Changes to the Information and Communication Technology Skills of Pre-Service Teachers Over Time

A quantitative research programme was initiated to investigate changes to the information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge, skills and dispositions of New Zealand pre-service teacher education students intending to teach in elementary schools. Using 2002 data as a base, a longitudinal study was designed to analyse changes to the ICT skills of teacher education students over time. Further measures of ICT skills and dispositions were taken in 2007 and will be sampled again in future years. Analysis of the 2002 and 2007 data sets provides a snap shot of the changing ICT skills of teacher education students through the period of time that the internet became pervasive in schooling and newer forms of technology became ubiquitous throughout society. Schools in western countries may be predominantly staffed by teachers from an earlier generation, many of whom can lack up-to-date ICT capability. Consequently, school principals and teacher employment boards often look to hire graduating student teachers who can better meet the electronic learning needs of the current generation of ICT literate students. Preparing student teachers for a rapidly changing electronic world is a challenge facing most teacher education institutions. This paper will present an analysis of changes to the ICT skills of student teachers over time and extrapolate implications for pre-service teacher education programmes.