A Multivariate Model of Factors Influencing Technology Use by Preservice Teachers during Practice Teaching

Teacher education courses training and participating in school-based field practice are important processes for equipping preservice teachers with technology integration ability. However, preservice teachers still lack the ability and knowledge needed to teach successfully with technology. This paper investigates the significance of, and relationships between, process factors and their direct and indirect effects on technology integration and further tests a multivariate hypothesized model. Structural equation modeling was applied to model the relationships in a set of latent variables. A questionnaire was developed and validated to identify factors influencing technology integration by 401 preservice teachers in the practicum context. The analytical results reveal that teacher education courses fail to facilitate preservice teachers’ technology integration in a practicum context. However, preservice teachers’ experiences with mentors can help preservice teachers use technology while practicing teaching. Additionally, the resulting model had an adequate fit to observed relationships among factors influencing teacher technology use during practice teaching. The implication for teacher education is that technology should be integrated into core method courses, not limited to isolated courses. The research model can serve as a base model for future studies. Keyword Technology integration, Preservice teachers, Teacher education