Asia-pacific Education Researcher 

About: Asia-pacific Education Researcher is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Teaching method & Curriculum. It has an ISSN identifier of 0119-5646. Over the lifetime, 961 publications have been published receiving 13061 citations.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Design Thinking: A Framework to Support ICT Lesson Design for 21st Century Learning

Abstract: This conceptual paper argues that to develop students’ twenty first century competencies, teachers need to consider how technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) can be applied through design thinking processes. It proposes a conceptual framework articulating various TPACK considerations and how these various forms of TPACK can be used as epistemic resources to support design thinking for developing ICT-integrated lessons targeted at twenty first century learning. This framework provides an initial vocabulary for describing how teachers create TPACK through design, which is a critical gap in extant TPACK research. Implications for teachers’ design of ICT-integrated lessons as well as future directions of research are discussed.

Exploring the factor structure of the constructs of technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK)

Abstract: In recent years, several survey instruments have been designed to measure the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of teachers. Even though the TPACK framework was conceptualized as having seven constructs, researchers have only successfully validated the constructs of technological knowledge (TK) and content knowledge (CK). Constructs such as pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological content knowledge (TCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and TPACK have been found to be difficult to differentiate via factor analysis. This study explored how the contextualization of items in a TPACK to the constructivist-oriented use of ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning improved its construct validity. This survey was administered on 214 Singaporean pre-service teachers. Such an approach for designing this TPACK survey led to the successful identification of the seven theorized constructs through factor analysis. The implications on these findings on the design of TPACK surveys are discussed.

Interactive Whiteboard Acceptance: Applicability of the UTAUT Model to Student Teachers

Abstract: A review of the literature shows that the model for the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has received only limited validation in educational contexts. This limitation led to this study to determine the applicability of the UTAUT model with an educational perspective and to statistically explain the factors affecting student teachers’ intentions to use interactive whiteboards. The research project comprised a cohort of 159 student teachers who undertook a questionnaire designed to measure their responses to performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition and behavioural intention. Structural equation modelling was used as the main technique for data analysis. According to the result of the goodness-of-fit test, the findings led to the conclusion that the model was endorsed by the data. Overall, the model accounted for 59.6 % of the variance in intention of student teachers to use interactive whiteboards in their teaching. The findings also demonstrated the important distinction of performance expectancy, effort expectancy and user’s experiences in interactive whiteboard adoption amongst student teachers. The theoretical and practical implications of the model are discussed.

Understanding Technology Acceptance in Pre-Service Teachers: A Structural-Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract: This study investigated a sample of pre-service teachers' (N=250) self-reported future intention to use technology. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as a framework to determine intentions to use computers. This study contributes to the growing number of studies on TAM by demonstrating that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), and attitude toward computer use (ATCU) are significant determinants of behavioral intention (BI). It also expanded TAM by including two variables: subjective norm (SN); and facilitating conditions (FC). Using structural equation modeling, there was a good model fit for both the measurement and structural models. Of the seven hypotheses, five were supported. No significant effects were found of SN on PU, and of ATCU on BI. Overall, the results of this study offer some evidence that TAM is effective in predicting pre-service teachers' technology acceptance.

An Augmented-Reality-Based Concept Map to Support Mobile Learning for Science

Abstract: Computer hardware and mobile devices have developed rapidly in recent years, and augmented reality (AR) technology has been increasingly applied in mobile learning. Although instructional AR applications have yielded satisfactory results and prompted students’ curiosity and interest, a number of problems remain. The crucial topic for AR applications is the lack of appropriate instructional scaffolds to help students organize the content to be learned. Moreover, a lack of appropriate instructional activities and scaffolds often results in student confusion and frustration. Therefore, we integrated AR with concept maps to form a concept-mapped AR (CMAR) scaffold. Subsequently, whether CMAR improves learning outcomes, motivation, and attitude in mobile learning activities was determined. An empirical study was conducted on 71 fifth-grade elementary students in Southern Taiwan. The students were divided into CMAR and AR system groups. The results showed that students in the CMAR group performed significantly better than those in the AR group. The student interview results also showed that the CMAR system helped students organize what they wanted to learn.