Investigating the impact of an integrated approach to the development of preservice teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)

The purpose of this study is to describe an integrated pedagogical approach, aimed at advancing preservice teachers' learning on the use of technology and investigate its impact on participants' knowledge (i.e., TPACK) and practice. The integrated approach juxtaposes an educational technology course with methods courses and field experience through careful instructional design. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Quantitative data were collected through a pre-post administration of the Survey of Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Teaching and Technology. Qualitative data were collected through open-ended survey responses and preservice teacher case narratives reporting on the design and implementation of technology-integrated lessons in a field placement. Finding revealed that participants experienced significant gains in all TPACK constructs. Further, findings indicated that participants applied their knowledge in practice though there was variability in the ways in which knowledge domains were represented in participants' narratives. Findings have implications for teacher education programs and for researchers interested in the development and assessment of preservice teacher knowledge of teaching with technology. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.