Contextual knowledge and TPACK: Evidence from a global south setting

Abstract

Extensive research on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has revealed how contextual layers influence teachers’ perceptions and practice of technology integration, but the extent to which contextual knowledge (XK) contributes to the TPACK framework remains underexplored. This study, adopting the transformative view of TPACK in context, aimed to explore the XK-TPACK relationship. Data was collected from a survey on 148 English as a foreign language teachers working across various educational settings in the lower Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Partial Least Squares Factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to explore three hypothesized models. Validation results supported the substantial direct contribution of XK to TPACK variation. This finding extends the literature and suggests that the interplay of TPACK domains becomes more complex, considering contextual knowledge. Future research should be conducted to corroborate this model.