life phenomena and enhance their understanding of people and places in writing classes. Research has consistently revealed that teachers’ classroom practices are influenced by their conceptions of teaching, which in turn shape the student learning experience. However, very little is known about teachers’ conceptions and practices of teaching with respect to the adoption of virtual reality technology in writing classes. Given the gaps in the research, this study aimed to explore teachers’ conceptions of teaching and practices regarding ISV-VR adoption in Chinese descriptive writing classes. It involved twenty-one Hong Kong secondary teachers who participated in an ISV-VR-supported Chinese writing program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, class observations, and teaching documents.This study first established seven categories of teachers’ conceptions explicitly related to the use of ISV-VR to teach Chinese descriptive composition from phenomenographic analysis. The structural relationships of the categories were organized along three axes of a continuum that illustrated the variations in conceptions. Next, the data were analyzed and interpreted from the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) perspective to achieve an integrated understanding of teachers’ conceptions, TPACK, and implementations of VR-supported Chinese descriptive writing. The essential and integrated domains of TPACK identified in teachers’ interviews and the conception orientations identified in TPACK domains were presented. The TPACK of teachers was also classified into the and Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation (RAT) framework to explicate the level of technology integration. Chi-square analysis and subsequent post hoc testing were adopted to verify the association between teachers’ conceptions and TPACK as well as the strength of the association. In addition, the qualitative analysis results of teachers’ interviews and classroom observation supplemented the association between teachers’ conceptions and TPACK. The findings of this study provide researchers and practitioners with new insights into the teaching of composition writing in the context of first language acquisition supported by VR technology from the perspective of teachers. The results also shed light on evaluating teachers’ educational uses of VR and designing professional development activities for teachers in the area of VR-supported writing instruction. Regarding the theoretical contributions, this study innovatively investigated the association between teachers’ conceptions and TPACK by combining teaching conception, the TPACK framework, and the RAT framework. Such research can lead to a synthetic theoretical framework and provide a new perspective for educators to understand teachers’ conceptions and practices in the context of computer-assisted teaching and learning.”