Technology integration in university teacher education programs in Taiwan

The research problem for this study of technology integration is the insufficient skills of in-service teachers in Taiwan. Although knowledge and use of technology are nearly essential to many processes in teaching and learning, most in-service teachers were insufficiently skilled in the use of computers, which is a crucial factor that impedes the efforts to incorporate technology into instruction. The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitudes of faculty towards the integration of technology into the curriculum and their perceptions of the competencies needed for effective integration of technology in the classrooms in Taiwan.; A descriptive online survey was used to examine to what degree technology is integrated into the curriculum of one-year teacher education programs in Taiwan. The sample consisted of 62 college education programs and their 336 faculty members in Taiwan. Descriptive statistics were used to discuss the results for this research study. Chi-square was used to assess the relationship of four background variables as gender, age, academic rank, and teaching experience respectively and faculty perceptions of the competencies needed. The key research questions included the attitudes of faculty towards using technology as well as the perceptions of competencies, support of technology use, and pedagogy using technology by faculty. The results of this study showed that the faculty had overall positive attitudes towards using technology and perceived themselves as generally competent to incorporate it into their courses. Responses also indicated that there were both adequate accesses to technology on campus and support for its use. The ultimate goal is to provide adequate assistance and encouragement for teachers to incorporate technology into their classrooms, curriculum, and learning environments.; This study will contribute to positive social change in Taiwan by administrators of teacher education programs using the results of this study when making curriculum decisions about integrating technology into the curriculum. The findings may also provide meaningful information for improving student achievement and increasing the quality of instruction as well as helping those who design and guide policies for continuing the integration of technology into education programs.