School learning support for teacher technology integration from a self-determination theory perspective

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Teacher Professional Development
• Self-Determination Theory

Background:

• Research highlights the need for understanding teacher persistence in technology integration.
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT) links persistence to autonomous motivation, but research often focuses on student outcomes.
• Recent calls suggest investigating teacher motivation for technology use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how a proposed school learning support intervention encourages and sustains teacher technology integration practices.
• To examine the impact of leader, expert, and peer support on teachers' basic psychological needs and motivation.
• To differentiate effects on low-quality (lecturing) versus high-quality (student-centered) integration.

Main Methods:

• A 22-month sequential explanatory mixed-methods study with 122 teachers.
• An intervention providing leader, expert, and peer support to meet teachers' basic needs.
• Data collected via pre-, post-, and delayed questionnaires and two rounds of interviews.

Main Results:

• The intervention successfully met teachers' basic psychological needs.
• Teachers demonstrated increased high-quality, student-centered technology integration practices.
• Both high- and low-quality integration practices were sustained by the intervention.

Conclusions:

• School learning support interventions can enhance teacher motivation and persistence in technology integration.
• Meeting teachers' basic needs is crucial for fostering student-centered pedagogical approaches.
• Findings provide empirical, theoretical, and practical implications for educators and researchers.