Cognition and Practices in Technology-Supported Teaching Among Teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language

Abstract

The integration of technology in education has reshaped teaching methodologies, particularly in language instruction. This mixed-methods explanatory sequential research investigated the TPACK cognitions and practices of nine Filipino high school teachers of Mandarin. The TPACK is a framework that illustrates the importance of the interplay between technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge to the utilization of technology in teaching. This study consolidated both quantitative and qualitative data from self-assessment reports, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations, providing a clear vignette of the participants’ TPACK. Using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, this study captured the entirety of the participants’ TPACK. The qualitative data revealed the participants’ high level of awareness of their TPACK. The qualitative data described the participants’ thirteen teaching practices demonstrating TPACK, and two approaches of enacting TPACK. Lastly, based on the findings, this study provided recommendations such as deepening the participants’ understanding of the TPACK framework and strengthening each professional knowledge, contributing to improving the participants’ capability to teach Mandarin with technology. The research findings might not apply to a larger population of Mandarin teachers because of the study’s limited sample size and restricted research setting. However, despite this limitation, the research delivers original insights by applying TPACK theoretical framework to Mandarin language teaching in an area that currently lacks extensive research. This research reveals new understandings of TPACK development and implementation among foreign language instructors in the Philippines through unique pedagogical methods and integration techniques.