Is Digital Inequality a Part of Preservice Teachers’ Reasoning About Technology Integration Decisions?

Abstract

Teachers’ ability to design meaningful uses of technology for all learners in any classrooms has a potential to narrow digital gaps among K-12 students. However, we know little about whether teachers are prepared to consider these issues when making technology integration decisions. This study explored preservice teachers’ knowledge use and their considerations about teaching practices related to digital inequality while reasoning about technology integration decisions. We analyzed interviews with and documents of a group of preservice teachers (N = 14) who completed a technology integration task in a technology integration course. Findings showed that although they used multiple domains of teacher knowledge throughout their reasoning processes, they paid limited attention to sociocultural aspects of teaching that demonstrated the ability to care about digital inequality issues. Implications are discussed in terms of ways to better prepare preservice teachers to deal with digital inequalities.