Technology integration in mathematics: contextual perspectives from Norwegian preservice teachers

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is essential for effective technology integration in mathematics teaching. Despite the recognised importance of TPACK, initial teacher education (ITE) programmes consistently struggle to equip pre-service teachers (PSTs) with the knowledge necessary for this complex task, highlighting a critical gap in ITE programmes' preparedness. Through mixed-methods analysis of problem-solving logbooks and focus group interviews with 35 fourth-year PSTs at a Norwegian university, this study investigates how PSTs reflect on technology use in mathematical problem solving, and how these reflections reveal aspects of their TPACK, including the opportunities and challenges they perceive for integrating digital tools into their future teaching. Furthermore, this study identifies the opportunities and challenges they encounter when integrating technology into mathematical problem solving. The findings reveal that PSTs highlight technological knowledge as a foundational element of TPACK. They also highlight technological pedagogical knowledge and technological content knowledge for improving understanding of mathematical concepts through technology. However, the challenges they encountered, such as lack of experience, insufficient knowledge, limited motivation and poor access to reliable digital tools, show the need for ITE programmes to adopt more structured and comprehensive approaches to technology integration, aimed at enhancing PSTs' ability to incorporate technology into mathematics teaching effectively.