Technology Integration in Teacher Education Practices in Two Southern African Universities

Abstract

The integration of digital technology into the practices of teacher education is expected to become the norm in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. This study sought to determine how lecturers integrate technology into teacher education in two Southern African universities (one in South Africa and one in the Kingdom of Eswatini). In this study, a multiple case study design was utilised, employing a qualitative research approach within an interpretive research paradigm. The study occurred at the two universities as mentioned earlier, conveniently chosen as they were the workplaces of the researchers. Data collection involved an open-ended questionnaire completed by lecturers, and a focus group discussion consisted of purposively selected lecturers from both institutions. Thematic analysis was applied to examine the data gathered from study participants. The findings indicated that initially, lecturers from both universities had limited digital literacy as they were in the process of transitioning from traditional face-to-face teaching methods and required guidance on integrating technology into their instructional practices. The study concludes that the availability of digital tools, software, and the Internet will not automatically equip student teachers with the required competencies to include technology into their instructional methods.