Date of Award

2025

Degree Name

Curriculum and Instruction

College

College of Education and Professional Development

Type of Degree

Ed.D.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Dr. Lisa A. Heaton

Second Advisor

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell

Third Advisor

Dr. Mindy Allenger

Abstract

Accrediting bodies, such as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), are increasingly focused on how teacher preparation programs integrate technology. As part of the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) teacher candidates demonstrate essential classroom skills through submission of teaching videos, lesson plans, and reflections. This study examined which of these three document types provides the strongest evidence of technology use among teacher candidates. Using a technology integration model, the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM), this study quantitatively assessed the levels of technology integration and characteristics of the learning environment visible in a stratified random sample of 150 submitted documents. The study found that lesson plans provided the strongest evidence of technology use among teacher candidates. The study also found that technology use was concentrated at the Entry level and most common within the Active learning environment across all submissions. Interviews to gather insights from TPA evaluators regarding their experiences with identifying technology use in candidate submissions provided qualitative data. Interview participants confirmed the visibility of teacher candidate technology use evidence was most apparent in lesson plans, and more difficult to identify in videos and reflections. Evaluators offered several strategies to enhance technology integration and assessment, such as using the TIM to support lesson planning, cross-verifying data with other existing evaluation processes, incorporating virtual observations during student teaching, conducting follow-up surveys with teacher candidates, aligning TPA standards with International Society for Technology in Education Standards (ISTE), and reinstating and modifying a technology course. Recommendations for future research include replication of the study, using a targeted survey to conduct a longitudinal study, using a triangulation approach to analyze multiple teaching documents, in-depth examination of a structured technology model, investigating the relationship between a structured technology integration model and how teacher candidates’ planning and decision-making evolve, and looking at the long-term impact of early introduction of a technology model in a teacher preparation program.

Subject(s)

Teachers -- Evaluation.

Teachers -- Training of.

Educational technology.

Teachers -- Technology.

Education -- Technology.

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

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