Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Technology Use

Introduction

Defining Pedagogical Beliefs

Several studies show that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs about teaching and learning affect instructional practices (e.g., Ertmer 1999; Lim et al. 2014; Prestridge 2012). Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are also observed to be strong predictors of their educational uses of technology. Specifically, it seems that teachers select technological applications that align with their existing beliefs about “good education.” Beliefs can be defined as psychological understandings, premises, or propositions felt to be true. According to Pajares (1992), beliefs serve as personal guides that help individuals define and understand the world and themselves. Although we hold beliefs about almost everything, pedagogical beliefs refer to the understandings, premises, or propositions about teaching and learning that we hold to be true. Accordingly, beliefs affect the way teachers analyze, plan, and implement their teaching and learning activities in their...