Professional development for enhancing technology-integrated pedagogical practice : an ethnographic study in a Maldivian teacher education context

Abstract

A substantial body of literature discusses the complexity of integrating technology into teachers’ early established pedagogical practices. This paper examines technology-related professional development and its impact on teacher educators’ technological and pedagogical practices. The data were gathered from eleven teacher educators through an ethnographic approach that took place during two visits to the research site. With respect to the first visit, the researcher spent six weeks “hanging out” with the participants, interviewed them individually, and observed six participants’ classroom teaching. Then, with the second visit, the researcher spent five weeks “hanging out”, and organised focus group discussions with ten participants. Lastly, she had follow-up interviews to clarify and validate the main understandings. The findings were generated through various strategies adhering to grounded theory. Key findings identified two types of professional learning: one is formally designed by the institution and the other is which occurred informally between colleagues. The findings also suggest that teacher educators continued using digital technologies in their early established pedagogical practices without necessarily bringing a change to their approaches to teaching. This paper argues that the professional development does not help teacher educators change their pedagogical practices unless it is connected with their backgrounds and the context of practice.