Modelling the intention to use technology for teaching mathematics among pre-service teachers in Serbia

Abstract

This study aims to examine the variables that influence Serbian pre-service teachers' intention to use technology to teach mathematics. Using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the framework, we developed a research model to include subjective norm, knowledge of mathematics, and facilitating conditions as external variables to the TAM. In addition, we investigated the influence of gender and age on the behavioural intention to use technology. With data gathered from 313 participants using a survey questionnaire, structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis revealed that the proposed model in this study has a good fit and accounted for 5.4% of the variance in the behavioural intention to use technology. Pre-service teachers' attitudes towards computers were found to be the only factor with direct influence on the intention to use technology. All other factors were found to have an indirect influence. Using multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) modelling, pre-service teachers' intention to use technology was not found to be significantly different by age and gender. Various contributions to research and implications for teacher training are discussed. IntroductionIn today's world, when society is shifting from an industrial towards an information or knowledge society, it is important for students to develop lifelong learning skills, often referred to as a capacity of "learning to learn" (Anderson, 2008, p. 19 Education, 2007). In preparing for these skills, the appropriate use of technology by teachers in education is crucial.Despite the strong presence of information and communication technology (ICT) in classrooms all over the world, studies have shown that ICT is underused (Mueller, Wood, Willoughby, Ross, & Specht, 2008;Ruthven, 2009). In Serbia, one reason for the low ICT usage for teaching and learning is teachers' lack of sophisticated knowledge to support effective technology integration (Kadijevich, 2012). However, this situation is mitigated by younger teachers, who have demonstrated their attempts at teaching mathematics in primary and secondary schools in Serbia (Dimitrijević, Popović, & Stanić, 2012).Serbia is a south-eastern developing country in Europe with a population of 7.12 million. Free education is provided for children between ages 7 and 15 (grades 1-8) and those between ages 15 and 19 to attend elementary and secondary schools, respectively, although the latter is not compulsory by law. Depending on the grade level and subject, elementary and secondary school teachers receive their training at the relevant faculties in universities (UNESCO, 2011). All teachers have to complete their training in pedagogy and subject content at master's level before taking up appointments in schools. Among the goals of Serbian education are that students across all levels should be provided with opportunities to acquire high quality knowledge and skills and attitudes, including linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical, and computer literacy skills necessary for life in ...

Traditional vs. innovative uses of computers among mathematics pre-service teachers in Serbia

“…Consistent with past research (e.g. Teo & Milutinović, 2015;Cheung & Vogel, 2013;Edmunds, Thorpe, & Conole, 2012;Pynoo et al, 2012;Wong, 2015), almost all of the hypotheses that used TAM variables to determine pre-service teachers' intentions to use technology in teaching mathematics were supported for both traditional and innovative uses of technology. This means that when Serbian pre-service teachers find technology useful and easy to use, they are more positive towards the use of technology, and these positive feelings in turn lead to a higher tendency to adopt computers at any level in the teaching of mathematics.…”

“…Further, both perceived usefulness (Teo, 2011) and perceived ease of use (Teo et al, 2009) have been shown to influence attitudes towards technology (Teo & Milutinović, 2015;Teo, Milutinović, & Zhou, 2016;Wong, 2015). Additionally, perceived ease of use has been found to predict perceived usefulness (Teo, 2011;Teo & Milutinović, 2015;Teo, Lee, & Chai, 2008;Wong, 2015) and behavioural intention to use technology (Saadé & Bahli, 2005). Thus, we formulated the following hypotheses: H1: Pre-service teachers' perceptions about the usefulness of technology have a significant influence on their attitude toward computer use in teaching mathematics.…”

“…Past studies have emphasised that teachers' attitudes towards technology play a critical role in the successful use of computers in the teaching and learning of mathematics (Teo & Milutinović, 2015;Hoyles & Lagrange, 2010;Joubert, 2013;Pierce & Ball, 2009;Reed, Drijvers, & Kirschner, 2010;Wong, 2015). Teachers with more positive attitudes towards the use of technology are more likely to use technology.…”

A comprehensive investigation of TPACK within pre-service teachers’ ICT profiles: Mind the gap!

“…Looking at the two profiles it is clear that some pre-service teachers are intrinsically motivated to use ICT in their educational practice, while others do not share this affinity (e.g., Teo & Milutinovic, 2015). For this reason, many researchers placed the individual teacher at the centre of educational change processes (Stoll, 1999).…”

“…Some pre-service teachers are intrinsically motivated to use ICT in educational practice, while others do not share this affinity. For this reason, many researchers have centred on critical individual characteristics associated with TPACK, such as pre-service teachers' attitudes (e.g., Holland & Piper, 2016), ease of use (e.g., Teo & Milutinovic, 2015), and their self-efficacy (e.g., Abbitt, 2011;. But a mere focus on pre-service teachers' characteristics could lead to individual blame rather than system blame when focusing on explaining variables related to TPACK.…”