Teacher Professional Development and Technological Proficiency of Educators: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia Higher Education Institutions.
Educators (Higher education teachers) play a significant role in equipping future professionals and contributing to societal progress. They are responsible for preparing competent citizens who serve various societal roles. Hence, examining educators' perceptions regarding professional devel...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
West University of Timisoara
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Revista de Știinţe Educaţiei |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://rse.uvt.ro/pdf/2024/Nr2_update/RSE2_2024_2_12.pdf |
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| Summary: | Educators (Higher education teachers) play a significant role in equipping future professionals and
contributing to societal progress. They are responsible for preparing competent citizens who serve
various societal roles. Hence, examining educators' perceptions regarding professional development
and technological proficiency is crucial. This study examines educators' perceptions of professional
development and technological proficiency in Ethiopian higher education institutions, focusing on
curriculum content, interdisciplinary integration, and aligning theory with practice. The impetus for
this study is the growing necessity for educators to possess technological proficiency to meet global
educational standards and the demand for innovative teacher education programs. It addresses
Educators' perceptions of (1) Their technological proficiency, (2) The relevance and
interdisciplinary integration of teacher education curricula, (3) The alignment of theoretical and
practical curriculum components, and (4) The integration of technological training in teacher
development programs. A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data from instructors
across various university categories. The analysis employed descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and post
hoc tests. The findings indicate that educators perceive their technological proficiency as moderate
(M = 3.0, SD = 0.66) and regard curriculum relevance and interdisciplinary integration as slightly
above average (M = 3.1, SD = 0.64). Research universities demonstrate consistently higher scores
across all variables, including technological training and curriculum alignment, than
comprehensive and applied universities. Technological training integration and the alignment of
theoretical and practical elements were identified as areas requiring improvement (M=2.8, SD=0.58;
M=2.9, SD=0.67). Significant differences in perceptions were observed based on university type,
qualifications, and experience, with research universities exhibiting the highest levels of perceived
innovation and technological adoption. The study highlights gaps in technological training and
curriculum alignment in Ethiopian higher education, urging strategic policies and resources to improve teacher education programs. By Emphasizing the importance of integrating theory and practice and fostering technological proficiency, the study calls for collaborative efforts to tackle the educational challenges of the 21st century. |
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| ISSN: | 2457-8673 |