Digitalization brings both benefits and challenges in almost every aspect of our lives. Though the benefits seem apparent, the challenges are mostly related to the gaps it creates between advantaged and disadvantaged communities. The term ‘digital divide’ is frequently used for comparisons of access to digital tools and internet, the value and need for a digital world, and corresponding skills needed in such a technologically rich life (Burns, 2022).  These identified gaps call for changes in classroom practices.  

In OECD’s recent report (2021), there were some highlights about diverse and innovative pedagogies to integrate technology in classrooms and some implications to teacher education. In Ireland, digital skills are identified as the core elements of initial teacher education in the policy document called ‘Ceim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education’ (Teaching Council, 2020). 

Considering the diverse and innovative pedagogies that could be introduced into teacher education programmes, this research aims to explore the impact of a ‘Digital Leaders’ Placement Programme’ (DLPP) on Year 2 and Year 3 students’ teaching practices in an undergraduate programme in Ireland. Impact is determined through the development of students’ knowledge and skills as they relate to digital literacy and their intention to continue using digital technologies in teaching their STEM subjects following completion of the programme. The programme was designed as a second-year placement module, and it is independent of any subject specific methodologies.  The Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) by Koehler and Mishra (2005) will be used as the theoretical model to study the integration of technology as part of a teachers’ professional practices. The framework is rooted in Schulman’s (1986) Pedagogical Content Knowledge concept that represents the full body of knowledge including pedagogy and subject matter required for a teacher. Concerning the increasing use and importance of technology in learning and teaching, the extension of technology is inevitable in the current full body of teacher knowledge (De Rossi & Trevisan, 2018).

he design of the research was a case study where the impact of the ‘Digital Leaders’ Placement Programme’ (DLPP) would be explored. The case study took place in an Initial Teacher Program at an Irish university. To assess the longer-term impact of the DLPP, Year 2 (n= 38) and Year 3 students (n=40) participated in the study. During the course of the study, both cohorts continue their teaching practice and teach 2-3 hours every week. Year 2 students taught extra-curricular lessons with various digital tools while Year 3 students taught their regular classes in their two teaching subjects with combinations of science (physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics, and computer science. The format for the case study synthesised the use of pre/post surveys and focus groups to provide richness of data. Initially, the modified ICT-TPACK-Science Scale (Kadioglu-Akbulut et al, 2020) was administrated to the participants at the beginning of the second semester of 2022/23 Academic Year. The same scale was administrated to only Year 2 students at the end of the program to monitor the changes in TPACK of student teachers as they completed their placement. There were three focus groups; two with seven Year 2 student teachers and one focus group with three Year 3 student teachers.

Based on student feedback and our observations in modules and school placement, the student teachers had diverse placement experiences. School context including resources, cooperating teachers, student profile could be an important factor in incorporating TPACK in their teaching. The school context related issues can all be enablers or inhibitors for student teachers. While these external issues were vital for student teachers, we concentrated on their individual practice and whether they used their TPACK in the classroom. There was significant variety in the levels of TPACK among the cohort of students across each of the five sub-scales; namely designing, ethics, implementing, planning, and proficiency in the modified ICT-TPACK-Science Scale prior to engaging with the programme. Upon completion of the programme there was improvement across each of the sub-scales with the exception of planning. The focus groups identified significant value in the programme itself, though participants felt more workshops would have been beneficial. This is reflective of the observed changes in levels of TPACK pre and post programme. The findings offer some relevant insights into considerations programme designers may wish to undertake as they develop approaches to build students’ digital literacy skills.

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