Pre-service teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in the integration of technology in their prospective classrooms: an explanatory sequential mixed methods inquiry

Once teachers begin their professional journey it is expected that they know how to integrate technology effectively. Therefore, exploring the experiences that influence their self-efficacy become an important aspect in which to inquire. The purpose of the study was to examine the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers related to the integration of technology in their prospective classrooms. The study utilized a two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods inquiry. The quantitative phase aimed to identify the level of perceived self-efficacy of teacher candidates and clinical teachers in a South Texas public university enrolled in a clinical experience. The Computer Technology Integration Survey or CTIS (Wang, Ertmer, & Newby, 2004) allowed responding to the first research question: What is the perceived level of self efficacy of pre-service teachers in the integration of technology? The results obtained in the CTIS indicated that the 18 pre-service teachers who participated have a medium to high self efficacy with an overall mean of 3.90. The statement with the highest self-efficacy was item 19: I feel confident that, as time goes by, my ability to address my students' technology needs will continue to improve. The qualitative phase aimed to identify the experiences that influence the levels of self efficacy reported in the CTIS. There were four individuals who agreed to participate in the second phase of the study, which consisted of a two-part semi-structured open-ended interview. The first part of the interview aimed to identify the experiences that have influenced the preservice teacher level of self-efficacy using Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy as a framework for the interview questions (Bandura, 1997). The second part of the interview consisted of discussing a project or activity that the pre-service teachers designed that included a technology component. The TPACK model was used as the focus for this part of the interview (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The purpose of this inquiry was to collect additional data to gain an in-depth exploration of an experience during the elaboration of the project with respect to the TPACK components. In this phase of the study, the second research question was addressed: What are the experiences that influence pre-service teachers’ level of self-efficacy? The data collected in the qualitative phase of the study led to the development of three major themes, which explained the experiences that have influenced pre-service teachers’ level of self-efficacy: a) technology beliefs, b) external influences, and c) instructional design. Based on the interpretation of the results of the quantitative phase and the qualitative phase of the study, the third research question was answered: How do the experiences in technology integration explain the reported levels of self-efficacy of pre-service teachers? The pre-service teachers with higher scores in the CTIS indicated multiple experiences related to Bandura’s sources of efficacy and were willing to take more risks related to TPACK components in several ways: a) by integrating multiple digital applications (technology knowledge), b) by using a variety of approaches to teach a concept (pedagogy knowledge), and c) exploring the content area in depth (content knowledge) to teach for understanding. The findings from the study may help teacher preparation programs identify opportunities for refinement. The recommendations for future research include using a longitudinal study, which may provide additional insight related to the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers at the beginning and end of the teacher preparation program.