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Examining cultural background as context and in-service teachers’ perception of TPACK: A mixed-method study

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Abstract

To provide a diverse perspective of in-service teachers’ TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) and how TPACK is reflected in culturally diverse classrooms, this study examines the influences of teachers’ knowledge and understanding of their student’s home culture and background on their construction of TPACK. In this study, using both survey-based data and qualitative interview data, we use a sequential explanatory mixed-method design to provide a more robust understanding of this phenomenon. First, we use quantitative analysis examining descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and one-way ANOVA analysis, and then we analyze qualitative findings to identify key themes among selected teacher participants. The findings indicated a significant relationship between in-service teachers’ TPACK and their knowledge of students regardless of their teaching experience or gender. However, during interviews participants identified difficulties in effectively integrating TPACK domains of knowledge in a meaningful framework that could help them to design their technology-based activities by considering students’ learning needs and the affordance of technologies. Implications of this study suggest that technology integration and student cultural background are intertwined and teachers should be cognizant of these relationships in the course and lesson design. The study also provides further support for examining the context, such as cultural background, within the TPACK framework.

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Data availability

The dataset generated during and /or analyzed during this current study are not publicly available due to the protection of participants’ privacy but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Human Development, Teaching, Learning and Culture Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Salma Sultan Ali

  2. Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Nathan A. Hawk

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  1. Salma Sultan Ali
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  2. Nathan A. Hawk
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Correspondence to Salma Sultan Ali.

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Appendix

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Table 9

Table 9 Student knowledge items, mean, and standard deviation
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Ali, S.S., Hawk, N.A. Examining cultural background as context and in-service teachers’ perception of TPACK: A mixed-method study. Educ Inf Technol 29, 3547–3570 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11939-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11939-7

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