Embracing technology: Teachers’ readiness to integrate emerging technologies into the curriculum

Abstract

The manner in which the intended curriculum is implemented in schools is continually evolving due to the rapid advancement of technology. The teaching and learning processes is greatly transformed by these emerging technologies, which range from virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence to interactive learning platforms. This qualitative case study explored teachers’ readiness to integrate emerging technologies into the curriculum in the South African primary schools. The interpretive paradigm was used to provide insights into the integration of technological resources by teachers. Ten teachers were purposively and conveniently sampled to participate in the study. Data were generated using online one-on-one semi-structured interviews and Zoom Focus Group Discussions. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) served as an analytical tool to frame the study. Findings indicate that teachers primarily rely on hardware resources and ideological resources at an expense of software resources. This indicate that teachers have strong pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge and slightly lower confidence in technological knowledge. Thus, teachers draw knowledge from their identity, surrounding societal norms and outlay prescribed documents. Therefore, teachers lack professional knowledge of drawing from prescribed documents but instead rely on their ideas and informal conversation about integrating emerging technologies into the curriculum. Factors such as age, experience, and education were the result of the above findings.  The study concludes that meaningful curriculum transformation in the digital era requires strengthening teachers’ professional and technological knowledge through continuous development and instilling a culture of innovation. The study recommends that teacher training programmes strengthen their focus on digital competence by integrating courses and practical experiences that emphasise the use of emerging technologies.