Content area
Abstract
Teachers are key to the integration of digital technologies into teaching, learning, and assessment activities. The problem was a lack of understanding of Jamaican teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of their teacher training programs in developing their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) competencies to teach in Jamaica and the United States. There is a notable gap in the current literature regarding how teachers view the effectiveness of their training to deliver lessons that embody TPACK principles. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the perspectives of Jamaican-trained teachers currently teaching in the United States regarding the efficacy of their teacher training programs in equipping them to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into their teaching practices. The TPACK framework and the adult learning theory, andragogy, were used to form the theoretical framework. Purposive sampling was used to select 16 participants from a targeted population of over 5000 Jamaican-trained teachers currently in the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire from teachers who have taught in Jamaica and the United States and have not furthered their training since being trained in Jamaica. NVivo software was used to assist with thematic analysis of the data. The findings revealed that teachers showed varying confidence levels in using technology when teaching in Jamaica and the U.S. Additionally, participants felt their teacher training programs did not adequately prepare them to meet the needs of diverse learners beyond addressing learning styles.
